Peugeot 3008 HDi 150 Review & Road Test (2010) Part 2

Peugeot 3008 Review & Road Test Part 2

In part 2 of our review and road test of the Peugeot 3008 Crossover we see if a high-riding Crossover can offer any driving enjoyment.

The clever interior and the quality of that interior are a real treat. But the big surprise is that the 3008 is a cracking drive. Yes, you read that right. The Peugeot 3008 is a cracking drive. But maybe we shouldn’t be all that surprised. Peugeot managed to take the same 308 underpinnings and use them for the 5008 and produce a really very fine-driving MPV.

The starting point for the drive in the 3008 is the 2.0 litre diesel engine. You’d be hard pushed to peg this as a diesel; it almost feels to have a linear power delivery. It’s quiet and refined and pulls strongly right up past 5,000 revs.

There’s no tyre or road noise to speak of and the 3008 is very happy at cruising speeds we won’t mention. Thanks for that goes not just to the torquey, flexible engine, but also to some sensible gearing. Top gear lets you cruise at less than 3000 revs and still have plenty of pull. Actually, there’s plenty of pull in any gear at any speed; that torque helping economy no end (we averaged 45.9mpg).

Off the motorway the handling is a bit of a revelation for a tall, crossover car. And that’s in no small part down to Peugeot’s Dynamic Roll Control which loads up the outside wheel and makes the 3008 corner surprisingly flat, without messing with comfort levels.

There’s really good front end bite and the hydraulic steering has a decent amount of feel. Yes, there’s a bit of torque steer if you get a bit too heavy footed, but nothing to get bothered over. We could get nit picky over a slight over-firmness on some surfaces, but overall the 3008 handles like a well sorted small hatch.

“There’s no tyre or road noise to speak of and the 3008 is very happy at cruising speeds we won’t mention. Thanks for that goes not just to the torquey, flexible engine, but also to some sensible gearing.”

You make good progress around town or on the motorway and find yourself looking forward to the next blat down country roads. Which makes no sense at all in a crossover compromise of a car. But it’s true. The Peugeot 3008 really is fun to chuck around.

In a world looking for value and ability, the 3008 ticks a lot of boxes. Buyers like a higher driving position and a touch of the SUVs; even faux SUVs. They don’t want to sacrifice enjoyment for economy, but they still want economy. And they want their car to do everything well – sport hatch, people mover, load lugger and rufty-tufty car around town.

To top off what is turning in to a 3008 love-in, the 3008 is also something of a bargain. Yes, this 3008 Sport HDi 150 comes in at £20k, but that’s a couple of grand less than the 308 GT HDi. Yet the 3008 is quicker, bigger, better to drive and almost as economical.

Perhaps Peugeot should do a Nissan and lose the hatch after all.