9 February 2011
New car report; From wheat to wheels.
When brothers Jean-Pierre and Jean- Frédéric Peugeot sold their father’s crop farm and converted their cereal mill into a steel foundry to take advantage of opportunities they saw with the industrial revolution, the motor car was still eight decades away.
200 years on from those beginnings in 1810, Peugeot has been associated with saws, tools, coffee grinders, pepper grinders, bicycles, motor cycles, scooters and cars.
2010 sees the start of another new chapter in the evolution of Peugeot, with the announcement of big new plans, a new corporate Lion badge and a new signature of “Motion and Emotion.”
At the launch of the new Peugeot 3008, recently appointed General Manager of Peugeot Importer Sime Darby Automobiles, Grant Smith, announced his plan to steer Peugeot in New Zealand back into third position in the European sector from current fifth.
With fourteen new models to be rolled out between 2010 and 2012, his ambition seems entirely realistic.
New models, new customers.
Like the 4007 SUV launched earlier this year, the 3008 Crossover takes Peugeot into new territory, appealing to buyers who may not previously have considered the French brand.
In the practicality stakes, the 3008 rates among the best. With a high driving position, easy entry and exit, numerous storage areas, split tailgate and a clever 3 position boot floor that Peugeot refers to as “Multi-flex boot loading.”
The patented 3-way adjustable boot floor can be dropped down to the lowest level to give maximum loading space, lifted to a mid level to align the floor with the open lower tailgate, hiding 25% of the boot volume under the floor, or raised to the highest level to align the floor with the closed lower tailgate and give 45% of the volume under the floor.
Three spec levels will be available for our market, Active, Sport and Luxury, with each being available in petrol or diesel. Pricing starts at $41,990 for the petrol powered Active, $46,990 for the Sport and $49,990 for the Luxury, with diesel versions carrying a $4,000 premium at each level.
Both engines are impressive, and finally we're seeing Peugeot automatic transmissions that behave as they should, now that they've cast aside the sloppy and indecisive 4 speed trans of old to make way for a very slick and impressive 6 speed auto ‘box.
The 1,598cc Turbo High Pressure (THP) direct injection petrol engine has a maximum power output of 115kW, with peak torque of 240Nm available at just 1,400rpm, while the diesel versions are powered by a 1,997cc HDi unit, producing 120kW of power and 340Nm of torque at 2,000rpm.
The 1.6 THP consumes 7.8L/100km, producing 182g/km CO2, while the 2.0 HDi has a combined cycle consumption of 6.6L/100km and emits 176g/km CO2. Both are Euro 5 compliant.
Exterior styling, while not ‘knock-your-socks-off’ beautiful, is pleasing enough, with frontal treatment leaving no doubt of its parentage, with the deep wide toothy smile and centrally mounted Lion logo of exagerated proportions.
Driving dynamics shine for this market sector, with the 3008 cornering and gripping the road in a manner well beyond the entitlement of your average school-run Crossover. But comfort isn’t compromised either, with flat cornering, comfortable seating and a well finished and insulated cabin.
Loaded with equipment.
The 3008 is well equipped from the entry level “Active” up, with all models getting automatic headlights, rain sensing wipers, cruise control, rear parking aid, 6 airbags, Isofix child seat anchor points and Stability Control.
No surprise that the more you spend the more you get, with equipment levels rising incrementally with the price tag. The Sport and Luxury models get some worthwhile upgrades such as Bluetooth, USB input, and heads-up display which is projected onto a perspex screen that rises up from behind the instrument binnacle.
The Sport and Luxury step the Active’s 17” alloys up to 18’s.
There’s a giant glass fish bowl-like Panoramic sunroof in the Sport and Luxury too. It’s a $1,500 option on the Active, and perhaps better left as optional equipment across the range. In fairness to Peugeot, they’re not alone here, with numerous competitors replacing tin-tops with glass in their high-end models, and we wonder whether all buyers need or want it.
Heated leather seats, carpet mats and front parking aid set the Luxury apart from the mid-range Sport.
The 3008 is a clever and well executed multi-purpose family vehicle, with something for everyone. Under normal circumstances, that would sound like too much of a compromise, but Peugeot has managed to roll comfort, practicality, safety, handling and enjoyment into one package. Motion and emotion, you might say.