2024 Peugeot 2008 GT review

13/09/2024 16:00

2024 Peugeot 2008 GT

The original Peugeot 2008 that arrived on our shores a decade ago was a decidedly weird unit. It looked weird, had a weird interior, had a range of oddball drivetrains by the standards of the day, and was just very 2013 Peugeot.

The company was coming out of a period of making cars that didn’t meet Peugeot's own high standards, with the second-generation 308 being the first marker of recovery and the then-new 3008 changing the game a few years later.

Peugeot isn't silly enough to think that the 2008 is going to conquer all comers in the compact SUV market. That much is clear from the pricing, although from a quality perspective, it's a contender. The larger 3008 and 5008 have performed reasonably well for the niche (in Australia at least) marque, while the local arm of the brand has persisted with the smaller car.

For 2024, the 2008 scores a mild facelift with new front bumpers and lighting, a few tweaks to the specification, but no change to the mechanical package.

How much is a Peugeot 2008?

Peugeot's SUV range stands at three with the 2008 being the entry level. The 3008 and 5008 continue to be reasonably popular, and each of them stands out in its respective segment in the same way the 2008 stands out among the compact SUV crowd. 

Crowd is the operative word, with cars from Mazda, Honda, Skoda, VW, Hyundai, Toyota, Audi, BMW, Mercedes and more all vying for a seemingly endless appetite for SUVs.

A mild 2024 facelift brings with it a tweaked front end (less striking in my opinion) and a lightly reworked rear end – both to bring it up to date with current Peugeot design thinking. 

The GT Sport is gone, sadly, along with its extra grunt, and so the model range was adjusted not just for that, but for the arrival of the e-2008 in pre-facelift form early in the year.

The 2008 GT sits at the top of a two-level petrol range, the Allure starting at an already ambitious $39,990 plus on-roads and the GT at $44,490. If you want to count the electric version, the e-2008 climbs well into the $60,000s – except for a brief (and successful) stint at $39,990 drive-away as a run-out offer.

Also at the time of writing, the Allure was priced at $39,990 drive-away, which helps dampen down my complaints about the price, although there’s no current drive-away offer on the higher-spec 2008 GT.

Without an electrified or hybrid powertrain, however, the 2008 GT doesn't look like great value, and to be honest it isn't. That's not to say it's a rip-off, I hasten to add, it's just that on paper its rivals pack more punch and more stuff. Peugeot, I remind you, isn't silly and knows that the heart often rules the head, and enough Francophiles will get these out the door to make it worthwhile. But that's damning it with faint praise, which I most certainly am not.

Your near $50,000 on-the-road outlay gets you 17-inch alloys, keyless entry and start, 10-inch touchscreen, auto LED headlights with auto high beam, dual-zone climate control, wireless phone charging, reversing camera (much improved in the facelift), satellite navigation, heated front seats, power adjustment and massage function on the driver's seat, adaptive cruise control and around-view cameras.

The only options are premium paint (Elixir Red and Vertigo Blue) for $1050, metallic paint (Artense Grey, Nera Black, Okenite White), and a $2500 Style pack with sunroof and 18-inch diamond-cut alloys.

How big is a Peugeot 2008?

The 2008 fits very comfortably in the middle of the compact SUV pack. It's kind of a Goldilocks size, not too big or too small. The upright, boxy proportions deliver good interior space for both front and rear passengers, which isn't always the case in this segment.

The front seats look great. They look pretty racy but still deliver excellent comfort, and I maintain Peugeot was the inspiration for Toyota getting its act together with its front seats. The driver's seat is electrically adjustable while the passenger's is not, but both are heated. The driver's seat also has a massage function that is surprisingly effective. It's one of Peugeot's weirder commitments to differentiation, but I'm all for it.

In the GT the upholstery is full leather with a fetching green stitching, as opposed to the Allure's combination of fabric and fake leather.

Out back the seats are less shapely and attractive but still quite comfortable. Both front and rear door openings suffer from slightly elevated sills meaning a mildly tricky entry and exit, more so for the really tall. The leg room and foot room are quite good once you've cleared the sills. Head room is also very good, but the headrests are a bit of a faff and look like they're from the third row of the 5008 rather than proper ones.

For comparison, the 2008 feels more spacious in the rear than most of the competition barring the Seltos and new Kona. It's certainly better than the CX-30 and Corolla Cross for rear accommodation, both of them featuring rather tight leg room. 

The boot starts at 434 litres with the seats up and there is a two-position floor. So you can either sling stuff underneath the floor or drop it down if you've got a deeper load. When the floor is in the higher position, the floor is level with the loading lip. With the seats down you get 1015L of space up to the window line and then almost 1500L if you load it up to the ceiling.

Once again, the 2008 fares well against its rivals for boot space, beating just about all comers.

