Most people buy a crossover to deal with the daily grind, even though many manufacturers make a strong case for their small SUVs as lifestyle vehicles on top of the usual family-friendly sales pitch.
Take for example the newly facelifted Peugeot 2008, which has recently joined our fleet. Ad campaigns for the car featured the likes of free divers, parkour runners and desert journeys. I’m not quite as extreme as that, but to find out whether Peugeot’s crossover works as a runaround for weekend warriors in addition to delivering everyday usability, I’ve taken our 2008 on a few adventures of my own.
A 500-mile round trip to North Wales for some mountaineering and camping with a friend kicked things off, and the first thing that struck me was how comfortable the driving position is.
Out top-spec GT Line – which is new to the revised 2008 range – features a unique interior design. The red-stitched seats make long motorway jaunts a breeze, but hug you nicely on tighter B-roads. The rest of the interior feels minimalist and modern, while there’s a decent level of tech on offer, including Apple CarPlay, as well as some neat features like the expansive standard panoramic glass roof.
We’ve gone for the 1.6-litre BlueHDi turbodiesel; with 118bhp and 300Nm of torque, it’s a strong engine. And the 2008 is also surprisingly good fun on twisty roads. Once off the motorway on the drive to Wales, I found myself forgetting about comfort and revelling in the 2008’s relatively decent driving dynamics for a higher-riding small crossover.
The grunty engine pulls the Peugeot out of corners strongly while the steering is sharp, helped by that small wheel as part of the i-Cockpit design (which I’ll talk about more in future reports). Driving like this does highlight the soft suspension, however, so there’s a fair amount of body roll – but at least the smooth ride makes it competent at racking up the miles.
It’s also relatively practical, offering enough space for the outdoor equipment ‘lifestyle’ types like me need to pack aboard. Although our camping gear quickly filled the 360-litre boot, I’ve since taken the 2008 on a few mountain biking trips and found that, once you fold the rear seats down, the 1,194-litre maximum load capacity is more than enough to swallow my bike, as well as several big bags. So the sporty-looking 2008 caters well for those with an appetite for exploring the environment. But what about the environment itself?
Interestingly, Peugeot is one of the few companies to release its real-world fuel economy figures to the public, offering a little more transparency post-Dieselgate. Over a mix of roads I was keen to see how my driving stacked up not just against the quoted laboratory numbers, but also when compared with what Peugeot claims is realistically possible from the 2008. Our 53.2mpg average was nearly on par with Peugeot’s 54.3mpg real-world result and a good one at that, but way off the 76.3mpg official NEDC figure. No surprise there.
It’s not exactly a letdown, because the 1.6 BlueHDi 120 engine has proven frugal when carrying a full load. However, some of the tech that initially impressed isn’t quite so sophisticated the more you use it.
Take the auto wipers. If the blade isn’t perfectly clean, water will smear across the sensor, tricking it into thinking it’s raining hard and speeding up the wipers. Gentle drizzle can mean the wipers go off as well.
*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.
- Model: Peugeot 2008 GT Line 1.6 BlueHDi 120
- On fleet since: December 2016
- Price new: £21,635
- Engine: 1.6-litre 4cyl turbodiesel, 118bhp
- CO2/tax: 96g/km/£0
- Options: Pearlescent paint (£645), Active City Brake (£250)
- Insurance*: Group: 22/Quote: £655
- Mileage: 8,164
- Economy: 53.2mpg
- Any problems?: None so far
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