Peugeot 2008 GT 2020 Car Review

It now utilises Groupe PSA’s new Common Modular Platform (CMP) and has a much more competent transmission, as well as a new compelling design language that enables it to stand out from the crowd in a world full of similarly-sized SUVs.

Avant-garde looks

The model that we had the pleasure to review boasted a gloss black diamond roof with sharp triangular creases in the roof line, a style which is also seen on the bonnet and side profile of the vehicle. To finish off the diamond theme, the 2008 sits on some gorgeous 18-inch Bund diamond cut alloy wheels.

The rear light clusters adds a level of intrigue with a ‘claw’ design and full LED 3D design lights, which standout at night and during the daytime thanks to its running light function.  The icing on the cake is an optional panoramic sunroof.

The Peugeot 2008 is by no means the biggest SUV. It measures 4300mm in length, with a width of 1815mm. It does, however, sit rather high at 1550mm (including the roof bars - which come standard on both the Allure and GT variants).

Intriguing interior

The interior is a comfortable and spacious place to be. The GT model we tested had heated seats with a combination of Alcantara and leatherette, tied together nicely with some bold lime green stitching. It might sound like the appearance of the cabin is unnecessarily busy, but it looks (and feels) superb. There’s also adequate room in the rear of the car, but it does feel like it’s more designed for four passengers rather than five - the rear seat row is 1317mm wide.

The highlight of the interior is most definitely the 3D i-cockpit, which is an exciting 10-inch 3D heads-up display. It’s highly configurable and gives a holographic appearance, which is terribly hard to photograph but looks fantastic in person. With such a progressive design, it will take a bit of time adjusting all the gauges to your taste, but you’ll absolutely love it once you find the right combination.

In front of the wireless charging pad is a very smart cover that opens out with a stand to display your smartphone – perfect for navigating on your summer road trip. Additionally, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come as standard across the 2008 range, as well as two USB ports in the front, and two in the rear.

The built-in navigation system in the GT offers sci-fi-like 3D views of your surroundings, with even buildings coming alive in three dimensions.

Storage-wise, the Peugeot 2008 isn’t too bad with 434 litres to play with. Drop the rear seats and you can say ‘bonjour’ to a generous 1,467 litres of space. Surprisingly, this is just 21 litres short of the much larger Pajero Sport we just reviewed. The boot has a two-part modular design, too, allowing you to hide items under the false floor.

Intelligent Driving

Behind the wheel of the 2008 is, again, a future-conscious experience. Particularly in the GT model with its semi-autonomous abilities - it can park itself, for instance.

The steering is quite light and with a noticeably smaller steering wheel slung quite low, it makes turning rather easy. We found that one of the safety features - the Lane Keep Assist – is a bit on the sensitive side, and might take a bit of time to get accustomed to.

The Allure and GT models have three selectable drive modes to choose from, and to be completely honest, for our test ‘Normal’ or even ‘Eco’ was sufficient due to the stop/start traffic of Auckland. If you venture into the countryside, ‘Sport’ mode is great fun and you’ll really appreciate the job Peugeot have done to source a significant amount of power from something so small.

Safety-wise, all Peugeot 2008 models have Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), however, the GT takes this one step further with as pedestrian and cyclist detection, which works during the day and at night.

What lies beneath?

Through some tuning wizardry, the Peugeot 2008’s engine is the 1.2L PureTech, which develops 155hp (114kW) and 240Nm torque. It’s no wonder that in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 the PureTech engines won International Engine of the Year in the 1.0L to 1.4L category.

The engine is mated to the EAT8 eight-speed automatic gearbox, and the vehicle seems to shift at around the 3000RPM mark. Despite the car’s smaller capacity engine, it’s a very capable, smooth three banger.

Au revoir

While the looks might not be to everybody’s taste, the Peugeot 2008 certainly stands out from the crowd. There are some other choices that come to mind if you’re in the market for a vehicle this size, like the Mazda CX30, which has similar levels of interior refinement but is thirstier. The Volkswagen T-Cross is another European choice, but its interior is not quite on par with the 2008.

So why not take a gamble and choose something bold with this French number. Peugeots may not have had the best reputation in New Zealand over the years for a number of reason, but they’ve produced some superb cars more recently.

Safety systems

• Speed limit sign recognition and recommendation 
• Six airbags
• Hill Start Assist function
• Front Collision Warning
• Active Blind Spot Monitoring
• Lane Positioning Assist (Semi-autonomous)
• Active Emergency Braking (AEB) with night function, pedestrian and cyclist detection
• Driver Attention Alert

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