2018 Peugeot 3008 First Drive Review | France Makes Its Mark On The Medium SUV Class
Peugeot has has an interesting history with SUVs. Its first foray into the softroader class came via a pair of rebadged Mitsubishi products, which, although they provided a small sales boost, were anything but genuine Peugeot products.
The French automaker has learnt fast though. Its in-house 2008 small SUV has lead the charge, and now a crucial new medium SUV has arrived, wearing the 3008 badge that once belonged to an odd-looking minivan and now adorn a car that could easily become the brand’s top-seller in Australia.
The exterior styling is 100 percent SUV, and the interior is 100 percent Peugeot, full of unexpected materials (like felted dash panels) with a layout that could be straight from a concept car. Will Australian buyers be swayed by the 3008’s charms? TMR’s first drive suggests they just might be.
Vehicle Style: Medium SUV
Price: $36,990 - $49,490 plus on-road costs
Engine/trans: 121kW/240Nm 1.6-litre 4cyl turbo petrol, 133kW/400Nm 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo diesel | 6sp automatic
Fuel Economy Claimed: 7.0 l/100km petrol, 4.8 l/100km diesel
OVERVIEW
Peugeot is pitching itself as premium brand as it re-establishes itself in Australia with a new distributor, meaning it won’t play a cut-price game, but nor will it position itself out of the reach of mainstream buyers, with cars like the Volkswagen Tiguan and Mazda CX-5 in the 3008's sights.
Australian buyers get four variants to choose from, including the petrol-powered Active, Allure, and GT Line and topped by the diesel only GT. All come with front-wheel drive, which is a little unusual for the segment, although all wheel drive via hybrid assistance will be added at some point in the future.