A brand-new drivetrain, wearing a sharper new suit.
With competition in the compact-SUV segment hotter now than ever, Peugeot has seen it fit to give its little 2008 a once-over, making it more fighting fit and competitive in its segment. There’s a stronger family resemblance now, while the aesthetic revisions also see a substitution in the lineup, with ‘Outdoor’ trim being dropped in favour of a new ‘GT-Line’ variant.
Up front, there’s a more upright grille, ‘feline-look’ headlights, and tri-claw taillights. Aside from that, the exterior remains as it is. Quirky, funky, and as French as a baguette. Standard fare across the trim lines (Active, Allure, GT-Line) are things like a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment unit (with smartphone mirroring), a rear-view camera, and a six-speed automatic transmission from Aisin. No more manual here, or antiquated four-speed auto ‘box.
The Active models come with a ‘Tokyo’ cloth trim, 16-inch alloy wheels, climate control, rear parking sensors, fog lights front and rear, cruise control, rear parking sensors, leather multifunction steering wheel, cooled centre console box, and electrically folding mirrors. Step up to Allure trim, and you get autonomous parking, autonomous emergency braking, GPS navigation, 17-inch alloy wheels, fog lights with cornering function, Grip Control mode (for light off-roading), automatic wipers, automatic headlights, automatically dimming rear view mirror, rear privacy tinting, dual-zone climate control, and dual-material seats.
Top-spec GT-Line gets things like ‘Dynamic’ TEP & cloth trim, red stitching everywhere, red highlights everywhere, a leather wrapped steering wheel with red stitching, ‘Redline’ theme for the central infotainment screen, alloy door sills, alloy sports pedals, red LED instrument panel surrounds, ‘Perla Nera’ black finishing for the roof rails, rear door trim and mirror covers, a trim-unique rear bumper finish with a chrome exhaust tip, and gloss black grille with red ‘Peugeot’ lettering.
Engine choice is simple, because there’s only one. The award-winning 1.2-litre turbocharged PureTech mill is employed here, with the thrummy 3-cylinder producing a healthy 81kW and 205Nm. This engine, which we’ve already seen across a handful of Peugeot’s offerings, replaces the asthmatic 1.6-litre in the outgoing car. The 68kW/230Nm diesel, previously fitted to the ‘Outdoor’ model, has also been dropped in favour of the little petrol.
Kau Bruesewitz, Peugeot Australia’s general manager, said that the 2008 marks the beginning of an exciting year for the marque. “We are very excited about the introduction of the new-look 2008 range as it signals a significant year for the Peugeot SUV stable with the all-new 3008 and 5008 following hot on the 2008’s heels,” the general manager said, effectively confirming the launch of the 7-seater 5008 in Australia.
The 2008 will hit showrooms late next month, with the 3008 due shortly after it.
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