For all seasons
Peugeot’s urban SUV provides stylish and practical transport
A major revamp has considerably added to the appeal of Peugeot’s compact 2008 SUV.
The designers have turned a rather bland looking product into a stylish eye-catching number by giving it the macho treatment.
As a result the 2008 is now liable to appeal to a wider audience especially in top GT Line spec.
The range starts at £13,615 but I tested the flagship GT Line Blue HDi 120 which costs £20,565.
As well as featuring the new grille and nose, larger wheel arches and other style improvements, the GT Line boasts black roof rails and door mirror cappings as well as a panoramic glass roof with an electric sunblind.
Brilliant black alloy wheels, scuff plates, fog lights and LED lights and higher ground clearance complete the looks.
It is not a serious off-roader as it only comes with frontwheel-drive to save weight, emissions and fuel but it does feature Peugeot’s electronic Grip Control system.
This allows you, via a dial on the centre consule to select modes to tackle sand, snow and mud and each setting gives the car the maximum front wheel traction.
Inside there is room for four adults to travel in comfort and boot space is also generous at 410 litres. You can more than treble that figure by dropping the rear seats.
The cabin is functional and modern and generously equipped.
A 7-inch coloured touchscreen allows you to use the standard sat nav as well as MirrorLink and Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity.
There is a host of other standard features including dual-zone air conditioning, reversing camera, tinted windows and a decent sound system.
The test car featured the 1.6-litre diesel engine with a 120bhp output which delivered its power without fuss.
Good for a top speed of 119mph it tackled the sprint to 62mph in just 9.6 seconds.
With low emissions of 96g/ km there is no road tax to pay and the claimed combined 76.3mpg figure is another bonus - I averaged just over 60mpg.
Both the ride and handling are as good if not better than others in the class and this new model should at least equal the success of the original 2008 which was launched back in 2013 and recorded strong sales throughout Europe.
I am still not a fan of the high-set dials and low-slung small steering wheel which I could not adjust to a position that I was comfortable with.
Other than that the 2008 is a fine and very practical urban SUV which is well-priced to compete with its rivals.