Four cars in one – Peugeot’s 3008 HYbrid4 presents a solid and attractive case to fleet buyers
You want performance, but you want fuel economy. You want practicality but you don’t want to pay road tax. You want four wheel drive, but you don’t want carbon emissions, and an efficient small capacity engine is a must. Maybe you should meet Peugeot’s 3008 HYbrid4 – the world’s first diesel-electric car and if Peugeot are to be believed, one of the most versatile and adaptable cars around.
All the marketing so far has focussed on that very fact that this is ‘the world’s first diesel-electric hybrid’ and understandably so. Equally understandable is the Peugeot PR team’s reluctance to push the clumsily coined ‘dieselectric’ which is dropped just once during a swift press briefing before being brushed awkwardly under the metaphoricarpet.
Nonetheless, the French present a solid and highly attractive case to fleet buyers with the 3008 HYbrid4.
For tax incentives and operating costs on a car this size, it’s tough to beat. VED is non-existent for the first year (£20 thereafter) with CO2 emissions limboing the 100g/km mark (by one gram) to bag an A tax band (B if you go for the 104g/km model). There is the “potential” for a lofty 74.4mpg – thanks to Stop/Start technology as standard – while 10% Benefit-In-Kind and a 100% Write Down Allowance are sure to please all parties.
On the road
This is all on paper of course, so how does the Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 and its quartet of driving modes fare on the open road?
To many, Peugeot’s numeracy-led model names are little more than a form of identification, however the ‘4’ in HYbrid4 is central to expressing the 3008’s four driving modes which draw power in separate ways.
‘Auto’ is the mode which users will rack up most of their miles in, balancing fuel economy and dynamic performance but those who get their kicks from giving pedestrians heart attacks would enjoy ZEV mode (Zero Emission Vehicle). When driven with care, the 3008 can reach 40mph before leaving ZEV mode and the Internal Combustion Engine kicks in. The 3008 is certainly as quiet and smooth as Nissan’s LEAF but being the giddy impatient journo, I could only get up to around 20 before forcing it out of ZEV mode.
Unlike the LEAF, the 3008 HYbrid4 need never be plugged to the mains with an energy recovery system recharging the Nickel Metal Hydride batteries under the boot as the accelerator pedal is released and the brake depressed. This recoups what would be otherwise lost energy to help optimise fuel consumption.
Four-wheel drive mode redistributes power to unlock all-terrain driving, transforming the 3008 into an SUV, ready to tackle any steep and muddy slope. Sport mode goes all out to produce 200bhp by drawing power from both engines delivering optimum performance. Considering its size, 8.5 seconds is more than convincing for the 2L vehicle which looks like anything but a performance car.
It is in Sport mode that the one glaringly ugly gripe with the 3008 HYbrid4 is most evident – the automatic gearbox.
Setting off is trouble-free but drivers looking to quickly build up speed are met with boisterous and alarming over-revving. Persevering with the accelerator eventually results in the gears shifting up but it’s not long before it starts all over again. The radio is frequently drowned out by this objectionable gripe. Luckily the paddles behind the steering wheel form a practical manual remedy but it defeats the object of an auto gearbox.
A Peugeot PR tries their best to argue that this is completely normal but it’s hard to accept that exceeding 60mph whilst the gearbox stubbornly trudges along in third is either healthy or beneficial to fuel economy.
Consumption conundrum
You’ll have noticed that ‘potential’ was plonked between some speech marks earlier in reference to mpg; that’s because the real world fuel consumption raises more than a degree of concern.
You have to consider the 1808 kg curb weight and of course, those performance claims were sternly put to the test, but the 32mpg we achieved seems fairly weak for a model which prides itself on a competitive fuel return and low running costs.
One neutral source insists that they got into the 70s, however the general consensus amongst fellow testers on the day was that the 3008, which had around 2,000 miles on the clock, fell well short of the claimed figure.
For interior space and style, the Peugeot designers have played it well. Company car drivers will appreciate the quality leather streamed throughout the cabin, most importantly the steering wheel, with passengers granted the same roomy comfort as the driver. Peugeot’s Head Up Display is here as is the Panoramic ‘Cielo’ glass roof and electric blind (for £370) which combine to add that touch of futuristic class.
The heated seats were a bizarre surprise too – “why’s my bum so toasty?” quizzes my navigator two minutes down the road – and the individual temperature controls will please all.
The 3008’s roomy nature is at its most evident in the 420 litre boot, and that’s without including the lower compartment which throws in another 66 litres. Tech-wise, the 3008 is well equipped with a well-tuned, easy to use sat-nav and stereo.
With prices starting from £26,995, the Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 is more expensive than priciest Prius, but it still has a lot going for it amongst the fleet crowd. Those tax benefits don’t need explaining again and everything is in place stylistically. Fuel consumption is a worry however it all comes down to driver behaviour and there’s enough reason to believe it can easily hit 60 mpg in calm hands. Head for the C-Charge-dodging 99g/km model to secure the A tax band.
Peugeot’s 3008 HYbrid4 is launched in March 2012. A plug-in variant is expected to become available in 2013.
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