Don't get lost inside the massive storage box....
ANOTHER week, another crossover, and this time it's one that a lot of people seem to have taken an instant liking to, writes Robin Auchterlonie.
Peugeot's 3008 helped get the celebrations for the French firm's 200th anniversary off to a flying start by walking away with What Car? Magazine's Car of the Year 2010 title.
And just for good measure it slipped the best crossover gong into one of the many pockets that adorns its interior.
Here's what the judges said: "It's styled in a striking and user-friendly fashion and has all the room inside that a modern family should need. Some features are a delight, like the full length glass roof and the massive cooled storage bin between the front seats, and the rear seats fold flat at the pull of a lever in the boot, and the false cargo bay floor means you can get a long or a tall load in."
They go on to extol the virtues of its 'comfort for all', decent pricing and the fact its affordable to run.
Here's what we think. Ours didn't come with a full length glass roof so we'll skip over that one. And as for the styling, one wag suggested it looked like the 308 (it's based on the chassis from that model) and that someone has inserted a pipe up the exhaust and blown long and hard. Yes, it has that bulbous look but also a purposeful stance.
What we can vouch for is the size and depth of that central storage bin after dropping a sat nav we had on test into it and there being a considerable wait before there was a clunk as it reached its resting place. A bit like dropping a stone down a well and waiting for the ensuing plop.
Yes, the seats when folded do give you a goodly amount of lugging capacity should it be needed, and when you park bottoms on them then everyone travels in comfort, just like the judges said.
What they appear to have glossed over to the point that I don't think they even mentioned it at all is the fact that it's all too easy to bang your head getting in and out, the fault - if you can call it that – being the sleek swept-back nature of the front A pillars. It brings the roofline down lower than you might imagine, so care is needed entering and exiting the 3008.
Even a previously undiscovered tribe living in mud huts in the far reaches of the Amazon basin would be able to work out that the Peugeot is a good all round family vehicle, with compact looks but which is at the same time spacious with plenty of room for five.
We sampled the Sport HDi 110, with Peugeot's acclaimed 1560cc FAP diesel engine doing the honours under the bonnet. It does a fair job of moving the 1425kg 3008 around, and if you feel it's not up to the task (though I can tell you it is) then there are other even more potent engines available.
But this unit, with its six speed gearbox, has an acceptable 0-60 time of 12.2 seconds and a combined fuel consumption figure of 55.4, the latter being a box ticker if you're weighing up the running costs.
It comes with an ultra smart interior, with lots of shiny chrome edging to the dials, door trims, air vents, giving it a classy look, and brightening up the big cabin.
Interestingly there was a big blank area between the rev counter and the speedo, just the sort of space where you'd expect to find all manner of warning lights and you can't help looking there for information, the bulk of which is actually contained in the pop up screen in the centre of the dash which houses the sat nav.
Set alongside the 308 hatchback and the 308SW, the 3008 sits fair and square in the middle of the medium car sector of the market, giving Peugeot a significant spread of vehicles to meet all needs.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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