Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4
Fast-but-frugal plug-in Peugeot comes at a price
THIS is the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 – a car which, by emitting just 29g/km of CO2, has comfortably the lowest tailpipe emissions of any car in the SUV range.
Perhaps surprisingly for a car with such a low emissions figure, it’s also the most powerful model. The 3008’s plug-in hybrid system uses two electric motors – one on each axle – producing 108bhp each. They are joined by a 197bhp 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine that means there’s a combined output of 296bhp and 450Nm of torque.
Select Sport mode, and this four-wheeldrive family crossover will sprint from 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds. It really feels it, too. Plant your right foot and the 3008 surges forward with a near hot-hatch-like shove, and nearly with the sound to match. Take things easy, and it settles into a gentle background hum and is decently refined, although the gearbox could be a little sharper to react to throttle inputs. Keep the 13.2kWh battery topped up, and the 3008 Hybrid4 can drive around for 36 miles on electric power alone, making the petrol engine almost redundant on short journeys. With only the electric motors engaged, the 3008 feels smooth, silent and relaxing to drive. It’s comfortable, too, even on 19-inch wheels.
From start-up, the car defaults to ‘Electric’ mode, while ‘Hybrid’ leaves the car to manage the best way to use both petrol and electrical energy. There’s also a proper fourwheel-drive setting which, in addition to hill descent control, means that the 3008 can venture off-road with some capability.
Another mode allows the driver to save a certain amount of charge in the battery on longer journeys, so that there’s enough left to use in low-emission zones. A smartphone app allows users to set charging schedules or to pre-heat or cool the cabin, too.
A full battery charge takes roughly eight hours via a regular three-pin plug, or it’ll take one hour and 45 minutes if you have a 7kW home charger. The battery pack itself is positioned beside a fuel tank that’s 10 litres smaller than in other 3008 models.
Unsurprisingly, the hybrid system also eats into boot space. The 520-litre load bay found in petrol and diesel versions of the 3008 shrinks to 395 litres, although passenger space is unaffected.
The hybrid system also adds 340kg when compared to a regular 1.6 petrol 3008. So while performance feels lively, the Hybrid4 feels too lethargic during cornering to be considered anything close to fun. At least all that mass is positioned low down in the car.
In reality, the slightly unremarkable drive makes the headline power output seem a bit unnecessary. And so does the price: the admittedly well equipped Hybrid4 costs £46,735, a figure that puts
Peugeot in the territory of a BMW X3 xDrive30e and Audi Q5 55 TFSI e.
However, those low emissions still mean that this is a cheap company car. As it stands, the 3008 Hybrid4’s CO2 emissions mean it qualifies for a 12 per cent Benefit in Kind rate, compared to 27 per cent for the 3008 GT diesel. That means that any taxpayers in the 40 per cent bracket will pay £2,240 per year for the hybrid, while the diesel will cost nearly double that.
For those who can’t stomach the asking price, Peugeot offers a front-wheel-drive 3008 Hybrid. It produces a healthy 222bhp and accelerates from 0-62mph in around eight seconds. Like-for-like, it’s £5,000 less than the Hybrid4, but it’s also offered in lower trims, so the cheapest Allure-spec model costs a more reasonable £36,585.
“Plant your right foot and the 3008 surges forward with a near hot-hatch-like shove”