Although it has only about a year left on sale, Peugeot has updated its long-serving 3008 SUV with a new hybrid option, based on the familiar 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine. It's claimed to have lower emissions and lots of battery-only running, but do those claims stack up?
In the metal
If you're looking for lots of hints on the outside that this Peugeot 3008 is running a brand-new engine, well... you'll be looking. Unlike the 2008 and 508, which have been given new styling front and rear, and some interior upgrades, this 3008 has been hardly touched at all in its conversion to a hybrid model.
For all those saying, 'didn't the 3008 have hybrid options already?' the answer is yes, but those were plug-in hybrids. This, the new 3008 e-DSC6 Hybrid is simpler than that. In fact, it's about as simple a hybrid as you can get.
Before we get to that, there's a certain comfort in familiarity. Clearly, Peugeot felt that the popular 3008 didn't need a new face to go with its new heart, and it remains a handsome, desirable-looking car, even if it's missing out on the new 'three claw' LED lights at the front that the smaller 2008 gets.
Inside, the changes are similarly absent. There's the same cabin layout, with the small hexagonal steering wheel sitting in your lap and the same high-set digital instruments above. Some people don't like this layout, some people love it, and Peugeot is sticking with it, although the next-generation 3008 will get a new variation on the design, with a massive curved 21-inch touchscreen sweeping across the dash above the small steering wheel.
Until that car arrives, the current 3008's cabin still looks and feels smart. You'd hardly credit that it's a car pushing towards a decade old, and overall quality levels are very good. We especially like the soft-touch fabric trim on the dashboard and the doors, and - on this top-spec GT model - the quilted leather on the seats.
One thing we don't like is the old infotainment system. Even with the 'piano key' shortcut buttons, this system, since replaced in models such as the Peugeot 308 and 408, is awkward to use with a baffling menu layout. At least there's Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to allow you access to a sensible software setup.
Practicality is a 3008 strong point. The new hybrid system's battery is stashed under the driver's seat (in this left-hand-drive model, at any rate - it'll be under the passenger seat in Irish cars) so there's no impact on rear legroom nor on boot space. There's plenty of space for even tall passengers in the back of the 3008, and a 520-litre boot behind that if you have the adjustable floor set on its lowest level.
Driving it
The new hybrid engine gets off to an impressive start, even before you've thumbed the start button. It knocks a whopping 20g/km off the emissions figure of the standard 1.2-litre 130hp petrol engine, and adds an extra 6hp into the bargain. That's enough to knock €70 off your annual motor tax bill.
The electric part of the system consists of a 21kW electric motor within a new six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. This is fed energy from a 48-volt, 898Wh battery. It's almost like a half-way house between a mild hybrid and a Toyota-style hybrid, and Peugeot claims that in urban driving you can spend as much as 50 per cent of your journey running on just the electric motor.
Perhaps it can under ideal circumstances, but in the sweltering conditions of our Spanish test drive, we didn't manage that. In fact, over a mix of urban and motorway driving, we averaged 30 per cent electric driving. Peugeot quotes 5.6 litres per 100km on the WLTP test, and we managed 6.5 litres/100km. Not a terrible result, certainly, but again it could be better. Maybe a drive in cooler Irish conditions, with the air conditioning not going at full pelt all the time, might yield better results.
In performance terms, the hybrid system does definitely score. There's noticeably improved mid-range shove, thanks to the 55Nm of extra torque provided by the electric motor, so the 3008 moves forward with a good deal more conviction as you work your way up through the gears. Sadly, there is a refinement penalty with a noticeable electric motor whine, especially at low speeds.
The 3008 remains a pleasant car to drive, though. The steering is nicely weighted and feels accurate, once you push through a slight off-centre dead patch. The ride quality is good over small imperfections, but large bumps can send a loud 'whump' up through the cabin, which makes the car seem less refined, and less well-engineered than it is. It's no handling champ, or anything, but it's perfectly fine in most respects.
What you get for your money
The 3008 Hybrid won't arrive in Ireland until October at the earliest, and when it does, the all-new, all-electric e-3008 will just have been revealed for the first time. That gives this hybrid 3008 a stay of execution, as it will sell alongside the electric e-3008 for a time, until the hybrid versions of that new car come online.
Specs and prices are still being wrangled, but the good news is that the lower CO2 figure ought to keep the price down.
Summary
Until we get the new Peugeot 3008 home, we can't really know for sure how economical or refined it will turn out to be, but on the basis of this test drive - and that dramatic improvement in the CO2 figure - it seems like at least a qualified success.
