The Peugeot 3008 Hybrid
It’s an updated version of what already was an excellent family car, but is now revised into a better looking one. Join Tommy in discovering what exactly has changed!
What’s new?
First of all the front has undergone some tweaks here and there. To start off; the headlights, they’re new, and come as standard with LED technology. I am very relieved that they didn’t make this an optional extra, since a modern car with halogen lights looks horrible, haha. And oh yeah, the 3008 has now also gotten these mammoth-style day-driving lights/blinkers, which do fit the design.
Upfront the car doesn’t have any foglights, because they are integrated in the headlight units. It does give the front a cleaner look to be fair. In the front grille there’s still the classic Peugeot logo we’re all used to, yet this will quickly change in there future into their new logo, which can already be seen on the 308.
However at the rear though, not much has changed. The taillights are new, they look a bit sporty because of the smoked glass, and I do rate that. Because of the continuous black strip that runs down the rear, it makes the taillights look very sleek. These have the dynamic blinkers integrated, and they’re a treat to look at… Although you can’t see them when you’re driving it, it’s for your fellow road companions to enjoy.
Interior and overall styling
On the exterior there’s lots of chrome trimming, which do give the car a classy touch. In the GT-pack (which we had), there’s the possibility to de-chrome all of the trims and logo’s, which give the car a very stealth look. My personal taste goes out to the de-chromed look on this car, if that helps you out… Our car was equipped with the quite small 18” rims, but you can also opt for the optional 19” ones; these will look better on an SUV model like this.
There is a good 520L of available bootspace, underneath the trunk there is some space to store your charging cable and some other little things.
You can easily recline the rear seats by pulling two levers on each side in the trunk, which I found to be very user-friendly.
On the infotainment side of things, this screen is now bigger, faster and sharper than before. I found it very intuitive and easy to use. I’d want to highlight the function where the car will search nearby charging stations for you. Whenever I was in a ‘rush’, I just let the car do the work for me, and 9 out of 10 cases, there was one very nearby. Connected to the infotainment, are the numerous buttons located right beneath the screen. These are shortcuts to whatever setting you would want to access, and are premium to the touch.
What I really like about the PSA vehicles though… is the steering wheel. And in this car it was the one that comes with the GT-line, what a treat to drive with that is. To my taste it is perfectly proportioned, and the fact that it has both a flat bottom and top, makes it easily operable. Especially when you have to manoeuvre it!
Hybrid drivetrain
There’s still normal combustion engines available, but we’re going to focus on the PHEV’s for now. You can choose between two motorisations: either 225bhp or 300bhp, we drove the 225 bhp version. The 1.6L four cylinder engine puts out 180bhp and teams up with the electric drivetrain, which is good for 110bhp. Both engines put their power onto the front-wheels, and propel this car from 0-100 km/h in 8.7 seconds.
The main benefit that I experienced in the 3008, is how efficient it was. This all thanks to the silky smooth transition between combustion and electric engine, and the car knowing when to use which. The battery capacity is 13kWh, which translates into a range of 55 km’s on the electric drive train, which you could do a single trip on without having to switch on the combustion engine.
Final thoughts
Peugeot has done a great job at creating a mid-sized SUV with all of the necessary functions the current market asks for, and even more. Such as the interior, which is most definitely different to the others in the segment, and I love that they didn’t play on safe with it. It drives smooth, is a great hybrid, is spacious enough for a family, and has a variety of customisable options. I do rate this one Peugeot!
