Peugeot 3008 review - Engines, drive & performance

Peugeot is on a mission to push upmarket, but this hasn’t been entirely pain-free. We were critical of the Peugeot E-3008’s firm ride, partly as a result of its heavy battery and large alloy wheels. Thankfully, with a lot less weight to keep in check (around half a tonne less for the mild hybrid), and on the smaller 19-inch wheels of the Allure trim, the ride quality is no longer a major con, even if it’s still not class-leading.

The reasonably firm suspension does mean body lean is rarely an issue, with the car remaining flat and planted through most bends. Peugeot’s compact i-Cockpit steering wheel takes a bit of getting used to, but the fact it’s so light and responsive makes the 3008 feel willing to nip into gaps in town. Its lack of feel doesn’t really encourage you to push too hard, but in a family SUV that’s probably a good thing.

Is it good to drive in town?

With very light and direct steering at lower speeds, very little body lean and a raised driving position, the 3008 feels very easy to drive around town. It can be a bit tricky to judge the car’s extremities, though, and our test car lacked auto-hold so needed holding on the brakes or engaging the electric handbrake when pulled up.

Is it good to drive on long journeys?

The reasonably firm ride aside, the 3008’s cabin is as well insulated as you’d expect for a modern SUV with an interior as stylish as this one, so it should prove to be a good long-distance companion. Standard automatic gearboxes across the range take the sting out of stop and start driving in traffic.

Is it good to drive on B-roads?

While it might resist body roll well and have a go-kart steering wheel, the lack of feedback filtering through to the driver means the 3008 rarely feels like a car that pushes you to drive quickly or attack a series of bends. If that’s your prerogative, the Ford Kuga feels a touch more engaging.

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Petrol models

Anyone who’s been spoiled by driving an EV or test driven the 207bhp E-3008 may find the 134bhp of the 3008 Hybrid a bit underwhelming at first. Stick with it, though, and its 10-second 0-62mph sprint time is enough to keep up with traffic, and while you’ll never forget about them entirely, the shifts from the six-speed automatic are pretty smooth.

There’s a bit of noise from the petrol engine under acceleration, but it settles down quite nicely when you aren’t asking so much from it. We did, however, notice a bit of a delay between wanting to accelerate and the car moving forwards with conviction, which means you’ll need to look for sizeable gaps when pulling out into traffic – a situation where the instant response of an EV is a real advantage.

Plug-in hybrid models

We haven’t got behind the wheel of the 3008 Plug-in Hybrid yet, but on paper it offers the quickest 0-62mph dash in the 3008 range, even pipping the E-3008. It’s fitted with a 1.6-litre petrol engine with 123bhp alongside an electric motor, for a combined 192bhp. It’s also worth noting that even in electric-only mode it can hit 83mph, so provided you have enough charge in the battery the petrol engine shouldn’t kick in even if your commute has a section of dual carriageway or motorway driving.

Electric models 

The Peugeot E-3008 actually launched slightly ahead of the regular 3008 lineup, and just one version is currently on offer with 207bhp sent directly to the front wheels. Read our in-depth Peugeot E-3008 review for our full verdict.