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| The Peugeot 3008. |
To get a five-star safety rating in the European crash tests, there are only so many ways engineers can shape the window frames and side bars and crumple zones.
Hence only a few people can nowadays distinguish between the slew of mid-sized sport utility vehicles using only their silhouettes. To stand out in this same-shaped crowd, manufacturers must rely on the electronics and decorations inside their vehicles and here Peugeot has certainly set the bar high in the new 3008.
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| The 3008 next to its main competitor in South Africa, the Toyota Fortuner. |
We had one on test for a week, courtesy of Peugeot South Africa — and we took it on on a run to the excellent Windmills kitchen and the Karkloof Market in the Midlands Meander. En route we found only the German cars can rival this French SUV for luxury on the inside.
But in pragmatic French style, Peugeot sells the 3008 from R519 000, with a five year or 100 000 km warranty and service plan, which makes it a much more affordable option than the Teutonic triumvirate’s premium priced SUV offerings.
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| It is very sumptous inside the 3008. |
Peugeot is selling three models of the 3008 in SA, all powered by a 1,6-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol motor, which makes 121 kW and 240 Nm.
There’s just one gearbox on offer, a six-speed automatic transmission. Peugeot claims a 0-100 km/h of just 8,9 seconds and it’s said to consume just 7 l/100 km on the combined cycle. This is on par with the smaller Audi Q2 35TFSI, which has a 1,4-litre that makes 110 kW and 250 Nm and lists for R500 more than the 3008.
Inside, the updated Peugeot 3008 a new central touch-screen which exists. 10-inches in size and customers can choose between red Nappa leather over the standard black Nappa leather.
At first, the sheer number of buttons inside the cabin can seem intimidating, but the row of chrome piano keys provide quick and intuitive access to the various comfort functions. The cruise control is not so intuitive, but once you bent around the flattened oval of the steering wheel to study the buttons on the speed control, activating it is easy.
The digital head-up display panel is the ultimate must-have luxury.
It can be easily customised, meaning you don’t take your eyes off the road.
Peugeot also took a leaf out of Audi's book ,with a digital screen that can be set to show old fashioned speed and rev counter needles, or a bird’s eye view of the GPS map, or set to minimum display to only show the speed for long drives at night.
The 12.3-inch digital dashboard has been tweaked to provide better readability and contrasts, handy when reversing using the high clarity reversing camera.
Going forward in confined spaces is another matter, as the 3008 is a big vehicle with a high nose, over which it is hard to see.
This is where the proximity sensors come into their own to warn one of impending scrapes.
When we drove the previous edition 3008 GT line, the massaging driver’s seat soon became the most popular feature, which we are happy to say carries over to the new models. For the facelifted 2021 model, Peugeot has tweaked the design, introduced the latest-gen driving assistants, and added the sumptuous cladding to the interior.
The flagship GT model gets full LED headlamps, which turn as the vehicle changes direction at speeds of up to 90 km/h.
A fog mode built into the headlamps turn them on when mist is detected. The rear of the vehicle features LED tail lamps and sequential indicators. On the long road, the Focal hi-fi system made the most of classic compositions by the best melodic heavy metal band yet from Australia, Bel’akor.
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| The 3008 next to two competitors in South Africa, the Toyota Fortuner and the Merc GLC. |
The three models of the Peugeot 3008 ride on 7-, 18- or 19-inch rims with the top end GT having 19-inch aluminium alloys.
All models have a full size spare in the back and a standard wheel pressure monitoring system adds comfort of mind over the many, many potholes created by criminally overloaded trucks on SA roads.
The Peugeot 3008 has been a popular model globally with impressive sales performance, particularly in the European market.
Despite having bagged a few #CarsAwards in South Africa, it has not sold as well locally, mostly because of the small dealer footprint.
The latest 3008 models, however, offer a lot more than the competing Germans and is well worth a wheel-kicking at the local dealer.
