It’swon the European Car of the Year award in 2017 and now it’s been bestowed withthe Malaysia Car of the Year 2018 Award by Malaysia Automotive Institute
Yes, this multi-talented Peugeot 3008 SUV is so good that it makes its starting price of RM141,888 almost a steal. It’s so good that we paid for it with our own hard earned cash. But if you need a little more persuasion before you step into a Peugeot showroom to take a look at one, then here are 5 highlights about the car that was instrumental in our purchase of the Peugeot 3008.
Strictly Safety
Usually this would be the conclusion of most motoring articles but we are going to start with safety first (no pun intended). Peugeot’s current breed of cars has some very clever construction tech that makes them very safe. We know this first hand since our team does consist of 208 GTi owners and we know a couple of incidents where these car were completely written off and the drivers and passengers walked away virtually injury free. The Peugeot 3008 is no exception. It’s a car that scores a perfect 5 stars in the Euro NCAP, with 6 airbags, and a passenger cell that is more military like than mere road car.
Also the 3008 sports 3 ISOFIX child seat harnesses to properly secure your toddler’s child seat. That is before you look into the active safety systems like ABS, EBD and ESP that help you maneuver out of a possible collision before it takes place. For a car that will serve as a family and crew transport, this has to be priority numero uno.
Stylishly Stunning
The highlight of the Peugeot 3008 is the way it looks inside and out. True, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, but you can’t mistake the 3008 to anything else on the road. Well maybe the RM400,000 Range Rover Evoque but that’s like saying your girlfriend looks a lot like Scarlett Johansson and is that such a bad thing? Especially in the Allure spec that we bought the sequential front signal lights and LED headlamps sure gives a futuristic appeal about it.
The interior is where the 3008 really stands out. Peugeot’s award winning i-Cockpit dominates the entire experience with its twin screens,both 12.3 inch instrument panel and 8 inch infotainment touchscreen that has both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Along with the phosphorus blue ambient lighting, it really makes you feel like you’re in the set of a sci-fi film,rather than the cockpit of a family SUV. When you spend as much time on the road as we do, such a comforting interior is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity
Space with Grace
The Peugeot 3008 does not have the biggest external dimensions but it is very cleverly designed to accommodate 5 adults in complete comfort. With the wheels pushed far apart and the front seats contoured design,there’s space for two 6 feet tall adults to sit comfortably, one behind another. The front seats itself has a gorgeous bucket seat like design wrapped in high quality Claudio leather which is supple to sit on, yet supportive during spirited drives.
The hidden gem of the 3008 is that despite its smaller dimension its boot space, at 530 liters is only 2 liters smaller than the much bulkier Honda CR-V and a whopping 78 liters bigger than the Mazda CX-5. That’s before lowering its boot floor. Since the 3008 is only available in 2 wheel drive, the boot floor can be lowered to free even more loading space, 590 liters to be precise. Very handy when you have a 100kg cameraman and intend to do rolling shots from the back of the car.
The Brute with a Diet
Fora family SUV the Peugeot 3008 gets up to speed pretty easily. Powered by the tried and tested 1.6 liter THP 165 engine, the Peugeot 3008 puts out 165bhp and 240Nm. The bulk of the power comes very early and strong in the rev range, and with only 1300kg to pull about, the 3008 gets about briskly and effortlessly.What the stats don’t tell you is that the car is remarkably quiet on idle and during acceleration compared to the Honda CR-V and the Mazda CX-5.
Another plus side of having a low kerbweight would be superior fuel consumption figures. Although the claimed figure is 7 liters/100km, the realistic figure would be about 8 – 8.5 liters / 100km in mixed city driving. If you’re taking a stroll on the B roads however, you can clock figures like 7.5 liters / 100km. That means if you’re driving from Penang to Petaling Jaya on a full tank, you would still have about 40% of fuel left in the 53 liter fuel tank at the end of the drive. Handy when you spend bulk of your time driving around, especially on B roads.
Agility and Assurance
And finally we come to the true trump card why we at Route Hunter’s decided to pay the premium for this ride. This car drives very unlike an SUV. Between this and the CX-5 Mazda, it’s quite hard to choose as that’s another SUV that drives well. However the weight of the Peugeot, ride quality and the rest of the overall package allowed us to reach a quick and firm decision on the Peugeot.
It actually works off road too. If traffic is a little hectic around the area we commute from, your’s truly sometimes opts to take the non-tarmac route. And based on what we saw in the various 3008 owners group, we are not the odd one out. This car is good for light off roading. With its Advance Grip Control which helps you regulate traction on various surfaces, you can make progress on tricky surface with relative ease. But by far our favorite feature has to be the Hill Descent Control. We will be honest we haven’t used it all that much but it’s a cool trick to show passengers when descending a multistory carpark ramp.
Conclusion
With so many features loaded and the proven reliability of Peugeot’s current line of 1.6 turbo engines (208 GTi and beyond), we bought ourselves our very own Peugeot 3008 SUV. Now we are part of one of the fastest growing SUV fan base in the country. The last 30,000km (yes we drive it alot, which is why the front rims area always filled with brake dust) has been absolutely wonderful and rewarding and has taught us a whole lot more about this car. So if the MAI Malaysian Car of The Year 2018 award and our own decision to purchase this SUV has not convinced you enough to warrant at least a test drive, stay tuned as we give you the long term ownership experience report, right here at Route Hunters!
