We Drive the 2021 Peugeot 3008 to a Country Lunch

2021 Peugeot 3008

Can Peugeot 3008 Take 4 Large Men on a Comfortable Outing

3008 is Peugeot’s middle-child SUV, and is billed as a premium Cruiser. The brand’s range has shrunk over the years with just the 508 currently being sold in the “passenger car” range. 208 and 308 appeared to have vanished beneath the waves. Although Peugeot confirmed 208 and 308 for late 2021, I’ll believe it when I see it.

Let’s leave that aside and move on to the SUVs. 2008, 3008 and 5008 carry the can for the SUV range. None of them are equipped for off-roading. They’re all Front Wheel Drive, clearly aimed at city-slicker use only.

There are drives modes, some of which aspire to a light spot of mud and snow work, but I’d rather stick to the bitumen thanks very much.

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Instead of our usual mini road trip, I opted to take a couple of the chaps for a slap-up lunch at a rather splendid 50’s-style pie shop up on the old highway. Once upon a time, demented motorists had to brave the narrow twisting roads to travel north. Now, they hurtle down multi-lane freeways at an Olympic pace, missing our beautiful country, and its quirky nods to the past.

Above: This Week 2021 Peugeot 3008 ALLURE Review

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ABOVE: 2021 Peugeot 3008 at Pie in the Sky

Pie in the Sky is one of the joys you encounter just a little way off the main road. They serve simple meals of pies and sausage rolls. You can get fish and chips, but punters prefer pies. 3008 is a petite version of 5008 so we were slightly friendlier than last week. Max and Casper took up residence in the rear, while Ethan and I co-piloted the venture.

Ethan is not one for French cars, so this new experience was quite the eye opener. The trip north has been made easier by a series of tunnels which have eliminated the need to thread through Sydney’s toffee-nosed north shore. The last tunnel spits drivers out just past the city limits. That leaves a 20-stretch of faultless tarmac at 110kph. After crossing the Hawkesbury, you turn onto the old road and its wonderful twists.

We explored the old road just for the fun of it, before turning back for a light lunch, where our attention turned to the 3008 once again.

Max:

I loved 3008 a lot. It is pretty, with a comfy cabin and a ton of gear on board. I disagreed with Alan’s take on the four-wheel drive thing. Most people will never miss it. Buyers will pile their brats in, until the thing is full to the brim. The back will be stuffed with gear, only to cross state lines for their annual beach holiday. Parents endure kilometres of torturous screaming, endless complaints, and appalling sticky fingers over the upholstery.

We, on the other hand, had 4 dapper gents with little more to challenge the driver than the odd risqué pun. Mind you, Casper’s conversation gets bluer as the drinks get longer, but that’s a story for another time. His ego has expanded alarmingly since nabbing a modelling contract with a posh outfitter, but I digress.

Alan:

121kw needs to be more, and that’s all there is to it.

Active safety is plentiful, with AEB and lane keeping, but that is now commonplace so what is 3008’s USP? Surely, it is the “Frenchness” of the cabin. The driver is lovingly cosseted in technology that wraps around him, concealed beneath a veneer of understated luxury. The dash sweeps right around the occupants, anchored by a large central LCD displaying information in their “i-Cockpit.

Space is cleverly used, and everything you see and touch feels solid, and classy. Our base model Allure had a 6-speed auto to go with the slightly flacid 4-pot. It ran out of puff with 4 blokes on board, with a 0-100 to leisurely to mention.

Despite this, you could travel cross country in supreme comfort, even with 4 seats being used. Ride is plush and opulent, matched by a great sound system with DAB and CarPlay. As a package, it does the job in a stylish way.

Finally, I’d like to see it cheaper, or to have proper AWD. Peugeot is up against the like of LEXUS NX which has a similarly stylish visage, and offers models with AWD. While Peugeot sold 173 units of 3008, LEXUS sold 1,120 for the same period so far this year. LEXUS is posher, I hear you say, so let’s look at others in the same category as 3008:- Toyota Rav 4 (13,844) Mazda CX-5 (9,504), and Subaru Forester (5,006). The figures tell us where buyer tastes lie, and all of those brands have an AWD offering in the range.

Casper:

The look is quite sexy. 18” wheels are big enough to look butch, but not so big that the ride is rubbish. The gaping front-end is defined by huge DTRLs. There are more LEDs in the headlights which have auto high beam. In fact, they’re so clever, they’ve fully integrated fog lights into the main array. When you turn the fog lights on it simply modifies the LEDs changing the number and density. It is a thing of beauty, that actually works.

Steering is light, but leave it in sport mode if you want to wring as much out of the sewing machine under the bonnet as possible. It could use another couple of gears too. 6 seems a bit last week.

Ethan:

I fell in love with 3008. The sexy steering wheel gives the SUV a go-cart feel, and the digital instruments are simple, giving you just what you need, where you need it.

The gear lever is a small race-style single stick that flicks back to the centre after you’ve told it to go forward or backward. There are paddles too, but I’m less than fond of the hidden cruise controls.

Seating is comfortable, manually adjusted, and highly configurable. I was completely bowled over by my first look at the interior.

On the road, I feel more comfortable with a proper spare wheel, but the space saver will do at a pinch. You glide along on fairly sophisticated suspension that makes the ride supremely smooth while keeping the cabin serenely quiet.

The real surprise is how nippy and nimble 3008 is. The tight body keeps the rubber where it should be. Sweeping corners are a total joy, and although there is a smidge of body roll, tighter corners are verging on fun.

Conclusion:

It seems like a lot of trouble to go to for a feed of steak and kidney pie, and a cuppa, but that’s not why we did it. We did it because the 3008 is a joyful experience. You have to reset your expectation completely to get the full benefit. Forget being at warp 10 in 2 seconds, that’s not what it’s about. Instead, think being conveyed in comfort, as the main attraction. If you concentrate on the missing AWD, you’re on a collision course with disappointment.

Price: $44,990 (to $54,990

Engine: 1.6 Turbo 4 Cylinder

Power: 121kw/240Nm

0-100kph: 9.9 seconds

Econ: 7.3L/100k

Tank: 53L

Trans: 6 speed automatic

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