We took the Malaysia-assembled Peugeot 3008 1.6 Allure facelift model out for a test drive.
Ever since the second generation 3008 model debuted in 2016, it has become clear that the French carmaker has become a lot more serious about the demand for SUVs globally as it shifted its entire portfolio’s design focus to cater to this market. Today, the Peugeot 3008 is set up to attract the attention of the SUV buyer who’s looking for a little more design pizzazz. While it doesn’t quite measure up to Japanese rivals like the CX-5 or CR-V in terms of broad appeal, Peugeot has put the work in to make the 3008 a competitive package for the occasional left field buyer. Let’s start with design, since that’s where the facelift brings the most changes.
French Designed Family SUV
The 2nd generation Peugeot 3008 has been a sharp looking thing from its inception. This facelift model brings a new, well, face to the mix as well as some new rear taillights, a larger screen inside as well as some new seat stitching.
This is one of the best looking sub-RM200,000 SUVs in the market and the new face only makes it look more modern and sophisticated. The 3008 is only sold in Malaysia as the top-spec Allure now that Bermaz is in charge of things. As such, you get full LED lighting with auto high beam and cornering lights. The fang-like DRL structure adds another layer of aggression to the 3008’s very pretty face while the new grille design seems to fade out into the bodywork thanks to a clever use of chrome that also create the illusion of depth. The ‘3008’ model name now appears on the hood above the Peugeot emblem, which is still the outgoing one with the entire lion’s body and not just its head. This demarkation makes it easier to tell the 3008 apart from the 5008, at least when standing in front of it.
Also worth noting are the trim pieces that run above the front fenders and separate the hood from the wheel arches with a nice little black and chrome accent. This is a technically complex new face for the 3008 and it takes the deft hands of an artistically-touched design team to pull it off so well. Honestly, this level of design work is found on outgoing Land Rover models, albeit to a different language.
Around back, the 3008 has sequential turn signals and a new taillight graphic that jives with what’s presented on the grille in front. The housing features 3 dimensional elements inside and out and presents a futuristic ‘Lion Claw’ interpretation for cars behind you to admire.
Overall, the exterior design of the 3008 has been kept relevant and exciting thanks to these changes. Though it’s a little long in the tooth at this point, this SUV still looks as sharp as ever and we really loved the tasteful use of satin chrome and glossy black plastics against this new Cuprite Brown colour. This design is a 5/5 for me.
Inside, it’s a little more subjective. Nothing much has changed save for the new display and seat stitching. I found the cabin to be interesting to look at with its piano-themed buttons in the centre and fabric inlays around the door cards.
The digital aspects of the i-Cockpit are still chugging along okay in 2022 but the graphic animations could benefit from a little more sharpness and ‘frames per second’. Peugeot clearly went all out to make the 3008 an interesting and unique proposition for car buyers to be transfixed by.
I think it succeeds in doing this versus some of its drab, but more popular mainstream rivals. Subtle ambient lighting cues around the cupholders, door cards and along the sides of the panoramic sunroof are enough to elevate this cabin up a notch. The unique leather-wrapped gear selector handle will also be missed now that they’re moving to a smaller lever.
In terms of practicality, the centre storage box is huge enough to store a 2L bottle of water, dual zone climate control in the front and there are rear air cond vents with a 12V socket accompanying. A hands-free powered tailgate is also nice to have, and rear seats can be folded if more than 591L of cargo space is required.
Peugeot 3008 Performance Characteristics
This facelift of the Peugeot 3008 2nd generation arrived in November 2021 along with the facelifted Peugeot 5008, its bigger brother. Mechanically, there aren’t any upgrades over the 2017 model.
