MOTORING

A pretty (expensive) little Peugeot

Nice to see they’ve finally sorted this Peugeot’s styling out.

Isn’t it just? The previous 3008 was an awkward looking thing with proportions that just never seemed right no matter which angle you viewed it from. You know, like it had been tortured inside a microwave for a few minutes too many. This was a pity because under that fugly façade was a capable, pleasant automobile well suited to the rigours of everyday life. This time around things are much more balanced. Peugeot’s stylists turned some tricks and the result is a far more confident and visually pleasing 3008: one more SUV than MPV. My test unit came in range-topping GT Line spec, which pumps up the aesthetic ante some with ultra-bright LED headlamps and chunky 19-inch alloy wheels.

What’s under the bonnet — anything to write home about?

Pop the hood and you’ll be met by just another ubiquitous, small-capacity turbo motor. Though not particularly memorable, it does a fine job at pulling the 3008 about its business. While geared more for lowdown torque (à la inner-city trundling) it’s not fussed about being revved right up to the limiter. Performance is surprisingly sprightly, I found, with enough power on tap to make the 3008 mildly entertaining in isolation. Fuel consumption? After a week of (mostly town) driving I managed to clock 12.5l/100km. Not that amazing, is it?

Does it have a sport button?

Yes, it does. Besides sharpening up throttle and transmission response, engaging the sport button also increases the amount of fake engine noise being piped through the audio system speakers. And it is, quite frankly, ridiculous. A droning warble that sounds something between a computer racing game from the 1990s and a desperate bee trapped inside a cooldrink can. Yep, it’s so bad it’s almost good.

French cars are known to ride well. Is this one any different?

Look, it’s no Citroën DS if that’s what you’re asking. Having said this, however, the 3008 GT Line certainly copes well enough with all the dongas and ripples on South African roads. When equipped with the smaller 18-inch alloy wheels I feel it would be an even cushier whip. Overall it may ride well but in terms of handling it’s no slouch either. For what it is anyway. Driven at 7/10ths the 3008 dispatches with corners in a fairly adept manner with reasonable body control and steering that’s nicely geared and sort of semi-detailed in terms of feedback. Ask more of it and it gets flustered fast.

I’ve heard much praise about the interior. Is this deserved?

For what it’s worth I think the mood-lit innards of the 3008 are a definite highlight. Build quality is top notch and the materials used strike a tidy balance between luxury and durability. I especially like the so-called “Brumeo” fabric (a denim-esque material) that covers the door cards and dashboard fascia. Yeah, it’s a nice alternative to the usual faux carbon fibre/piano black plastic inlays that most manufacturers seem to opt for these days. Cabin switchgear has been boiled down to a minimum with only a few toggle switches taking up space on the centre console. These not only control the ventilation system but also the eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It’s easy enough to use and offers features such as Apple CarPlay as standard. One thing that did annoy me a bit though was the positioning of the digital instrument cluster. Peugeot has long adopted this weird seating concept in which they want you to drop the steering wheel lower than usual. It feels weird, unnatural. So you set the steering wheel back to your usual position and suddenly cannot see any instruments. No speedometer. No tachometer. No temperature gauge. Nothing. You’re driving blind, baby, or at very best seeing the tops of a few digits. The leather seats are comfortable (and heated) but unfortunately don’t offer much lateral support.

Sounds like quite an appealing package. I’m tempted …

The Peugeot 3008 is a fine car, especially in range-topping GT Line specification. There is, however, a caveat and that, my friend, is price. R532,900 is a lot of dough to cough up for a car made by a marque that has, in SA at least, a bad reputation for rapid depreciation. It’s also a lot to pay when you take a look at some of the other cars you can purchase for less money. The Nissan Qashqai 1.5DCI Tekna, Volkswagen Tiguan Comfortline TDI, Toyota C-HR 1.2T Luxury CVT and Mazda CX-3 2.0 Individual are all as good (and in some cases better) than the 3008 and more affordable — some by as much as a whopping R106,600. LS