Peugeot is rapidly expanding its hybrid line up, with new versions of the existing 3008 and 5008 SUVs just announced.
Alternative to plug-in hybrids
These are not the incoming all-new 3008 and 5008, which will be all-electric models based on Peugeot's new STLA platform, which we won't see for a couple of years yet. Instead, these new 48-volt hybrids are intended to offer an alternative the Peugeot's plug-in hybrid models, with improved fuel economy and emissions performance.
Indeed, Peugeot claims that the cars are 15 per cent more efficient overall than their petrol-only versions, although most of that saving comes from in-town driving. On the motorway, Peugeot says that their efficiency is 'unchanged.' The same powertrain will also be coming to the 308 and 408 models later this year.
New dual-clutch gearbox
The heart of the new hybrid system is the familiar 1.2-litre 'PureTech' three-cylinder petrol engine, which has been tweaked to run on the more fuel-efficient 'Miller Cycle' (essentially, Miller Cycle keeps the engine's inlet valves open a fraction longer during the compression part of combustion). The 48-volt battery is stored under the front passenger seat, and the electric motor is built into a new six-speed dual-clutch e-DSC6 gearbox.
That motor is pretty dinky, offering just 28hp and 55Nm of torque, but Peugeot claims that's good enough that the hybrid 3008 and 5008 can spend as much as 50 per cent of their urban journeys running on electric power alone. The system effectively blurs the lines between what we consider a 'traditional' parallel hybrid (such as used by Toyota) and a more basic mild hybrid.
Electric boost
Low-speed manoeuvres can be done on the battery alone, while the system also cuts out the engine whenever you brake, allowing the electric motor to generate energy to recharge the battery. The system also allows for high-speed coasting, and there's a small-but-useful 12hp electric boost under full acceleration. With the 48-volt hybrid, the 1.2-litre engine's power and torque levels are 136hp (up 6hp on standard) and 230Nm of torque (the same as the regular petrol engines).
Both models get an updated electrical system that runs both a normal 12-volt circuit alongside the more powerful 48-volt hybrid setup, and both get specific digital instrument displays which tell you when you're running on electric power by turning the speedo numbers from white to blue (just as Peugeot's plug-in hybrid models already do). The instruments will also tell you what percentage of your journey you've covered on electric power alone.
Meanwhile, both the 5008 and 3008 get an AVAS (or Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System) which emits a sound outside at up to 29km/h to warn pedestrians and cyclists that the vehicle is approaching.