Under the hood, the Peugeot 3008 is powered by the 1.6L THP engine, a 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol motor with direct injection. It generates a respectable 167PS and 240Nm of torque, allowing it to deliver quite an exhilarating drive when there’s enough room on the highway. The relatively high torque also makes this a great option even when fully-loaded with passengers and luggage. The 6-speed conventional automatic does feel a little bit archaic, but it is an Aisin-built unit, which should ensure long term reliability. That being said, this component of the powertrain is its biggest drawback, as it doesn’t allow the engine to fully relax when cruising on the highway. I was still able to extract respectable mileage from a single tank of fuel, driving to Johor Bahru and back and still having enough to use when I was in Kuala Lumpur.
The rotary dial on the centre console enables “Advanced Grip Control”, which programmes this front-wheel drive vehicle to take on multiple traction scenarios. There’s also hill descent control, but we’re quite certain these drive modes will all be largely ignore by typical 3008 customers, who are mostly family-oriented urban dwellers. We didn’t bother testing any of these off-road features out and focused instead on the 3008’s on-road behaviour. The EMP2 chassis is pretty decent at delivering a comfortable ride. It’s not quite as dynamic as a CX-5 and not as quiet, nor as roomy as a CR-V, but it delivers
The Peugeot 3008 has a pleasant, distinct driving character thanks to its unique driving position and steering layout. The Peugeot i-Cockpit system puts a steering wheel with a flat top and bottom way down low and positions the all-digital instrument cluster high up on the dashboard. The shape and position of the steering wheel will be alien to anyone who has never been in the latest Peugeot vehicles, but it’s easy enough to get used the seating position. After a while, it’s actually quite easy to see why the cabin is designed in this way. Visibility is pretty decent for a car of this size and there are few distractions in the way. The digital instrument cluster can even be set to display minimal information, kind of like how Saab used to offer a ‘Night Panel’ function, which removed illumination on certain gauges.
The steering feel though is quite numb and it feels like the priority for the Peugeot engineers was to make the 3008 easy to manoeuvre through tight urban spaces and small rural roads. The steering wheel is just so tiny and easy to toss around. It’s one of the few larger vehicles I found easy to navigate up my condo’s tight 1980s-designed parking lot. While there aren’t front cameras, Peugeot has managed to programme the single, low-resolution wide-angle reverse camera to create a composite of the surrounding area as you move backwards. It’s a resourceful way to maximise hardware limitations, but we’ve seen much better solutions in the market. We liked the new 10″ touchscreen, which presents a high-resolution infotainment solution with Wired Apple CarPlay catering to modern requirements.
On the whole, the 3008 is an easy vehicle to live with and drive daily, but the quirks must be made clear to owners. The first is the slightly redundant combination of wired Apple CarPlay with a Wireless Qi Charger – ones phone will already be plugged in and charging when it’s just the driver in the car, but wireless charging will allow a second smartphone to charge slowly cable-free. The second quirk is the digital climate control, which will necessitate eyes-on-screen to navigate its digital touch interface. It adds another layer of menus to the interface whenever Apple CarPlay takes up the screen. The final quirk would be the placement of the cruise control stalk. In typical French fashion, it’s on the lower left hand side of steering column, but the layout of the i-Cockpit means its labels are completely obstructed by the steering wheel.
The Value Proposition
Bermaz is offering the Peugeot 3008 with a 5-year manufacturer/100,000km warranty a 3-year/60,000km free maintenance package. Under Bermaz’s stewardship, Peugeot customers can rest assured that the experience will be an enjoyable one. The pricing is right at just over RM160,000 for a family-friendly SUV with a LOT of style and personality. Our only real gripe is the absence of autonomous emergency braking, which is now available even on the Perodua Axia. I think if you’ve fallen in love with the design and you don’t mind the way the cabin is laid out, there’s no reason not consider the Peugeot 3008 as your next family SUV.
Peugeot 3008 1.6 THP Allure Specification
Engine: Inline-4, 16-Valve, DOHC, Turbocharged Petrol
Capacity: 1,598cc
Gearbox: 6-speed Conventional Automatic
Max power: 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Max torque: 240Nm @ 1,400rpm
Top speed: 205km/h
Price: RM161,616.66
