Goodwood Test: 2021 Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 Review

From being the lead brand in the PSA Group, Peugeot  is now one of the many stars in the Stellantis firmament and needs to stand out amongst a bevy of sister companies which largely all offer the same types of car. Renowned as a purveyor of handsome, lively and practical cars, how is Peugeot to rise above its own internecine competition when the highways are fast becoming a homogeneity of high-rise hatchbacks?

The answer it seems is to go down the ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ route and create its own range of elevated hatchbacks closely related to its hatchback line. As well as height the cars also gain a numeral with the 208 begatting the 2008, the 508 the 5008 and the 308 the 3008 as tested here.

As a standard petrol, front-wheel-drive proposition the 3008 is surprisingly svelte for its class, weighing in at a little over 1,300kg and as a result has some of the chuckability of Peugeot’s of old. Hybridisation and all-wheel-drive in the snappily titled 3008 GT Premium HYBRID4 300 e-EAT8 adds around 400kg, so will it entertain as well as economise?

The first generation managed to stand out from the Tiguan/Rav4/CR-V crowd by being significantly awkward looking in the manner of an estate that had been overinflated with a bicycle pump like a lost scene from Who framed Roger Rabbit? The second generation certainly improved matters but looked rather Lexus-esque. The facelifted model we have here however is undoubtedly one of the best looking cars on the road, having successfully adopted the rugged family look pioneered by the marque’s line-up leading 508 saloon.

What you get is a front end lent a chiselled look by a frameless front grille made up of myriad 3D elements and extending into the front bumpers alongside fang-like daylight-running lights. Blacked out pillars create a floating roof effect while the 3D effect continues in the triple element rear lights and a chrome strip in the bumper adds an element of brightness. It certainly stands out from the crowded category in a positive way and is perhaps the pinnacle of grille design; just before they become a thing of the past.

The 3008 Hybrid4 300 does undoubtedly pack a punch. Its 1.6-litre turbocharged four tops the healthy 100PS per litre benchmark, outputting 181PS (133kW) and 300Nm (222lb ft) of torque while its twin electric motors bump the system total up to a nice round 300PS (220kW) and 520Nm (383lb ft). With motors on both axles, the Hybrid4 is, as its name suggests, four-wheel-drive and a 13.2 kWh battery pack provides a claimed electric-only range of around 35 miles.

The motors and battery pack do add a significant amount of heft however and while there is plenty of both turbo and electric torque available for decent in-gear acceleration times, the extra weight blunts any sense of over eagerness. The weight is also felt in the corners where, despite the Caterham-sized steering wheel (more on that later) providing reasonably rapid changes of direction, there is a sense of unwillingness to be hustled along and a lack of information coming from over-assisted controls.

Having said that, the ride is up there with the traditional Gallic best and it is a car that is easy to drive smoothly to plaudits from your passengers. The brake regeneration mode in the eight-speed automatic gearbox helps with this, slowing the car down significantly upon lifting off the accelerator, though not quite enough for one-pedal driving.

Like the outside, the interior of the 3008 is strikingly handsome and well laid out with of course the obligatory touchscreen sitting proud of the dashtop. This and the remainder of the centre console controls are clearly oriented towards the driver to create a sense of enclosure. A series of switches beneath the screen toggle between the various main screens – climate, navigation, phone and so on – while the majority of the functions are of course now handled by virtual controls. The top level commands are reasonably easily executed but diving deeper does, as is often the case from many manufacturer systems, lead one down a rabbit warren of submenus.

The batteries and rear electric motor reduce the boot space and fuel tank volume by 125 and 10 litres respectively while the rear passenger seats are tight on leg and knee room. That said, the seats are superb and trimmed in a combination of Alcantara and pseudo-leather in a way which brought to mind technical clothing and a suggestion of capability and toughness. The overall effect of the materials, accent lighting and design is certainly premium and executed with more flair than an Audi for instance.

Much has been said in the past about Peugeot’s ‘it’s not broken but we’ll fix it anyway’ approach of shrinking the steering wheel and placing it so that the driver looks over rather than through it to the instruments. It is something that you get used to but the smaller size of the steering wheel means that the control stalks are very hidden, in particular the cruise control stalk. The active cruise control was another feature, like the heated seats, that I didn’t test because the six buttons used to activate it are invisible from the driver’s seat without craning one’s head dangerously while on the move.

Peugeot once specialised in stripping away all the essentials and the resulting Rallye special editions were the most sought after by hot hatch cognoscenti. Today the company takes the opposite approach with the 3008 Hybrid4 coming absolutely loaded with kit that helps justify the high price tag. There is the aforementioned active cruise control, advance emergency braking, front collision warning, lane keep assist, connected navigation, keyless open and go and the Peugeot i-Cockpit dashboard.

This, unsurprisingly, replaces the physical dashboard instruments in front of the driver with a high-definition screen with a number of different display modes and customisation options. It is suitably whizzy with the design of the dials themselves changing depending on driver preference and drive mode. It becomes rather addictive watching the flows of power between engine and batteries and motors under different conditions and drive modes.

The 3008 will undoubtedly look good on any driveway after its midlife refresh and prove to be a comfortable and attractive space in which to commute, if that becomes a thing once more. And with staycations still on the cards it will be a smooth, quiet and comfortable companion for stress-free distance covering. It won’t engage the driver like Peugeot’s of old with a dynamic and eager nature. Perhaps sometimes looks are everything after all.