Report 7
I’m old enough to remember the early days of engine stop-start technology, which if Iím being honest was not a great time to be alive. The concept might have been a sound one, but the implementation was often fraught with a lot of shake, rattle and rolling of the eyes. Thankfully the technology has improved considerably since then, with it becoming an almost default feature on modern cars.
The 3008ís stop-start feature is pleasingly refined, and I mention this because of the disproportionate amount of time Iíve recently spent on city roads. Itís fair to say that the technology has had a serious workout thanks to the many rush hour journeys Iíve undertaken and traffic light junctions Iíve been forced to stop at. My home city is a really big fan of traffic lights.
To steal Appleís famous ìIt just worksî slogan, the 3008ís stop-start technology has been impressively predictable and reliable. No shuddering or rattling from under the bonnet when you come to a halt, while the delay in waking the engine from its nap so you can pull away promptly isnít worth writing home about.
The only grumble I have is that you have to delve into the touchscreenís menu to toggle the feature on or off. Iíve been known to do this on other cars, especially when driving in heavily congested cities where the featureís constant activation can be a pain, but Iíve taken a hands-off approach with the Peugeot, mostly because of this mildly annoying design feature. Has it harmed my experience? Not really, but it does add weight to my longstanding gripe that hiding almost everything behind the carís touchscreen is one of the carís very few shortcomings.
Still, if thatís the only thing that really grinds my gears, then the 3008 must be doing something right. In fact, it continues to do a lot of things right. The more examples I see on the road in Peugeotís various colour combinations, the more it looks ërightí in the real world. As the numbers of compact and mid-size SUVs are set to grow, cutting a distinctive dash in the supermarket car park or outside the school gates will become an important factor in the battle to secure buyers. Peugeotís designers appear to have this issue nailed, and not just with the 3008, but also with the smaller 2008 and larger 5008. As much as it pains me to use any marking lingo, those three models demonstrate an impressive level of brand synergy.
For all Peugeotís prowess in the design department, as it moves upmarket in terms of cabin ambience and price, the 3008 faces some stiff competition from traditionally more premium rivals. It will be interesting to see if the UKís famous badge snobbery can be broken down by such a polished all-rounder though. The 3008 certainly ticks all the important boxes ñ looks, build quality, refinement, ease of ownership, fun to drive ñ and Iíd wager it boasts more character than some of the more sombre-suited competition.
Iain Dooley
Date arrived 4th May 2017
Fuel economy 65.7mpg (combined) 46.1mpg (on test)
Mileage 7,019
Part of the Peugeot’s Grip Control package, these mud and snow tyres are proving their worth as winter starts to bite.
Critics might use the badge snob argument to talk down Peugeot’s prospects, but they’re totally wrong.