Test Car Specifications
Model: 2024 Peugeot 2008 GT 1.2 PureTech 130 EAT8
Price: From £24,170, GT from £31,170
Engine: 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine
Transmission: eight-speed automatic, front-wheel drive
Power: 131hp
Torque: 230Nm
Emissions: 137g/km
Economy: 45.4-48.9mpg
0-62mph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed: 126mph
Boot space: 434-1,467 litres
Styling
The Peugeot design team has rightly been lauded in recent years, and the 2008 is yet another great piece of design. Chunky, modern, rugged and stylish all at the same time, it's even better than its predecessor thanks to the new grille and the three-stripe daytime running lights, which were designed to look as though they'd been gouged into the bumper by the Peugeot lion. That's probably a bit over-the-top, but it's true that they look great and give the car an even more distinctive image. Combine that with some striking paint options and two-tone colour schemes, and you've got something that stands out from the crowd.
Interior
The exterior design team isn't the only one of Peugeot's departments to have upped its game in recent years, and the interior designers and engineers deserve some credit too. The brand's cabin quality has come on in leaps and bounds over the past decade, and the 2008's interior feels remarkably well engineered. Material quality is particularly strong, and there's nothing all that wrong with the way they fit together, although it has to be said a few bits of plastic feel as though they were built down to a price. That's par for the course in cars of this size, though.
What is not par for the course is the 2008's interior style, which combines the sporty with the futuristic to remarkable effect. The 2008 still has Peugeot's now-customary tiny steering wheel, which is a Marmite feature, and that's combined with a high-set digital instrument cluster and a touchscreen angled towards the driver. All of which is set among some sharply angled surfaces and, in the case of our GT-specification test car, bright green stitching.
But while the style might be a strong suit, the technology is a little less impressive. The digital instrument display isn't just difficult to see over the wheel, but it's difficult to see full stop. It's supposed to have a '3D' effect, with information displayed in layers, but the effect is sometimes just blurry.
Similarly, the touchscreen is a good idea that's badly executed, with Peugeot's latest software still proving quite laggy and unintuitive to use. Which is a shame when there's so much that lives there, from vehicle functions to climate control. Yes, Peugeot has improved the range of shortcut buttons in the centre of the dashboard, but that only helps to a certain extent.
Practicality
The 2008's practicality credentials are pretty reasonable, with a 434-litre boot that's only six litres smaller than that of the larger Volkswagen T-Roc. It's a really useful space, and if you fold the back seats down, it grows to an even more ample 1,467 litres. Or you can leave those seats in place to leave enough room for four adults to sit quite comfortably. We say quite comfortably, because legroom is a little limited, particularly with taller people in the front seats, and headroom will be tight for those over about six feet tall, but most will be quite happy on a short- or medium-distance drive.
Performance
The petrol-powered 2008s all essentially get the same 1.2-litre, three-cylinder PureTech petrol engine that has become a staple of the Peugeot, Citroen and Vauxhall ranges. And there's nothing wrong with that, because it's brilliant. It sounds characterful, it's smooth and it's efficient, and we think it's even better than Ford's acclaimed 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine.
Basic Active models come with a 100hp manual version as standard, and there's a 136hp hybrid automatic option, too, but we drove the 131hp automatic that's standard on the GT model and optional on the Allure. It's more than powerful enough to make brisk progress in a car as compact as the 2008, but there's a catch.
You see, while this engine is offered with a six-speed manual gearbox in Allure trim, the PureTech GT is solely available with the EAT8 eight-speed automatic gearbox, and the two are not natural bedfellows. The gearbox feels hesitant and sluggish when you're trying to set off, and the stop-start system seems to trip them both up with monotonous regularity. It's great when you're on the move, though, shifting seamlessly between ratios and even timing downshifts well when you put your foot down. It's just a shame it's so awkward around town.
At least it's reasonably efficient, returning well over 40mpg with ease during our time with the car and achieving almost 50mpg on the official economy test.
Ride & Handling
Theoretically speaking, one of the main advantages of a compact SUV over a supermini should be improved comfort from the longer-travel suspension. However, in a bid to keep the 2008's body in check in the corners, Peugeot seems to have forgotten about that bit.
So while the 2008 handles well enough, assuming you can forgive the slightly numb steering, the ride is a bit lumpier than we were hoping. Potholes seem to catch the suspension out a bit, and hitting one mid-corner will occasionally unsettle the car, while manhole covers and the like can send a shudder through the vehicle. It's a bit better over longer undulations such as speed bumps, which it soaks up quite well, but it still isn't as supple as we'd like. And while it's true that the Ford Puma suffers from a similar issue, that's a slightly more involving car to drive.
Not that the Peugeot isn't good on a country lane. It doesn't have any really sporty pretensions, despite the GT trim level, but you can happily zip along at quite a brisk pace if you want to. The advantage of the stiff suspension is decent body control, and though the steering doesn't have that much feel, it gets a bit better in the sportier settings.
But the Peugeot has more plus points around town. The gearbox may be out of its depth there, but the car's strong visibility and compact dimensions make it quite pleasant to manoeuvre. The steering should take some of the credit for that, too.
With no all-wheel-drive option, the 2008 isn't really an off-roader, but then few cars in this class are. If you're worried about the odd heavy snowfall, though, just stick some all-season or winter tyres on those alloys in the winter months and it should cope well enough in any weather you want to go out in.
Value
Prices for the 2008 start at £24,170, which pays for the basic Active model in petrol form. That makes the Peugeot slightly cheaper than the Ford Puma, and though the entry level Allure may not be especially well equipped, it still comes with all the essentials, including rear parking sensors, a touchscreen and climate control, as well as automatic lights and wipers. Moving up to the Allure adds £2,000 to the price, but you get the digital instrument display and bigger alloy wheels, as well as roof bars and front parking sensors. Finally, the GT model tested here starts at £31,170, but that pays for a black roof, a reversing camera and keyless entry, among other things.
Verdict
While the stylish and relatively inexpensive petrol-powered 2008 will doubtless draw customers in, it remains a flawed proposition. Yes, it's stylish, it's practical, it's competitively priced and it's even surprisingly well made, but alternatives feel much more convincing on the road. So although there's much to commend it, it remains behind the best in this competitive class.
