Can this crossover make more of a
mark than the estate it replaces?
Niche is the new mainstream. Take a look
through the top 10 best-selling cars in the UK and that much is obvious. Nissan
ditched the Primera – a conventional large family car more than half a decade
ago, yet now its replacement, the supposedly niche Qashqai crossover, sits
proudly on Britain’s best-sellers list. Its smaller Juke sister model has done
the same since the start of this year, and it’s a theme replicated throughout
European.
Not surprising, then, that there has been
an upsurge in family-friendly, quasi-SUV crossover models, of which the 2007 is
Peugeot’s latest and smallest – a tall, 208 super mini-based, four-meter-long
entrant into an increasingly crowded market. It’s a market, however, that lacks
an obvious superstar model. There’s the aforementioned Juke, the Vauxhall
Mokka, Skoda’s likeable Yeti and the Dacia Duster, whose parsimony has won it
many admires, us included.
But still there’s this nagging doubt that
the small, tall car market is calling out for an obvious class leader. Question
is, can Peugeot’s new entrant provide it? Over the following eight pages, we
intend to find out.
Design and engineering
Peugeot
offers its selectable Grip Control system
Like most of its rivals, the 2008 is a
typically straightforward piece of engineering. While considerably more meat
has been added, the platform beneath the taller car is the same as the one that
underpins the 208, and while it may be jacked up by 96mm, there’s no four-wheel
drive option to drastically alter the similarities. Instead, as with the larger
3008, Peugeot offers its selectable Grip Control system as an answer to
slippery situations and has only mildly fettled the hatch’s MacPherson
strut/torsion bar suspension set-up to suit.
Cosmetically, the crossover is a mixed bag.
The 208’s overwrought front end is patched neatly on to the bigger nose, but
the insubstantial profile and flabby rear make the car an inconsistent presence
in the metal.
Allure
and Active models get 16s, while Access+ makes do with 15-inch steel wheels
Regardless of the visual impact, the
extended roofline adds practicality. Seat-up boot space increase by 75 liters
over the 208, substantiating the 2008’s claim to the now-deceased SW’s place in
the range. However, the additional metalwork (and the toys on our test car)
come at a price. Peugeot claims a kerb weight of 1180kg, but we registered
1310kg – 230kg more than the 208 tested last year.
Some of that additional weight can be found
in the engine bay. We tested the top-spec, 114bhp 1.6 e-HDi, rather than taking
a second run at the three-cylinder petrol 1.2. The latter should be worth a
second look later this year when the turbocharged versions of the three-pot –
in 109bhp and 129bhp forms – replace the elderly 118bhp 1.6 VTI. A similarly
venerable 1.4 HDi book-ends the diesel range, while the 92bhp version of the
1.6 e-HDi (VED-free with the still-awkward six-speed EGC gearbox) is ideally
positioned to snare a lot of buyer attention.
Interior
Peugeot’s
interiors have been feeling progressively classier of late, and the 2008 is no
exception
Peugeot’s interiors have been feeling
progressively classier of late, and the 2008 is no exception. In fact, for a
car based on a 208 super mini, it’s impressively finished, with materials that
easily pass a visual and prod test. The large touchscreen is neat, albeit bot a
paragon of ergonomic brilliance, ancillary buttons are pleasingly finished and
the metal gearknob is of a pleasingly tactile design.
It’s an airy cabin, too. As one passenger
said, “it’s all glass”, with low window lines that are good for visibility,
although poorer from a perspective of both design and perceived security (a
high shoulder psychologically cocoons occupants). Still, the 2008 has a
refreshingly welcoming cabin. There are no ‘aimed at the driver’ cockpit
touches here, save for a handbrake styled to look like an aircraft’s throttle.
Short
drivers suffer more unless the steering wheel is sited low
What it isn’t, though, is especially
voluminous. Front-seat occupants will find its spacious enough, but
average-size adults sitting behind average-size adults will find their knees
pretty close to the front seats. Still, the rear seatbacks fold nearly flat,
and there are metal rails on the boot floor that make it easier to slide in
heavy objects.
Generally, we found the driving position
comfortable enough, although the floor mat of our test car obstructed the
pedals annoyingly (although not dangerously) at times. But the small steering
wheel/high-set dials combination is, as with the 208 super mini, a mildly
inconvenient to downright stupid solution, depending on how tall you are and
your preferred driving position. We actually like the small steering wheel, but
if it has to be accompanied by an unreadable speedometer, we’ll live with a
large one. Relocating the main dials to the center of the dash and placing a
digital speedo on the steering column would strike us as the sensible solution.
