The most style-conscious urban cross-over, and drives like a hatchback?

Peugeot was one of the first companies to bring a product to market that offers a smaller, rather than mid-size, cross-over alternative to any of these:  hatch, estate, mid-size cross-over or MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle, or then minivan).

As a car producer who has style high on its list of brand values, Peugeot designers certainly made sure their 2008 will look good as an urban car and on a getaway break.  Their launch ad campaign “See the city in a new light” highlighted the urban lifestyle many people spend most of their driving lives in, transmitting the message that the Peugeot 2008 is certainly well-suited to city driving.

When taking the steering wheel one immediately feels how small it is – a sports small-diameter steering wheel you’d expect to find a small hot hatch.  It adds to the sporty smaller-car driving feel.  One problem, though, is that the instrument cluster is seated on the dashboard, with dials far apart – the small steering wheel obscures the view of the instruments. 

The Peugeot 2008 drives like a hatchback, and is in fact based on the Peugeot 208 hatchback.  It has the same light-footedness and ease of drive of the hatch, which came as a pleasant surprise – none of the slight bulkiness of some other mid-size cross-overs.

The seating position is actually lower than in most rivals, and surprisingly one meets drivers/passengers in normal hatches and station wagons or half-ton bakkies on the same eye-level.  The lower seating also means much more headroom and a resultant feeling of space.  The handbrake is not an old-style lever, but a hand-width grip handle, which is easier to control than a lever, especially for smaller ladies and elderly persons.  Under the handbrake handle is a small storage tray for keys or a phone, but quick-reach storage space for small items are not enough.  Another annoying item is the ignition key slot which is hidden behind the steering wheel, out of sight, requiring either a lucky hole-in-one aim, or having to peek around the steering to see the slot.

There is a strong focus on tactile quality, as experienced in the surfaced textures in the cabin.  Not a premium feel, though, with some plastics showing scratches.  To uplift the cabin, black leather on the seat side bolsters and thigh supports is off-set by bold white contrast stitching, and seat inserts in a black&white cloth.  Looks stylish.

A nice styling character touch is the rooflining which has lines carved out to make it backlit.  Rather than a normal feature-less rooflining, these unusual lines of lights mean passengers (especially younger kids) are awed by this interesting item.

From the outside, the body roof is not level, as most cars, but has a stepped roof above the rear passengers, which also gives extra space and extra visual interest.  Generous chrome detailing on the front bumper, along the door outer trims, mirror housings, side of the roof and as finisher on the rear spoiler make it look smart, complimented by the shiny sporty alloy wheels.

The generously specced Allure, as tested, is the flagship model and launch model when 2008 arrived here in March 2014, with a lower-priced Active model having joined it in February 2015.  The Allure spec includes a tablet-style touch-screen perched on the dashboard (giving it a proper modern car feel) and is within easy reach, and with mostly easy controls.   

The radio receiver has audio via iPod-compatible USB, auxiliary input and Bluetooth streaming, Bluetooth-enabled hands-free cellular telephony, and a comprehensive satellite navigation system with moving map and turn-by-turn functionality.  Also included: automatically-activated lights and wipers, electrically adjustable and folding exterior mirrors, alloy wheels, front fog lamps, dark-tinted rear windows, dual-zone automatic climate control, cruise control with a speed limiter function, an electrochromatic rear-view mirror, and Hill Assist.

Although the Peugeot 2008 is front-wheel drive, it features Grip Control, which allows the driver to set it to different off-road driving modes, to somehow give it better grip in non-tar conditions.  It is said to have traction control, but at an inclined junction on a slippery road surface the car struggled to get off the line, sending unpleasant driveline shudders through the body as it struggles to find grip.

The 2008 earned a top 5-star rating in the Euro NCAP safety ratings, thanks to a comprehensive array of active and safety features such as Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), ABS anti-lock brakes with electronic brake force distribution and emergency brake assist.


The 1.6 standard petrol engine and 5-speed manual is the only combo available for the local market.  Despite 1.4HDi and 1.6HDi diesel options and an automatic gearbox available in overseas markets, SA gets only the 1.6 manual.  This is a mistake which clearly costs Peugeot sales – more and more savvy buyers go for the small turbo petrol and the automatic gearing options, as offered by rivals like Ford EcoSport.  In most driving situations the 1.6 has enough power, and a pleasant driving rhythm is easy to achieve and enjoy, helped by the closely-stacked 2nd-3rd gear change which makes it sound sporty and keeps it in the power band.  The gear grip is also pleasant to use.  But when you’re in a hurry, the little 1.6 engine, despite the light-for-its-size weight advantage, works hard and simply doesn’t have either torque or power to make swift progress, so points are deducted for not being able to take gaps in traffic.  Considering many buyers would be ladies and even retired ladies, an automatic really ought to be available.

Pricing of this city-slicker is R 277 900 for this top-spec Allure model, which presents great value, considering it is priced against mid-size hatchbacks and some less stylish less refined small cross-overs like Ford EcoSport (R210k-R270k) and Renault Duster (R214k-R270k)… but also against some style-conscious newcomers like Opel Adam (R289k-R336k) and Renault Captur (R220k-R280k).

The most style-conscious urban cross-over, and drives like a hatchback?
The Peugeot 2008 may have been one of the first smaller cross-overs, and had to compete with mainly the Ford EcoSport and Renault Duster thus far, where it clearly won the style and spec competition.  Now newer rivals are arriving in a string, who all play the character and style cards, and with better engines.  Yes, the Peugeot 2008 may be style-conscious and drive like a hatchback, but it deserves a better engine, and the choice of an automatic gearbox.