They’re calling it their most advanced vehicles to date. That’s a bold claim, but it certainly is brimming with tech.
At a gala event in Paris last night, Peugeot took the wraps off its new 3008 that brings with it some impressive new tech, an updated design aesthetic and upgrades to its powertrain offering – calling it their “most advanced vehicle” so far.
Where previously the 3008 occupied a middle ground between SUV and MPV, most would agree that it sided towards being and perceived as the latter. But with its second-generation, Peugeot has swung in favour of it being a crossover SUV that has it sights on vehicles such as the Nissan Qashqai and Mazda CX-5.
The new 3008 sits up higher on its EMP2 platform and sports styling cues taken from its hatchback sibling, the 308, but also has a more purposeful tone with its bold fascia and upright nose that’s offset by the French styling flair that becomes more evident towards the car’s rear. Wheel sizes will range from 17-inches to 19-inches, all fitted with low rolling resistance tyres as standard.
Peugeot has already teased the 3008’s interior to highlight the new i-Cockpit 2.0 dashboard that makes its debut here. It features a 12.3-inch hi-resolution display to replace the usual analogue instrument cluster so it can dynamically display the most relevant functions such as vehicle information or, say, navigation or multimedia functionality.
An 8-inch touchscreen mounted above the centre stack complements the driver-facing display and presumably controls the HVAC system, among other things, and also includes support for Apple CarPlay. i-Cockpit 2.0 has also also been revised to be a more cocooning experience for the driver, with more deeply recessed elements and aircraft-inspired switchgear.
Aside from that, Peugeot looks to have really focused their attention on making the interior experience as premium feeling as they could have, with lavishes of piano gloss and leather peppered in with aluminium/chrome accents.
While it has been confirmed that a plug-in hybrid version of the new 3008 has been confirmed, it will only be arriving around 2019. In the meantime, it gains the gamut of turbocharged petrol and BlueHDi diesels from the PSA Group.
Petrol-powered engines include the 1.2-litre PureTech 130 S&S or the 1.6-litre THP 165, both mated to a 6-speed manual or the EAT6 torque converter automatic. In terms of diesels, there will be a choice of the 1.6-litre BlueHDi 100 S&S, a more powerful 1.6-litre BlueHDi 120 S&S, or a 2.0-litre BlueHDi S&S in 150 or 180PS tunes, each mated to 5 or 6-speed manual or the EAT6 automatic.
Prices for the new 3008 hasn’t been confirmed yet but we’re surely be hearing about that soon as Peugeot is planning a market introduction in the coming months with it due to make Australian landfall in 2017.
For more on Peugeot vehicles, including prices and specifications, check out our Showroom.
