By: Charles Molefe
Peugeot, where does one even start? The French company has had a very tough time in the South African market, mostly to a lack of trust from the consumer.
When I got a call to confirm a booking of the newly introduced 2008, I was in two minds, wondering if this vehicle will manage to quell the misconceptions that afflict a negative impact on sales figures or would I be one of those handfuls of journo’s who is reeling in joy and crowning a new king? Well, the next couple of paragraphs will certainly bring light to the experience I had in the flagship GT Line 2008.
Aesthetics
Peugeot’s design department needs to be applauded, it doesn’t matter how many times you approach the 2008, you’ll fall in love every time. It is not often that a vehicle in this segment draws so much attention, the claw-like LED’S are by far the most attractive daytime running lights on the market and not only are they attractive, they are extremely functional.
The 2008 boasts a certain charisma, it is welcoming, lovable, and arguably the best looking in its segment, the sloping rear inspires a sporty coupé look and feel and spurs consumers to gaze in awe.
Bear in mind that the little Peugeot competes with segment leaders such as the Renault Captur and Volkswagen T-Cross, however, Peugeot has managed to gain an advantage over the establishment and left a lot of room for the others to catch up, that’s how good this product is.
Comfort and ambience.
The part-leather seats provide ample support and are pretty comfy, this is an attribute that both the front and rear passengers can enjoy, included in the versatile seats is a heating function that is extremely capable of creating a very cosy environment, however, a cooling function would bode well.
The interior is one of the most enjoyable places to be, it houses an 8-colour LED lighting system that is infused into the door sills and provides an ambience for the driver and front passenger.
Digital Displays
The 2008 confronts this problem head-on. Various manufacturers have struggled to implement a clean and efficient manner of powering the audio systems. The 2008 is equipped with a 10” HD captive touch display that manages to host several functions such as.
- Reversing camera.
- Apple car play.
- Android Auto.
- Air conditioning.
To enable ease of use Peugeot has integrated shortcut buttons to navigate you to the desired function without the fuss of selecting a touch screen whilst driving.
The extremely attractive i-Cockpit®, provides the driver with a 3D digital display. It projects vital information such as the speedometer, audio information, safety alerts and remaining fuel range. These are a snippet of what the highly capable 2008 drivers interface can do.
Performance, economy and drive.
It’s not often I say that you can never have enough power, but in this case, the 2008’s power plant serves it well. It is powered by a 1.2 L turbocharged engine that produces 96 kW and 230Nm of torque. The power figures will not spark a conversation at the local watering hole and neither will they dazzle your friends into believing that you can compete in the 0-100 sprints at the local drag scene. What the 2008 will do is to provide you with smooth delivery of power like no other. 0-100 is achieved in a respectable time of 8.8 seconds and race away to a top speed of 198 km/h.
The 3-cylinder motor is arguably one of my favourite motors, it’s smooth, frugal and at all times receptive to the drivers’ inputs. It will gladly return a reasonable average consumption figure of 8.3l /100 km. and considering how spacious and well-built this vehicle is, I am glad to say that it scores highly in securing a spot in the higher echelons of the vehicles we have tested.
The ride is somewhat thrilling, but heed caution, this is still an SUV and the higher centre of gravity will tend to be intrusive whilst attempting to cut through some of the apex’s we have on our national roads. I am not saying that the handling is bad, that is far from the premise, it’s great at what it does and it soaks up the undulations on the tarmac and creates a feeling of floating over the road. The 2008 is geared towards a supple and comfortable experience and it ticks all those boxes and some.
Summary
The Peugeot 2008 has certainly captured and stolen any doubt of why it is the best in this segment. My previous experiences of the brand were in the form of the 108, a brilliant little car that is a pleasure to live with. Peugeot has gathered all the consumer feedback and has put it into good use, the quirks have been ironed out and a brilliant product has been produced.
However, the elephant in the room has to be discussed, a number of the fortunate consumers to hitch a ride were all impressed, but that leary question always seemed to pop up.
Where will I get the car serviced?
You’ll be pleased to know that Peugeot is on a rampant charge of increasing its dealership network, have a look at the below link to see the latest service centre available to KZN customers.
https://www.facebook.com/1415370065417078/posts/2865604250393645/
Unfortunately, this question will always rear its ugly head and in turn, affect sales figures, however, If I had to choose a practical, zippy, well-equipped vehicle that manages to do all I need and more, The 2008 will certainly take that spot.
I say again, BRAVO Peugeot, you have managed to set yourself as our firm favourite and arguably the best all-round vehicle we have tested in a very long while.
Gottagged Rating
9.5/10
SERVICE / WARRANTY / MAINTENANCE
- 3 Year / 60 000 km Service Plan
- 5 Year / 100 000 km Warranty
- 12 Year Anti-Perforation and 3 Yr Paint Warranty
Features
- PEUGEOT Open & Go (keyless entry and push-button start)
- Driver attention warning
- Active Safety Brake (pedestrians detection)
- ESP (Electronic Stability Programme) with Hill Start Assist
- Lane Keeping Assist
