Peugeot 3008 1.6 HDi Allure ON THE ROAD

Review & Photos by Leo Kimitri

Peugeot’s 3008 is a hard car to pigeonhole. It doesn’t have rugged 4x4 credentials (four wheel drive isn’t even an option on the 1.6 diesel), it’s not as flexible as a normal MPV and it’s much taller than a standard hatchback. The benefit of this according to Peugeot, is that the 3008 combines the benefits of all three. But does it also combine the drawbacks of all three? We spent a week with the 3008 to find out…

Peugeot’s high-rise 3008 is the same length as the Renault Scenic and nearly 15cm shorter than Peugeot’s own 308SW estate which comes in at around £1000 less for an equivalent model. You can also specify the 308SW with an extra two seats should you need to ferry around seven people. So the question is, why would you buy the 3008 ‘crossover’ over the cheaper, bigger booted, more frugal and faster 308SW?

From the outside the 3008 is an unusual mishmash of design cues, which you’ll either love or hate. In my eyes this crossover fails to look as macho as a fully-fledged off roader, as chic as a well-designed hatchback or as neat as many MPVs, but as a result the 3008 is undeniably more distinctive than your average hatchback.

Look around the 3008 more closely and you’ll discover an average size interior and an SUV-style split tailgate at the rear which reveals a huge boot with a movable floor, which lets you separate luggage into different sections. This comes in handy if you need to transport delicate items that can’t be loaded on top of each other. Slide into the driver’s seat and you are cocooned by a wraparound driver-focused dashboard while the back seats are perfectly adequate for children but slightly on the tight side for larger passengers. The Allure specification also includes a huge full length glass roof (with electric sunblind), which fills the cabin with light and makes it a much more pleasant place to spend long journeys.

Having already reviewed the £27,995 hybrid 3008 back in July, we tried out the least powerful 3008, the 1.6 HDi which is available from £18,995 for a basic model and £22,545 for the top spec Allure, which we tested. This 1.6 model produces 110bhp and 270Nm and shifts the 3008 to 62mph in a lengthy 13.6 seconds. However, most of the time this small engine feels up to the job of moving the 3008, even though it tips the scales at 1590kg, which is an enormous 300kg more than some rivals.

Load up the 3008 1.6 HDi with people and/or heavy luggage and progress is at best sedate. While the engine mostly feels adequately powerful, navigating tight corners in second gear for instance can catch the engine off boost, making the 3008 feel very underpowered and sometimes even forcing you to change down into first. Pulling out of junctions into tight gaps or accelerating up steep inclines further highlights the car’s pedestrian performance plus surprisingly poor traction with the wheels struggling for grip in first, second and third gear on damp roads when the turbo comes on boost – in spite of the ESP system which didn’t seem very responsive on tarmac.

Thankfully the gearchange in the 3008 is quick and positive, meaning that while there is not a huge amount of performance on offer, you can make the most of the power the 1.6 motor does produce. For most families, the 1.6 HDi engine will do the job, especially as the 3008 offers disconcertingly little feedback through the light steering and the brakes are not the most responsive, dissuading you from driving the 3008 too enthusiastically. The brakes stop the car well enough, but as you need to stomp on the pedal with some force to get the car to stop, they don’t inspire as much confidence as they could. The smooth ride which absorbs most bumps competently, the refined engine and absence of wind or road noise further reinforce that the 3008 a car which is very much set up for gentle driving, although the 3008’s body control is mostly good considering its height.

Despite its weight, the 3008 still achieves a decent official fuel economy figure of 57.6mpg which is perfectly achievable on the road, provided you don’t race everywhere. On a 70 mile motorway trip in our hands, the car returned 57.5mpg, hitting a very impressive figure of over 70mpg for the first 15 miles on slower dual carriageways. Should you drive the 3008 more enthusiastically though or predominantly in stop-start urban traffic, this figure will plummet to under 40mpg. However, this still compares very favourably with the figures we got from the Hybrid4, especially considering that car’s £6,000 price premium.

The 3008’s interior overall has a high quality, premium feel and a slick design, though our top of the range 3008 tripped up with several cheap looking parts including a mismatched plasticky sat nav screen and unattractive and not very responsive heads up display which both grind out of the dashboard with an insubstantial sound. The 3008 is also plagued by some questionable ergonomics including sharp bits of plastic around the steering wheel adjustment lever, a rear view mirror that obstructed forward vision from my seating position and a steering wheel which blocked some of the speedometer however I adjusted it. Considering the significant £24,455 price of our test model, these quirks are an unwelcome surprise. Driving at night can also be dazzling thanks to the large sat nav screen, the heads up display and bright dials all vying for attention with the sat nav image often reflecting on the windscreen.

