Peugeot 2008 - The Latest Mini-SUV (Part 2)

Performance

Judging by our previous experience of its direct rivals, the 2008 offers a relatively impressive mix of virtues.

Under acceleration it feels quite sprightly, with a 0-60mph time of 10.7sec. The 138bph Skoda Yeti 2.0 TDI we figured in 2009 was no quicker and the Mini Countryman Cooper D tested in 2010 slightly slower. There’s the off-boost hesitancy that’s often present in small turbo diesels, but it’s no problem to drive around once you’re rolling – particularly since the engine is quite refined at fairly high crank speeds. The manual gearchange has surprising definition and positivity, while the ratios are well spaced and uncompromised by any shortening for off-road use. The 2008, if you were in doubt, isn’t a serious off-roader.

Under acceleration it feels quite sprightly, with a 0-60mph time of 10.7sec

Occasional use on unsealed roads is no problem, not least because Peugeot UK is fitting hybrid off-road tires to the 2008 as standard, in order to market it as an any-weather, any-season runabout, and our test car showed exactly the compromises you’d expect. Tarmac grip levels, wet or dry, are lower than they might be, and that reflects conspicuously in stopping distances that are about 20 per cent poorer than the class norm. Hybrid tires simply don’t have the stiffness to transmit the peak longitudinal loads of an emergency stop as effectively as road tires.

Hybrid tires simply don’t have the stiffness to transmit the peak longitudinal loads of an emergency stop as effectively as road tires

Having said that, grip on grass, gravel and mud is much better than it would be with a road tire – just as it would be on snow, we’d venture and there’s no penalty to be paid in terms of economy or refinement. Road noise is much less of a factor in the 2007 than wind noise around the mirrors and A-pillars, the latter noticeable at motorway speeds. And fuel efficiency is good; better than 50mpg is easily reached with mixed use.

Ride and handling

The 2008’s chief dynamic advantages are its perceived compactness and agility. While its nothing revelatory, driving this car makes the penny drop about Peugeot’s positioning. It may not be as convenient as a Mokka, as rugged as a Yeti or as divergent as a Juke, but on the road the 2008 handles, and handles well. Even on hybrid tires, it steers keenly and rides lumps and bumps with fluent control. Drivers will find it more like a well sorted, light-spirited super mini than a bigger family car and plenty of them, we suspect, will quite like that.

The 2008 rides well and handles with an engaging agility

Just as it does in the 028, the small steering wheel works with a rack that’s quite direct just off-center to give the car instant directional response. It turns in with immediacy and there’s little in the way of body roll to take the edge off its decent lateral grip levels. There’s also a building sense of heft to the steering and a bit of feel to match that directness, so you don’t tend to overwork the front wheels. The effort you put in almost always seems proportionate to the response you get, which makes for an easy drive. You can’t say that about, for example, a Mini Countryman.

The 2008 is highly competitive on rolling comfort, too. It isn’t softly sprung, but neither is it contrived in its firmness to seem artificially sporty or to create some craggy sense or purpose. The chassis tune feels a bit tauter than the typical utility car, but quite subtle damping means that it handles most UK surfaces very comfortably and retains good vertical control even over the worst roads you’re likely to find. It’s highly compatible with British roads, then.

Buying and owning

It’s difficult to position the 2008 because the segment’s ground is ceaselessly shifting. Within 12 months, practically every mainstream car market will have a crossover to supplement its more conventional offerings, and the potential for aggressive pricing strategies is clear.

Peugeot seems to have parachuted the 2008 into about the right spot. The range is split into Access+, Active, Allure and two levels of Feline trims. An entry point of $19,493 (or $21,443 for the diesel) is in Dacia Duster territory, but with alloys, DAB, Bluetooth and the 7.0in touchscreen missing, it’s unlikely to be good for much besides advertising taglines.

Active trim rights those wrongs. It is available with the lower-powered 1.6 e-HDi, which offers sub-100/km CO₂ emissions and 74.3mog if you opt for the EGC auto, and all for less than $27,000. It doesn’t, however, come with Grip Control; that’s reserved for the two higher tiers and isn’t an option with the cheaper engines.

If you’re prepared to forsake four-wheel drive for Peugeot’s computer-aided system, Grip Control makes impressive financial sense. The Skoda Yeti can’t be had in similar spec for less than $30,000 and Nissan doesn’t offer the Juke as a diesel 4x4. Added to which, few of the 2008’s rivals live up to the 1.6 e-HDI’s claimed frugality. Naturally, our test car fell a good way short, but 59.2mpg while touring and a 48.9mpg average still puts it towards the head of the class.