Family PHEVourite | Peugeot’s 3008 Hybrid4

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Peugeot aims to be a key player in the SUV plug-in hybrid part of the mid-sized segment. With the 3008 hybrid it looks smart and aims for the efficiency numbers. It works well as a package for a family buyer wanting a degree of EV technology but not quite ready to take the plunge into full battery motoring.

Special mention : Swift mover within the city limits. Beautiful interior strip lighting makes for a lovely cabin at night. Start button requires a ‘press & hold’ for a few seconds, which is probably a good safety feature if you have kids that like to touch buttons. Four hours to charge to full.

Needs work :  Four hours to charge for a little over 30kms on a Type 2 charger. Boot space is reduced from 520 to 395 litres from the standard version. If you’re constantly using Bluetooth audio, the volume default is set to start up on ‘Radio level’, which requires less gain than Bluetooth, i.e. it makes for a loud start.

Specs: As tested

Max Power 300 HP Petrol / Electric / Auto
0-100 km/h in 5.9 secondsRoad Tax €170

Price:
€30,110

As spec’d
Hybrid 4 AWD
€45,800
Boot 395-1,545 litres

The plug-in technology on offer is pretty cutting edge, the first generation design was available in electrified form but that was a self-charging setup mated to a Diesel engine.

This time a 1.6 litre petrol turbo power plant is mated to an 8-speed auto gearbox that has been blended with more advanced plug-in hybrid technology that allows for 30KMs + of WLTP rated all-electric driving range. This powertrain features in two versions, a front wheel drive 225 horsepower engine or an all wheel drive 300 horsepower version in the 3008 hybrid four.

The latter features two electric motors, a 108 hp unit on the front axle and a 111 hp motor on the rear axle, hence the nominal all-wheel drive capability. You get four driving modes, most of the time the hybrid setting chooses the best mix of electric and petrol propulsion to suit the driving style while optimizing efficiency. Other settings include sport, which combines the power of the electric and petrol motors for a slightly livelier performance. Then you have all-wheel drive and electric which is obviously battery power when

As usual with plug-in models there are few visual differences from standard variants, in this case that means some special badging which you’ll find at the front on the wings. A cyan light shines from the interior mirror when the car is in all electric motion. inside the hybrid model changes are subtle in this very high quality cabin. There’s a little lightning bolt piano key button just below the center dash infotainment screen which accesses various hybrid specific functions and an extra energy display option for the instrument binnacle screen. The auto gearbox lever gains an extra B option so that regenerative braking can be altered.

As ever with a 3008 the interior feels of much higher quality than you’d expect from a volume brand. Aided by a sophisticated digital instrument binnacle screen and a huge display for the central monitor.  As usual with modern Peugeot’s there’s the i-cockpit dash that you’ll get used to easily. Quirks include looking over the smaller steering wheel at the instrument pinnacle rather than conventionally through it. The instrument gauges the dash represents is another of this cabin’s defining talking points. Conventional dials are completely replaced by the fully configurable and customisable 12.3 inch color screen. Just about everything else you’ll need to know can be found on what looks like a tablet attached to the fascia with a multi-function 10” colour touch screen.

In the back the design was created from the very outset to accommodate battery power, there’s no compromise in rear seat accommodation and a couple of adults will be quite comfortable indeed. Boot space is perhaps inevitably compromised by the battery placement, it’s down to 395 litres from 520 litres. Normally the fuel tank is 10 litres smaller too.

Peugeot compensates for this by offering an extra 25 litre underfloor storage area for stowing the cables and a ski hatch so that you can push through longer items into the cabin. The cargo sidewall catches to retract the 60 40 split rear bench and you’ll find that with the seats folded (not fully flat), the capacity reaches 1357 litres which is down from 1482 litres in the standard model.

The front wheel drive version of the 3008 hybrid pricing kicks in from around €30,110 in the base Active trim. The mid-range Allure spec feels a little more premium and then there’s also the plusher GT for top spec trim.

The 300 hp Hybrid4 wheel drive model is offered in two versions, GT spec for around the forty five thousand Euro and top GT premium trim for around forty seven thousand Euro. The 50 Km WLTP rated all-electric driving range is actually more like 40kms in real world use. We also should apply real-world projections of estimated fuel economy because the official combined WLTP figures will only ever be achieved by owners who fastidiously use the electric option. The four-wheel drive version is slightly more efficient and that holds true for WLTP emissions rated at up to 39 grams per km for the Hybrid Four and up to 41 grams per km for the 3008 Hybrid.

Upgrading your 3008 hybrid to a model incorporating a 7.4 kilowatt-hour fast charger capable of accepting charge from anything faster than a domestic three-pin socket halves the charging time. When charging with a typical 7 kilowatt wall box and it really ought to be standard charging, the 13.2 kilowatt-hour battery takes 3 hours 45 minutes with a standard type 2 cable or 1 hour 45 minutes if the optional onboard charger has been fitted. 

You can see why people are drawn to the 3008 hybrid, it’s a far more complete product than the first generation Diesel electric version and the stats are tempting for the front wheel drive version with up to 222.3 miles per gallon and up to 41 grams per kilometre of Co2 and 50kms of all electric range.