Road test review: Peugeot 2008 GT

Thursday, 6 August 2020

Peugeot's all-new 2008 has grown up and sprouted a whole lot of new tech - including all-electric power.

PEUGEOT 2008 GT
Base price: $45,990
Powertrain and economy: 1.2-litre turbo-petrol inline-three, 114kW/240Nm, 8-speed automatic, FWD, combined economy 6.1L/100km, CO2 138g/km (source: Peugeot).

Peugeot new design language looks utterly fantastic, doesn’t it?

Vital statistics: 4300mm long, 1550mm wide, 1530mm high, 2605mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 434 litres, 18-inch alloy wheels.
We like: 3D dash is awesome, fantastic design, plenty of character in powertrain

It's impossible to show in a photo, but the 3D dash is brilliant. The speed is pulled slightly to the fore, making it clearer and more apparent.

We don't like: Lane-keep can be indecisive and jerky, average audio system

The 2008 has been revamped for the new decade and there are quite a few changes. We’ve spent some time with the range-topping GT variant to see what’s what.

What sort of changes are we talking here?

The creases in the doors look great in orange and the black roof pairs well too.

There’s a new powertrain, new looks both inside and out and a bunch of new tech, to start with. Launched internationally late last year, the 2008 SUV gets Peugeot’s latest styling language including the ‘tiger slash’ DRL design, mirrored in the taillights, an angular grille, triangular creases across the doors and one of the nicest interiors we’ve seen in an SUV of this price. Almost everything is soft-touch, including the carbon fibre-look trim that curves from the dash into the doors and there are even LED light strips, something that was only really found in six-figure German luxury vehicles not so long ago.

The rest of the interior is in a class of its own, though the small steering wheel takes some time to get used to.

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It might only displace 1.2 litres but the engine is punchy enough for the 1250kg 2008.

The highlight of the new interior is easily the new 3D ‘i-Cockpit’ which combines a 10-inch digital display with a similarly sized screen sitting about an inch further in front.

Best SUV for less than $50k? It’d be close...

That second screen gets key information (speed, navigation, that sort of thing) beamed onto it from above, like an inverted head-up display, and is absolutely brilliant. It’s almost impossible to photograph too.

Under the bonnet is a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, found in each of the three 2008 models, although the GT gets a higher state of tune and an eight-speed automatic rather than a six-speed.

All models offer more oomph than the outgoing 2008s, with the base Active and mid-spec Allure coming with 96kW/230Nm. As above, the GT has 114kW/240Nm but manages to consume less petrol thanks to two extra cogs in the transmission (6.1L/100km vs 6.5L/100km).

How does it drive?

It’s quite a lot of fun, actually. The price and segment might have you think the 2008 is only really good at pootling around town but it’ll handle itself outside city limits. The triple has a lovely warble to it and the gearbox likes to change at around 3000rpm to give you a little hint of the soundtrack as the engine winds up. Peugeot has kept its funny half-length paddles which are a bit annoying and can result in accidental paddling of the cruise control stalk but the eight-speeder responds well to manual changing, if you do decide to have a bit of fun. Jabbing the geometric drive mode selector into Sport weights up the steering wheel nicely and gives more feedback to the driver, along with holding lower gears longer for Exuberant Sports Driving.

Mention the steering wheel, Peugeot’s wheel is tiny. It is designed to sit lower than you might usually have it, in order to easily see the dash. Takes about ten minutes to get used to for those coming from something with a larger tiller.

Back in the urban jungle, Normal mode releases some weight in the steering to allow faster rotations, helpful for navigating car parks or small streets. The ride is plush and while the seats are fairly low-slung for a crossover, you won’t be left wanting for comfort.

What about the tech?

Peugeot is keen to point out that, in GT form, the 2008 has “semi-autonomous driving capability.” That doesn’t mean it can drive itself sometimes, it means the crossover can adjust cruise control speed and lane position on the motorway. It’s basically an improved adaptive cruise control/lane keep pairing. The 2008 can also park itself in parallel and bay parking scenarios.

It works well too, for the most part. The lane keep is a bit indecisive, constantly adjusting the car’s position in the lane and, on two low-speed occasions, getting confused and twisting the wheel for no real reason. Aside from that, it’s a godsend in Auckland traffic and should make even day-long road trips a doddle.

This tester also had the ‘Focal’ audio system added on, an extra not currently offered in New Zealand but Peugeot will consider it if enough people want it. In my experience, it’s not worth the fuss. The Focal system adds a central speaker behind the infotainment screen and a subwoofer but audio quality isn’t brilliant, with little to no warmth in the mids and not much punch in the bass. I’ll have to sample the standard system to be sure, but I’d imagine it will do the job just fine.

Anything else I should know?

If ultimate audio clarity isn’t high on your preferences list for a cheap-ish crossover, the 2008 is a fantastic option.

The styling and the quality of the interior puts Peugeot’s offering above the competition (in my eyes) and the charming powertrain just furthers the French SUV’s case. I can’t really speak for longevity but Peugeot has been steadily climbing the ranks of various reliability surveys over the past few years, which should hopefully allay some fears.

If you’re looking to move away from fossil fuels, Peugeot NZ has said the all-electric e-2008 should be arriving here around mid-2021.

Any other cars I should consider?

My immediate alternative would be Mazda’s new CX-30, though you’re looking at the mid-spec GTX for the same price as Peugeot’s top-rung GT 2008. However, Mazda’s offering is still supremely lovely inside, the 2.5-litre inline-four makes more power (albeit at the cost of more fuel) and has all-wheel drive. It doesn’t have the external presence of the 2008 though, to be fair.

Otherwise, Volkswagen’s new T-Cross, Seat’s front-drive Ateca FR and Kia’s Seltos all jump to mind, with the Hyundai Venue thrown in the mix as a more value-oriented proposition.