The Peugeot 3008 – Living life differently

Crossovers are a strange bunch. It’s neither a sedan nor an MPV and certainly not as big a size as an SUV. Think of it like a sedan made love to an SUV and the offspring is the Crossover Utility Vehicle (CUV) …. a vehicle that uses the sedan platform and offers SUV features. Often times, a compact SUV gets confused with a Crossover and the first Crossover that I came across that’s launched in Malaysia was the Suzuki SX4. Back then I thought it was smart of Suzuki to create a niche for itself. But in the end, I think they sold some SX4s but the numbers weren’t that great. Most either polarized to the smaller, more agile Swift or the full fledged SUV the Vitara, both models being more well known and better associated to the brand.

 

Then Peugeot introduced the 3008 2 years ago and quickly carved a share of its own before Volkswagen introduced its own crossover in the form of the Cross Touran (CT for short). I am curious what the total market size of crossovers in Malaysia. If someone can point me to MAA statistics of the 3 models, I would gladly do the compilation and analysis.

 

At any rate, it’s purely coincidental that my previous article talked about the CT (yes, a CROSS Touran is technically a CROSSover and not a compact MPV … that honor falls to its cousin which is the VW Touran) and I am now given a Peugeot 3008 to zip around town . I recall mentioning I’ve always been a sedan person. Perhaps it’s something to do with sitting closer to the ground that gives me a greater sense of security and control, especially at high speed corners. Being given a crossover for the weekend challenges this perception and gives me the opportunity to see how well I like driving on the high(er) side for once. Both are direct competitors against each other since they both are:-

 

1. Crossovers
2. Uses forced induction
3. Continentals

 

Where it differs are mainly due to design and the number of seats. The 3008 seats 5 whereas the CT offers space for 7. That’s a key point to consider if you 1 or 2 kids plus a maid. However, do note that you can either have luggage or humans. In the case of the 3008, you still retain a sizable boot to pack your luggage for the weekend trip to Cameron but for the CT with all 7 seats up, you’d find it challenging to fit a baby stroller inside. So really, you have to wonder … how often do you really need 7 seats? If the answer is hardly, why not get a more usable boot? And in this instance, the 3008 trumps the CT (more on this later)

 

Design

 

Again, debatable but personally, I prefer the styling of the 3008 over the CT. The French have always had a penchant for design and the sharper front end of the 3008 appeals more to me than the somewhat bland German squarish CT. But that’s just me.

What are you looking at, chum?

 

In terms of size, they’re similar with the 3008 being wider at 1,837mm vs the CT at 1,799mm, shorter at 4,365mm vs CT’s 4,406mm and lower at 1,635mm vs 1,685. If you can park and navigate a Peugeot 308, you’ll have no problems with this car since they have almost the same dimensions, especially since they both share the same platform.

 

 

Performance

 

Like most Peugeots nowadays, if it’s turbocharged, it’s a Prince and the same stands for the 3008. With 156bhp @ 6,000rpm and 240Nm from 1,400rpm onwards, you can hit 100kph in approximately 9.5 seconds, making it marginally faster than the CT’s 9.8 seconds century sprint. I didn’t have the chance to push it beyond 150kph but I believe speeds in excess of 200kph should be attainable with this car … not that you should since you’d probably be ferrying your family in it.

 

Ride and Handling

 

Despite it being a tall car, it handles very decently. Not once did I feel loss of control or traction, especially around corners. Body roll is always kept in check with the Dynamic Roll Control feature which is a passive hydraulic system that affects the rear shock absorbers by linking the rear dampers. Have a look at the video below and you’ll get a clearer idea how it works:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7YNbT5OZDA

 

And the 3008 eats to the tarmac like glue. It’s a little unnerving initially but after getting used to the fact that this car can be spanked a little harder around corners, your confidence in it grows. At any rate, as long as you don’t flip it on its sides, the car’s ESP provides a greater margin of safety. Don’t get me wrong … this isn’t a sports car … go too fast and you will under steer quite a bit. Just release the pedal and it’ll just get back in line just like any FF car.

 

Comparing against a 308THP, the suspension setting is softer and therefore more comfortable to be in, especially for the rear passengers. However, between a CT and a 3008, I’d say the CT has better dampeners and is generally more comfortable on the road.

 

Cabin Convenience

 

The 3008 interior is a nice place to be in, regardless if you’re a passenger or the driver. Since I was at the helm all the time, I can say I felt like a pilot. The cockpit design cocoons you, creating a sense of solitude …. which is probably not a good thing if you’re driving your girlfriend who’s too used to leaning on your shoulder as you drive. Doing that in this car would probably give said girlfriend a bad spine and shoulder ache. If your other partner happens to love whipping out his/her phone as soon as he/she hits the front seat and giving you the invisible treatment, this is the perfect car for you. Open the panoramic roof and you get the feeling of airiness and spaciousness.

 

The sitting position is high for a cross over, bordering to the height of a full fledged SUV. I’m generally a foot taller than other motorist and visibility is excellent all round. Take note of the triangle window on the A pillars in the picture above which reduces the thickness of the pillar, allowing you to see pedestrians better, particularly when turning to smaller roads. A pillar blind spots contributed a number of near misses for me and having that triangle there makes me appreciate this car more.

 

The center column has airplane inspired switches that sets the brightness, tilt angle as well as the activation of the Head-Up Display (HUD). Unlike the BMW HUD which shoots information onto the windscreen, the 3008’s HUD projects on a piece of plastic and tells you your present speed and cruise control status.