Does the Peugeot 2008 have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

Peugeot's i-Cockpit dashboard screen is a high-set 10-inch digital display and I personally think it's great. The 3D-effect introduced on the 308 a couple of years ago is a real winner, as is the updated hardware to run it. The old i-Cockpit screen had a wealth of display modes and some customisation but it was a bit slow and laggy. This one is much better, and the more modest number of display configurations isn't an issue.

One of the clever things about it – and one of the few ‘smartphone-inspired’ design features that are worth the effort – is that it pushes forward pertinent information such as speed warnings or safety notifications. 

The positioning of the screen obviates the need for a head-up display (according to Peugeot) and I'm inclined to agree. As ever, the tiny steering wheel and its low position take some getting used to, but I feel more at home in an SUV than the 208 or 308 hatchbacks as you're sitting a little more upright.

The 10-inch touchscreen also features a better-organised and updated software package. Bizarrely the screen now offers three games, which makes more sense in the EV version as you're not likely to be trapped in the car for 40 minutes in a basement car park with no signal while you charge.

As with the dash screen, the hardware is snappier than before. It's a fairly stylised-looking system but works well enough, although the shortcut buttons – which look great – can be a bit slow to respond, and the way the climate control works feels like a slight step back. The existence of the shortcut buttons is good, though, taking the edge off ‘but everything is in the screen’. It is, but the physical buttons mean less menu diving.

On top of the Allure's feature set, Peugeot adds ‘3D’ satellite navigation to the media screen.

For the facelift, Peugeot has cut the cord on both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There's also a wireless charging pad in the GT, although it's lidded which helps you forget that the phone is there if you close the lid. But it's there and that's good because not every car equipped with wireless phone integration has that.

Added to that, the purchase price includes three years of Peugeot's Connected Services, which starts with connected navigation with real-time traffic. The MyPeugeot app for Android and iOS also keeps track of your consumption, the car's location when parked, and lets you set the navigation from your phone rather than faffing about with it on the screen in the car.

It can also find free parking spots and petrol prices, which suggests Google integration at the back end but it's not explicitly mentioned. The car also has its own 4G-capable SIM card keep all that stuff chugging along.

For charging, both front and rear seats have a pair of USB ports available.

Is the Peugeot 2008 a safe car?

In 2019, the 2008 was tested by ANCAP and awarded five stars, the maximum available. It performed well in adult occupant protection with 93 per cent and almost as well for child occupant protection at 87 per cent. The lack of more advanced safety systems started to bite, with 73 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 72 per cent for safety assist. 

While none of these scores is a cause for alarm, the latter two point to a few missing bits its rivals all have, particularly more advanced forms of forward AEB and the 2008's absence of reverse cross-traffic alert and reverse AEB. Reflecting the ongoing updates to ANCAP’s test criteria, this rating expires in December 2025.

What safety technology does the Peugeot 2008 have?

The 2008 ships from Peugeot's Spanish factory with six airbags, which was fine when it was ANCAP-tested in 2019, but less so today, at least with the aim of maintaining its five-star rating. A front centre airbag seems to be the key to a 2024 rating, but it's not a guarantee.

It also misses out on reverse AEB, which I will be heard shouting about from the rooftops – it should be standard on everything. It helps stop silly little accidents in car parks, as well as much worse ones when kids are about. Pretty much everything in this part of the market has reverse AEB.

Cheeringly, the safety systems are well calibrated and I didn't get a single false positive in the week I drove it around. And unlike certain Korean cars, it doesn't scream at you incessantly when you go 1km/h over the speed limit.

How much does the Peugeot 2008 cost to run?

Servicing is offered on a pay-as-you-go basis or with prepaid service plans. Three years will cost $950 (saving $386), four years for $1400 (saving $562) or five years for $1700 (saving $638). The prepaid servicing is a clear winner on value, working out at around $340 per service, which is reasonably competitive and takes a little bit of the sting out of the upfront price.

You'll need to visit the dealer every 12 months or 15,000km, and it won't be a huge surprise to learn that you're not exactly spoilt for choice for dealer coverage.

An indicative insurance quote landed at $1569 per year based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

That's a little on the hefty side for this kind of vehicle, but only by a hundred or two.

Is the Peugeot 2008 fuel-efficient?

The new eight-speed automatic is supposed to have cut fuel consumption, but it doesn't appear to have worked. While the official figures are down by about a 1L/100km to 5.4L/100km, on the road in half suburban bashing and half highway running, I averaged 7.7L/100km.

That doesn't seem too impressive from a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo, and it isn't. My last outing in a similarly powered 2008 a couple of years ago was a full litre per 100km better and with two fewer gears, but without a back-to-back drive the circumstances between those to figures may also contribute.

Seriously, though, that number is out of band for each of the times I've driven a 2008, so I'd treat it as an anomaly. The number I got with this outing in the 2008 suggests a range of around 570km from a full tank. From the 6.6L/100km I got last time, you'd stretch that to 666km, and if you got the claimed number, you'd go 800km between fills if you white-knuckled it to empty.

