Peugeot’s incoming 3008 PHEV for Australia is both fast and cheap to run, but it’s expensive to buy, feels heavy and loses some of the non-hybrid versions’ practicality.
The Peugeot 3008 GT Sport plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a mid-size plug-in hybrid family SUV that’s part of the recent wave of mainstream cars that can run on electric power for some distance, cutting running costs and smoothing the impending transition to fully electric power for motorists in the coming years. It’s also a new entrant into the Australian car market.
Whether you’re a fan of how the Peugeot 3008 looks or not, one thing’s for sure: the French firm has certainly tried to give its family SUV a striking appearance. It taps right into the current trend for bold styling. A mid-life facelift also saw the 3008 adopt some design cues from the sharp-looking 208 hatchback and 2008 SUV, such as ‘sabre-toothed’ LED daytime running lights, a frameless front grille and smoked LED tail-lights.
The 3008 uses very similar technology to the Citroen C5 Aircross Hybrid and the European-only DS 7 Crossback E-TENSE, as these cars use the same underlying architecture. Rivals from other manufacturers include the Ford Escape PHEV and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.
The 3008 Hybrid’s on-paper figures are impressive, just like those of all plug-in hybrid cars. CO2 emissions as low as 29g per km and a claimed fuel economy as low as 1.2L per 100km looks incredible if you’re used to a regular petrol or diesel, yet if you don’t plug in regularly the lack of help from a charged EV drivetrain will hurt the economy as the battery is fairly heavy.
The Peugeot 3008 GT Sport PHEV is set to arrive in Australia early next year in just the one GT Sport specification, with no other hybrid variants available. It is driven by a petrol-electric drivetrain that consists of two electric motors (front and rear) paired with a 147kW 1.6-litre turbocharged engine to deliver a hefty maximum 222kW output.
There are a number of driving modes to select, and in ‘Sport’ the full power of the car is unleashed, allowing for a 5.9-second 0-100km/h time. The eight-speed automatic gearbox isn’t the smoothest-shifting transmission we’ve encountered, but this 3008 can still take off like a hot hatchback when you put your foot down. There’s a good deal of vibration and noise when you do so, but fortunately the engine is much quieter when driven more sedately.
You’re likely to spend much more of your time in ‘Electric’ or ‘Hybrid’ mode. In the former, Peugeot says you should be able to keep going for up to 60km on power from the car’s 13.2kWh battery alone without waking the engine. Doing this, the 3008 is extremely smooth, quiet and relaxing to drive – a sensation enhanced by good ride quality, even on the large 19-inch alloy wheels.
In ‘Hybrid’ mode, the 3008 behaves more like a Toyota hybrid, deciding itself whether to use electric or petrol power, or mix the two, in order to make progress as efficiently as possible. You can also hold on to battery charge until you want or need to use it – when you enter an urban area, for example. And the fact that there are two electric motors means you get proper four-wheel drive, too – although it doesn’t quite turn the clearly road-biased 3008 into a Land Rover Defender rival.
In order to even get close to that headline fuel-economy figure, you need to charge up the 3008 regularly – most likely from a home wallbox that can be installed and speeds up charging compare to a normal household outlet. Doing so takes less than two hours, which makes it easy to fit in and around a busy lifestyle. A smartphone app allows you to set charging times to take advantage of cheaper overnight electricity, while the heating or air-conditioning can be pre-set to have the car at a certain temperature for you when you leave.
Peugeot has made some compromises made in order to carry the battery: the fuel tank is 10 litres smaller than a regular 3008’s, and boot space comes down from 520 to 395 litres. You do at least get a dedicated 25-litre area for storing the cables while on the move. And while the battery takes away space, it adds weight: 340kg, to be exact, making the hybrid 3008 feel a lot less agile through corners than its puree engine counterparts.
You’re supposed to view the Peugeot 3008’s iCockpit digital instruments (the speedo, rev counter etc.) by looking over – rather than through – the steering wheel. To make this possible, the wheel is mounted lower than you might expect and is barely the size of a dinner plate.
This unconventional arrangement works far better in the 3008 (and 5008) than it does in Peugeot’s lower-riding models, including the 208 and 308. Most will find it easy to get comfortable, but make sure you go for a test drive before buying to be sure; the steering wheel might block some drivers’ view of the instruments.
The pricetag for Peugeot’s new 3008 PHEV is $79,990 before on-road costs. Standard equipment includes Peugeot’s nice i-Cockpit with a 12.3-inch digital instrument screen, 10-inch touchscreen for infotainment, Focal sound system, 19-inch black alloy wheels, black pack with darkened grille, badges, strips, bumpers and trims, and Nappa leather upholstery with grey stitching.
The standard black pack and technology inside make it a nice-looking car outside that’s also nice to be in, you just have to be sure you can live with the practicality sacrifices, and remember that those scintillating on-paper performance figures don’t necessarily translate to a thrilling driving experience.
Stephen Errity