 

The readout is clear at all times and it’s something I use often, especially when cruising on the highway. A colleague of mind finds it disorientating and fortunately for him, the HUD can be retracted at the push of a button in the center console. Another thing I like about Peugeots is the location of the lock switch. Most Asian made cars have the switch located on the driver’s door and this makes it inconvenient for the front passenger to lock the doors for added safety if the driver happens to make a quick stop at the bank. The 3008 has its door lock switch on the center console below the air vents so it’s a breeze for locking and unlocking for your front partner.

 

The meters are all clearly laid out and very easy to see and read. Simple and elegant.

 

 

The leather-wrapped steering is bereft of any buttons, giving you a clean look which personally, I appreciate. Instead, you get 2 additional stalks behind the steering aside from the usual signal and wiper stalks.

 

The stalk on the lower left controls cruise control and speed limiter

Whereas the one on the lower right allows you to manipulate the audio controls.

Moving to the rear, the boot is very utilitarian, especially considering this is a French car.

The boot aperture is extremely wide and more importantly, low so that heavier stuffs need not be lifted too high to enter the car. So ladies with a trolley full of the whole month’s supply of food will find it easier to dump things behind … especially that huge sack of rice. Part of the reason why you have a low loading point is the split tailgate.

It works as a nice picnic bench …. I can imagine reversing close to the edge of a river and just fish from this position. Don’t worry if you’re overweight … that tailgate can take 200kg before snapping off …. just spread yourself a little more evenly on it if you do weigh 200kg.

Without folding the rear seats, you’d get 512 litres of space … more than enough for a baby stroller or two plus other stuffs you plan to carry as you “balik kampung”. Also, this is one of those rare vehicles that features a split boot floor area. The board as you can see in the picture above allows you to split your boot into 2 levels …. perfect for some fragile items to be separated from solid ones. The board can be shifted to 3 positions so to get that 512litres of space, you need to move the board down to the lowest which merges the entire boot to one.

With the rear seats down, you get 1,604 litres of space … perfect for visits to Ikea.

 

At the back, rear passengers are kept chilled with rear air conditioning vents. However, rear legroom space is not that fantastic and some of my passengers didn’t particularly appreciate the hard sitting leather which is actually good for long distance driving. There’s also a 12V port below the rear aircon vents and side sun blinds adds a touch of class to the car (but too bad there isn’t any for the front)

 

 

Dreading that long journey with the kids keep pestering you to see if “are we there yet?”, don’t fret. The car’s stereo system comes equipped with Bluetooth and it streams not only your phone calls, but also music and video. And if you have an iPad, you’ve just got yourself a 9.7″ display movie screen for the rear passengers.

 

Whether by design or coincidence, the horizontal dimensions of an iPad fits just nicely between the 2 front seats and rear passengers were kept sufficiently entertained not to bother you too much. If the front passenger wishes to sleep while the rear passengers wants to watch a movie, I’ll just shift the sound completely to the rear and this helps reduce any distraction to the driver.

 

 

 

 

Specifications

 

Exterior

• Panoramic roof with electronically controlled retractable blind 17″ alloy rims
• Peugeot Smart Park Assist
• Headlamps delay security illumination (“Follow Me Home”
• Acoustic Laminated Front Windscreen
• Sensor activated headlights
• Sensor activated wipers

Interior

• Automatic Dual Zone Air-conditioning system and row 2 air diffusion
• Premium luxury leather seats
• Head Up Display (HUD)
• Automatic Electric Parking Brake
• Split Tailgate
• Unique 3 position Boot Floor Area
• Row 2 seats fold flat
• Row 2 side windows retractable sunblinds
• Front centre armrest with 13.5litres cold storage
• Front map reading lights
• Portable Rechargeable Torchlight
• World in Peugeot Sound (MP3 CD player) with USB and Bluetooth connectivity
• 6 speaker system (2 front speakers, 2 rear speakers and 2 tweeters)
• Finger tip audio remote control
• Cruise control with Speed limiter
• Auto dimming rear view mirror
• On board computer (Speed limiter, cruise control, trip distance recorder, service indicator, engine oil level, distance recorder, 6 speed automatic gearbox, trip computer, time, date, temperature, door opening status, and audio sources)
• One touch electric window with anti-pinch feature on all 4 windows
• Power sockets – 12V connectors
• 60:40 split folding rear seats

Safety

• 5 Star Euro NCAP Safety Rating
• 6 airbags (driver, front passenger, 2 sides and 2 curtain)
• Dynamic Roll Control (DRC)
• Peugeot Hill Start Assist
• ESP
• ABS
• EBD
• EBA
• ASR
• Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)
• Anti whiplast front seats headrest
• Front seat belts with Pretensioners and force limiters
• Rear 3-point seat belts with force limiters
• Rear doors child safety locks
• 2 ISOFIX location points (2 outer rear seats)
• Deadlocking
• Peugeot rolling code transponder immobilizer security

 

Maintenance and costing

 

As to the servicing, here’s what you can expect:

 

3008-servicing

 

You’d probably be going WTF?? RM3,600 for 60,000km service? Apparently, yes considering the amount of things they’re going to change (take a close look at those items). Here’s a tip: Decide on a service centre you would go regularly and have them break up the items that needs to be changed in the 60,000km service interval. While this does not change the total amount at the end of the day, it does help remove some of the pain of paying so much at one go. With the service interval being 6 months or 10,000km, got time to save some money.

 

The 3008 can be yours for RM146,888 OTR inclusive of insurance. While it’s not exactly cheap, the performance as well as cabin design and ambiance makes it feel it’s worth every cent spent.