What is the Peugeot 2008 like to drive?

Peugeots are expensive in Australia and a lot of people ask me why. The reasons are legion and take a long time to go through. There are two main reasons Peugeot gets away with it. Or one, really: the cars are really good.

To break that down a bit, certain people just like them and will buy just about anything with a Peugeot badge. Having thrice owned a Peugeot, I understand that mentality.

Second, if you roll into a Peugeot dealer when you're poking around the market, you'll get a driving experience like no other in the segment. The 1.2-litre turbo three-cylinder is absolutely indomitable. It isn't fast, but you won't care because it's one of the more interesting engines and always delivers. Its power and torque figures of 96kW and 230Nm aren't startling, but once you've got the relatively lightweight Pug on the move, it doesn't feel nearly as low on power. 

The 2008's light-for-2024 kerb weight (below 1300kg, a feat I think only the Vitara manages) is impressive, and is good for not just the modestly powered engine.

That 230Nm torque figure is pretty decent for the segment and largely saves the day. Unfortunately, it does have to save it from the eight-speed automatic. I thought for a moment that the torque converter automatic had been replaced by a twin-clutch, but no, it's just poorly calibrated for hill starts and when not in Sport mode. It's a real shame because the one I drove in 2021 was a bit more sprightly and didn't want to roll backwards – sometimes alarmingly – on anything more than a gentle incline.

Again, once you're moving, all that is forgotten and the transmission is much more in line with the engine's willing nature.

Some of my colleagues think the 2008 is a little too firm, but I think it's close to compact SUV perfection. Despite torsion beam rear suspension in place of the multi-link rear ends of some of its competitors, the 2008 rides exceptionally well and handles rather more like a small hatch than a small SUV.

On the highway it's very quiet, the ride supple and composed, and suburban bashing about is similarly quiet, but you will notice the aforementioned tautness in the suspension, particularly the rear.

The small steering wheel may be accentuating the feel of the way the car changes direction, but it's darty and fun, with the body going with you even on fast steering inputs. The seats hold you in, too, which is helpful and adds to that sporty feeling without ever being uncomfortable or stiff. Peugeot forgot how to do this for a while, and the fact it can make it happen in an SUV – and not just the 2008 – is mightily impressive. 

And all of that, for some people, is more than enough to justify the premium price. Peugeot clearly cares about the way it drives, and so the folks who buy it probably do too.

Can a Peugeot 2008 tow?

Surprisingly, the 2008 can tow, just don't expect much from it. Peugeot offers 660kg for an unbraked trailer and 1200kg for a braked trailer. Neither will set the world on fire but will do for light and occasional towing duties, such as a run from Bunnings or to the tip. While we usually cite the 10 per cent of towing capacity equals the towball weight limit rule of thumb, the 2008 can only manage 48kg, so bear that in mind. On the flipside, it's only robbing a tween's weight from your payload.

As ever, if you're looking to tow anything remotely hefty on a regular basis, a 1.2-litre three-cylinder is probably not the car for you.

Should I buy a Peugeot 2008?

Like a few of its dearly departed Euro competition – the Ford Puma springs to mind – the Peugeot 2008 is either ignored or underestimated. It's a minor miracle it's still here, but that speaks to Peugeot's commitment to lowish-volume niche models.

The pricing is irritating because it's a genuinely good car that can punch on with its Korean and Japanese competition, and make a very good account of itself. It's a bit quirky, but not intimidatingly so, and it's a car I'd cheerfully own, particularly if a software update eliminated the rollback from the transmission.

How do I buy a Peugeot 2008? The next steps.

The Peugeot 2008 is a really good car and mechanically identical whether you go for this pricier GT or the slightly less pricey Allure. Unless you really need some of the fripperies of the GT (satellite navigation, leather seats) or want blind-spot monitoring, the Allure will do you just fine and you'll save a decent chunk of money into the bargain.

It is, however, down on some of the safety features of its rivals, which is probably where the pricing sticks most in my craw.

If you're after something else with a Euro flavour in this segment, the Skoda Kamiq is definitely worth a look and not far off the 2008's dynamics. Vibe-wise, the Renault Captur is pretty close to the 2008, although not as stylish, and there are any number of Korean cars (Kia Seltos, Kia Niro, Hyundai Kona) and Japanese (Toyota Corolla Cross, Honda HR-V) all within or near the 2008's price bracket and all worth looking at.

The next steps for a Peugeot purchase are to check the Peugeot website, build and price the car in the configurator, and you can book a test drive online too. As ever, calling a dealer is going to be the best way to find out how quickly you can land a 2008 in your driveway. A quick look at Drive Marketplace may also uncover a demo or used model.

Peugeot Australia tells me that a good selection of 2008s are in stock and to ring around dealers for the exact spec you're after.

If you want to find out more about the Peugeot 2008, check out our latest news coverage.

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