120 | AUSTRALIAN NEW CAR & SUV BUYER’S GUIDE
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eugeot claims the current
3008 “has moved itself
above” mainstream SUV rivals
such as VW’s Tiguan, Mazda CX5,
Subaru’s Forester and Honda’s
CRV, but they’re dreaming.
Start money — $37,490 for the
base Active — is about $5000 over
the odds for this class, as is the
$40,990 ask for the Allure and the
$44,990 sticker on the GT Line
variant tested here.
The 3008 is front-wheel-drive
only, whereas rivals at this price
offer all-wheel drivetrains.
Peugeot’s “Grip Control”
system, complete with a Land
Rover-style rotary dial on the
centre console with Normal, Snow,
Mud and Sand modes, is nothing
more than adjustable traction
control on the front wheels and a
set of faux all-terrain tyres. Mud
and sand? Please, don’t go there.
All models get Peugeot’s
i-Cockpit, comprising a 12.3-inch
digital instrument panel, a chunky
little F1-look leather-wrapped
steering wheel and a hi-res eight-
inch touchscreen atop the dash.
Mirrorlink, Apple CarPlay and
Android Auto, wireless charging for
compatible phones, digital radio
and voice control are included,
with main menus accessed via a
row of piano key-style switches
below the touchscreen.
It’s all very techno-wow,
beautiful to look at and
reasonably intuitive to use.
However, AM reception is weak,
voice control is hit and miss,
and the navigation system won’t
accept voice destination entry
in Australia. When I tried, it
offered to take me to 11 Regent
Street, London, instead.
Peugeot has short-changed
the Active and Allure models by
omitting lane keeping, adaptive
cruise, automatic emergency
braking and blind spot
monitoring. They are included
on GT Line, along with automatic
high beam and 360-degree
cameras, plus range-wide lane
departure warning, distance
alert, parking sensors and
speed limit recognition.
Froufrou French car touches
include “Relax” and “Boost”
modes in a “Multi-Sensory
Ambience” system, with
adjustable mood lighting —the blue is very Paris by night
— and a fragrance dispenser
in the glovebox that pumps
sickly perfume into the cabin to
disguise the acrid pong of stale
cigarette smoke.
The heavily-bolstered, fi rm
driver’s seat has only basic
manual adjustments.
You look over the wheel at
the instrument panel and for
an unobstructed view of the
digital dials you must position
the wheel quite low and the seat
high. It feels weird at fi rst, but
the elevated instruments are
directly in your line of sight, like
a head-up display, so as a safety
feature it works.
In the back, a low, fi rm bench,
high window sills and tinted glass
mean kids will feel like they’re
sitting in a cave. Leg room is
adequate for most adults.
Softly-sprung, the 3008 offers
a quiet, supple ride in town
and on the highway. On rough
country roads, it can be fussy
and unsettled.
In tight corners the 3008 feels
loose and unwieldy, with excessive
body roll exacerbated by steeringthat’s either over-assisted in
Normal mode, or heavy and
numb in Sport mode. Basic
torsion beam rear suspension
can struggle for control on rough
roads and the brakes, though
powerful, are overly sensitive and
diffi cult to modulate.
The 3008’s 121kW 1.6-litre
turbopetrol four is refi ned and
tractable but lethargic, especially
below 3000rpm. Sport mode
improves responsiveness.
The six-speed auto has a
chunky, pistol grip lever with a
heavy action.
On the move it operates
unobtrusively, though occasionally
slowly, and the test car’s
transmission would sometimes
judder when put into Park. Shift
paddles are standard.
The top-spec 3008 GT, at
$51,490, runs a 133kW/400Nm
2.0-litre turbodiesel.PEUGEOT 3008 FROM $37,490
THINGS WE LIKE
It’s French, so it looks beautiful
and it’s different
GT Line is loaded with
infotainment, convenience and
safety spec
Comfortable driver’s seat
Smooth and quiet
Digital instrumentsTHINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE
Front-wheel drive at all-wheel-
drive prices
Lower spec models miss out on
safety tech
Loose handling on rough roads
Sluggish performance
Peugeot reliability can be iffy
SPEX (GT Line)
Made in France
1.6-litre turbopetrol four/six-speed
automatic/front-wheel drive
121kW of power at 6000rpm/240Nm
of torque at 1400rpm
0-100km/h in 9.9 seconds (claimed)
5.3L/100km highway; 9.8L/100km
city; 95 octane premium; CO²
emissions are 156gkm
Fuel tank 53 litres
Warranty: Three years/100,000km
Standard: Six airbags, stability
control, lane keeping, blind spot
monitoring, radar cruise, automatic
emergency braking, 360-degree
cameras, LED headlights, 18-inch
alloy wheels, Bluetooth, navigation,
digital radio, Apple CarPlay,
Android Auto, 12.3-inch digital
instruments, automatic parking
Redbook future values: 3yr: 45%;
5yr: 30%compare with ...
Ford Escape, Honda CRV, Kia
Sportage, Mazda CX5, Subaru
Forester, VW TiguanSafety
ANCAP
PerformanceHandlingQuality and reliabilityComfort and refi nementValue for moneyOverallSTARS
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