Peugeot revealed the 3008 range last year, taking a bold new step into the SUV market aimed at showing the Germans they can match them round for round. They included all the tech possible and gave the 3008 some great design cues that’s now been carried throughout the Peugeot line up. The GT-Line is the second most expensive version and it’s the one we had on test.
The Peugeot 3008 GT-line, has been developed by Peugeot to compete with the likes of the Volkswagen Tiguan, Audi Q3, Mazda Cx-5, and the controversial Ford Kuga in the midsized SUV or crossover segment. This is the first of a new generation and we feel it’s a solid proposition and a massive leap forward in terms of build quality and definitely sits on the upper end of the segment.
The 2nd generation Peugeot 3008 is built on the EMP2 platform and the design has already trickled down to the 2008 and 308 front giving the brand a premium look. The 3008 looks graceful and elegant and when you sit inside the car that’s when you can really get an idea of the direction Peugeot is heading in the future and can see why this model is doing so well in the European markets after all it did win the European car of the year.
The GT-Line features cosmetic touches such as the grille and eye-catching touches with chrome detail and some gloss black finishes including a GT-Line badge on the left. The side mirrors are also painted black and the rear is unmistakably Peugeot with the new eye-catching LED “claw” tail lights being rolled out across the Peugeot range. The look of this 3008 GT-Line is topped off with 19-inch alloy wheels.
Engine
The 3008 GT-Line was a surprising lively drive with regards to performance and after looking under the hood we found it’s been fitted with the 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol PSA engine producing a healthy 121kws with its relatively generous torque figure of 240Nm. Nice!
We are happy that Peugeot only offered this 3008 in an automatic configuration it’s really how this car’s meant to be enjoyed around the city and open roads in comfort. If the need arises for a bit of more aggressive driving, Peugeot have hooked the 3008 up with some nice sporty feeling shifting paddles behind the wheel.
Peugeot claims a fuel consumption figure of 7L/100kms but we found a more realistic figure of 7.9L/100km. Having said this we did do a fair amount of highway driving and I would expect that figure to rise to around 8.4L/100kms on an average work week commute. For an SUV we consider that to be still pretty good.
The 19-inch wheels fitted to the GT-Line offer a firm ride quality but feels better on smooth roads. We felt comfortable and pampered thanks to the supportive massaging “Cat paw” option active in the leather driver’s seat and to some surprisingly good NVH refinement, there was very little road and wind noise entering the cabin. Although at some speeds and wind directions the wing mirror did whistles ever so slightly. The platform feels engineered for some spirited driving and the Peugeot 3008 doesn’t wallow like some family SUVs. Instead it has an air of poise and thanks to its peculiarly small steering wheel it can feel lively. It also has one of the most direct steering we have felt in this segment but Peugeot has consistently delivered in this department.
Safety
Let’s start with the Peugeot 3008s “Adaptive cruise control with stop function”. It uses radar that basically paces the car in front of you and gaps it according to how you set it, distance, normal, or close. This is a great feature for a long distance traveller as it takes away the need to brake or accelerate when cruise control is active as it also has Advanced Driver Attention which will warn the driver if the car ahead brakes hard and you haven’t yet started to brake. This is like an early warning system. The test vehicle was also fitted with the “Active Lane Keeping Assist” which holds the car between the lines so you can’t drift into oncoming traffic another great safety feature. Our test car also had “Smartbeam” assistance which applies the headlight bright’s when safe to do so. We felt this is one of the better ones we have tested, it didn’t blind a single oncoming car
The test unit featured standard ABS & ESP with ASR in the traction control department as well as a full complement of 6 airbags.
Interior
The perceived build quality of the interior is above average to good. We loved all the real aluminum and aircraft style switches as well as the fabric wrapped dash. The fabric gave the soft lighting glow a really amazing look when the light bounces from the fabric surfaces.
Front-seat passengers are able to stretch out in the 3008 but it’s not quite as spacious as its exterior dimensions might lead you to believe. Still there’s an argument that many will like the sense of being cocooned in the 3008, as it literally feels like the dash wraps around you especially given the plushness of its interior – and it’s by no means cramped up front providing a feeling of safety.
Those in the rear do pretty well for space. The back doors open nice and wide while head and legroom are good in the outer two seats. The front center console extends a long way into the back and we reckon middle-seat passengers may feel hard done by as they’ll have to contort their limbs around the fairly large protruding console.
At 520 litres, the Peugeot 3008 has the Nissan Qashqai (430 litres) well beaten when it comes to luggage space and even destroys the spacious Audi Q3 by 100 litres total load volume. Drop the rear seats using the levers in the boot and the boot grows to an impressive 1,580 litres. The 60:40 split-folding rear seats fit nice and flat while the back of the front passenger seat can be folded for lugging or longer loads.
In-Car Tech
Peugeot’s decision to fit all 3008s with its i-Cockpit is welcome and a very nice touch. This 12.3-inch digital display replaces the speedometer, fuel gauge, and other dashboard dials. It can also be configured to show sat-nav guidance, media playlists, or information about fuel economy and journey times and even a G-meter! Audi has offered a similar setup for some time but usually as a pricey option. Peugeot’s decision to make it standard may cause other carmakers to follow suit in an effort to keep up. I imagine it’s even more cost-effective when it comes to manufacturing.
Another nice touch is the row of seven silvered aircraft like toggle switches below the eight-inch infotainment touchscreen. These look almost like piano keys and work in conjunction with the touchscreen bringing up music, ventilation, and other modes. You still have to use the screen itself to adjust the temperature and other settings but the screen is capacitive rather than resistive, so it’s much easier to operate than some setups.
We fell in love with the 3008 GT-Line it really is a pleasure to drive and possibly the best Peugeot we have ever had the pleasure of testing. If you are looking at an Audi/BMW/Mercedes premium SUV also have a look at the 3008, even if just to see how little you’re getting for a lot more money from the Germans.
2018 Peugeot 3008 GT-Line pricing and specifications:
Price as tested: R532 900
Engine: 1.6-litre Four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 121kW/240Nm
Transmission: Six-speed Automatic
Fuel: 7L/100km (Combined)
CO2: 136g/km (Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star NCAP