Another potential irritation is the driving position which can feel slightly claustrophobic for larger drivers, as the hefty transmission tunnel steals space from the footwell. The large transmission tunnel however does create space for a cavernous central cubby hole, where you can store a large amount of family paraphernalia, all out of sight of prying eyes. Annoyingly though, the lid for this compartment opens away from the driver, making it hard for the driver to access, especially while on the move.

Helping to make this storage compartment possible is the addition of an electric parking brake. While great in theory for liberating interior space, we found this standard fit electronic handbrake sluggish to respond, sometimes leaving you stranded at traffic lights for several seconds while it disengages, when you would have been cleanly off with a conventional handbrake. It also grinds away beneath you when engaging which is disconcerting and doesn’t convey a great sense of engineering quality.

However, the electronic handbrake does also allow the addition of a hill assist facility where the car holds the brake on for several seconds after you’ve disengaged the handbrake allowing you to make smooth hill starts. This works very effectively in practice and will make pulling off on a hill much less stressful for you if the mere idea of a hill start has you breaking in out a sweat. We also appreciated the front and rear parking sensors as without them it was very difficult to judge where the ends of the 3008 were, especially as the front and rear pillars are slightly on the large side. Thankfully large wing mirrors aid visibility on the move.

One big concern with the 3008 1.6 Allure however, is the price, especially considering how quickly the 3008 loses its value. Buy a new 1.6 HDi Allure and after one year and just 10,000 miles it will be worth around £14,500 or around £8,000 less than when new, so unless you plan to keep your car for many years, this may put you off the 3008. Even ignoring the depreciation, you can buy a raft of similarly equipped, faster and more frugal cars for significantly less. The more spacious, more frugal and faster Skoda Octavia 1.6 TDi 105 Elegance estate comes in at £3000 less if you’re happy with a more conventional car. Alternatively, if you’re yearning for an SUV, Mazda’s CX-5 2.2D starts from £22,995 and is also faster and more frugal than the 3008 1.6 HDi, while several more conventional rivals such as the Ford Focus Estate 1.6 TDCi 115 Titanium X and Renault Scenic 1.5 dCi 110 undercut the 3008 while returning 10mpg more.

The 3008 is valiantly trying to be different from the raft of hatchbacks, MPVs and off roaders on offer elsewhere and in Allure spec is very well kitted out with dual zone climate control, a glass roof, electrically folding mirrors, automatic lights and wipers and a heads up display. However, despite its many plus points, it’s not the best value, most spacious or most engaging car for the money.

At the start of this review we mentioned Peugeot’s claim that the 3008 unites the best elements of SUVs, MPVs and hatchbacks. And although the 3008 does blend elements of all of these, unfortunately it is does combine the drawbacks of all three, with a higher price than many more conventional models, less flexibility than numerous MPVs and a significant weight disadvantage over rival hatchbacks, which seriously dents its performance and fuel economy. With this in mind, unless you really love the 3008’s crossover style – in which case, the still well-equipped but £1,600 cheaper 1.6 HDi Active may offer you better value – other cars may be a wiser investment for you thanks to their lower purchase and running costs and greater performance and space.

Tech Data

Price as tested: £24,455 Engine: 1.6 8v 110bhp - 0-62mph: 13.6 secs - Maximum Speed: 112 mph 

Economy: 48.7 mpg (urban) – 64.2mpg (extra-urban), 57.6mpg (combined) - Emissions: 127g/km (Band D) - VED (12 months): £100 

Dimensions: Length: 4365mm - Width: 1837mm - Height: 1639mm - Wheelbase: 2613mm 

*data from Peugeot UK

The DriverVIBE Verdict

The 3008 1.6 HDi Allure is a competent and well-equipped car that will tick a lot of boxes for many families. It is a useful size being spacious enough on the inside but not too big to park (with all-round parking sensors that is) and it has a well-designed and attractive interior plus a very useful boot. The 3008 is comfortable for longer trips and is refined on the motorway with a quiet and generally responsive engine. This Peugeot is not particularly engaging to drive however and the engine at times feels underpowered, although it is surprisingly frugal considering the size and weight of the 3008. The 3008 is a good car in isolation, however several rivals make the Allure model appear expensive and offer better fuel economy, space and performance for the money.

All photographs and text are the exclusive property of  Leo Kimitri (except where stated otherwise). They are made available for your personal viewing enjoyment only. No images are within the Public Domain. The photographs may not be copied, reproduced, redistributed, manipulated, projected, used or altered in any way without the prior permission of Rob McSorley (info@DriverVIBE.co.uk).