Peugeot’s 3008 does comfort exceptionally well, but it’s not without its problems.
Parked next to its main rivals, the 3008 looks slightly underwhelming. The recent facelift helped sharpen it up a bit, but it still doesn’t have the look of a crossover. It’s more MPV than SUV, which may be an issue for the more style conscious buyer.
While it may not have the look of a crossover, it certainly feels that way on the inside thanks to an elevated driving position. As that’s one of the main characteristics people are after in this segment, I’m willing to give Peugeot a pass on this one.
I’m fairly certain the average owner will never cross over to the rough side, but just to make sure, I drove it down an evenly scraped gravel road.
The suspension soaked up the worst of the bumps and the car behaved considerably well considering the fact that it’s available in front-wheel drive only.
While it behaved itself on the gravel, it must be said that the 3008 is much better suited to a life spent on tar.
I drove the top-of-the-line 2,0-litre HDI turbocharged diesel, which delivers 120kW and 340Nm of torque. This deeply impressive powertrain is mated to a slick six-speed automatic gearbox. This combination makes the Peugeot a perfect daily companion as it takes all the effort out of stop and go traffic and highway crusing.
But let’s get back to the comfort. Apart from the near silent interior and the comforting ride, you also get an awful lot of standard equipment. Then again, that’s to be expected of a car costing R410 000.
For that you get every conceivable safety and comfort feature, including acronyms like ABS, ESC and equipment like heated seats and satellite navigation. My personal favourite is the James Bond like Head’s Up Display that flips up when you toggle a switch on the centre console. It’s nothing mind-blowing, but it’s small features like that, that make the interior of a car feel really special.
The ease of use comes down to how easy it is to use the car on any given occasion. On its first day here I connected my phone and set a destination on the on-board navigation in less than a minute. The rest of the car pretty much sorts itself out. The preferred climate only needs to be set once, while the handbrake, headlamps and wipers are all activated automatically if and when needed.
With all of this in mind, it’s actually easy to see why one would choose this car for normal everyday use above something that would require more driver input.
The Peugeot 3008 won’t get you very far off road, but it would take you very far without tiring you out.