New Peugeot 3008 2016 review ~ station of gear

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6 Oct, 2016 8:30pm Sam Naylor

The new Peugeot 3008 has made up its mind it's an SUV, and the signs are it's a good one...

Car buyers around the world are changing their habits, and that means the cars are changing too. With the rise of SUVs and the decline of MPVs, it’s clear why the Peugeot 3008 has made a transformation from a MPV-like crossover into a truly stylish car in the SUV vein.

It really is a significant change, and the 3008 is cooler than it’s ever been before. The raised ride height, chunky bodywork and bold grille design all give it a trendy look, while highlights such as the lion’s claw-shaped rear lights, steep windscreen and hidden C-pillar mean it stands out even in its crowded class.

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It’s a similar story inside, with the 3008 getting a totally new interior. The dash wraps around the driver from the centre console up to the door and, of course, incorporates Peugeot’s latest infotainment system. The small steering wheel and high-set instrument cluster we’ve already seen in the rest of the French brand’s range feature here too.

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The difference with the 3008, though, is that it gets Peugeot’s latest i-Cockpit display, which incorporates a 12.3-inch screen behind the wheel. Similar to Audi’s Virtual Cockpit, the set-up means you can change the layout of the dials, decide what is displayed and how or, most importantly, show sat-nav directions directly in front of you.

It’s an excellent system, and unlike many other Peugeot models, it’s easy to see over the top of the steering wheel. In fact there’s not much that Peugeot has done wrong with the interior of the 3008, as it’s one of the best-looking cabins in its class. The air-con controls are on the touchscreen display, which makes them hard to use on the move, and the materials lower down in the cabin are of lower quality, but those are minor setbacks.

The materials you actually touch are great quality and the wrap-around design with metal accents gives it a really upmarket feel overall. It doesn’t feel as spacious as a Nissan Qashqai or SEAT Ateca, but it’s much more stylish than either of those rivals.

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Hop in the back and you’ll find that the new 3008 actually has plenty of space, even if it doesn’t seem like it from the drivers’ seat. It’s slightly longer than a Qashqai, so there’s plenty of legroom in the back seats - if not quite as much as its main rivals. The 520-litre boot space dwarfs that of the 430-litre load area in the Nissan, though.

The driving position is a bit too upright, and the seats aren’t the most comfortable, but the Peugeot does help negate those problems with a well-judged ride. On our test route in Italy the 3008 felt smooth and didn’t let big potholes upset it too much, but it also resisted body roll in corners well. We’ll have to try the car in the UK to be sure, but first impressions are good.

Peugeot’s small steering wheel means the 3008 feels lively in corners, and the weighting is decent - but it’s lacking any feel and in sport mode the extra weighting only makes it more numb. There’s lots of grip, though, and overall the 3008 is fun to drive, if not hugely engaging. The same could be said of many of its rivals.

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Our test car featured the 1.6-litre BlueHDi diesel engine with 118bhp, which we’re told will be a big seller in the UK. It’s easy to see why, as the numbers stack up well. 70.6mpg and 104g/km of CO2 don’t quite match the Qashqai 1.5 dCi’s 74.3mpg and 99g/km but it’s not far off and the 3008 does have more power.

With 118bhp it’s not the punchiest diesel out there, but there’s enough grunt to lug around the Peugeot’s 1,300kg kerb weight - which is kept low by the new EMP2 platform that the car sits on. Mid-range torque is strong, so you can accelerate easily using the manual gearbox to keep the revs low.

The box itself is a decent one. It has a light shift, although the small button you need to hold to get it into reverse is a bit of a pain, and the action isn’t as smooth as in a SEAT Ateca. Going for a manual means you can keep engine revs low to stop the diesel rattle entering the cabin and at low revs, the engine is nice and quiet.

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Accelerate hard and you’ll definitely hear the harsh roar, but it’s not likely to annoy as once you’re on the move you can hardly hear it. Wind noise is well isolated too, but road noise does push its way in at higher speed.

We’re impressed with the Peugeot 3008 so far, but the decider, aside from our test in the UK, will be the price. No official details have been announced yet, but the starting price for the 1.2-litre petrol model will be £21,795, and this 1.6-litre diesel is likely to cost around £25,000. That’s more than an equivalent Qashqai, but if Peugeot can get the kit list right in the UK then it could still be a great buy.

Our first test of the new Peugeot 3008 has impressed: it’s a stylish small SUV with a superb interior, a composed ride and a practical boot. The in-car tech and quality materials means it feels much more upmarket than before, and it’s not bad to drive either. We’ll have to wait until we know how it compares to its rivals on price before delivering the final verdict but the 3008 is certainly better than ever.

Model: Peugeot 3008
Price: £25,000 (est)
Engine: 1.6-litre 4cyl diesel
Power/torque: 118bhp/300Nm

Transmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
0-62mph/Top speed: 11.2s/117mph
Economy/CO2: 70.6mpg/104g/km
On sale : December

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