Peugeot 2008 Review

Peugeot’s new 2008 crossover makes a compelling case for itself with striking looks and interior and the option of all-electric motoring

Strengths & weaknesses

  • Striking styling inside and out
  • Great cabin technology
  • All-electric option
  • Can be rather expensive
  • No four-wheel-drive version
  • Cabin layout not to everyone’s tastes

Peugeot 2008 prices from £7,750   Finance from £152.09 per month

The new Peugeot 2008 is a wacky looking compact crossover that joins Peugeot's range of striking cars with unusual interiors, complete with tiny steering wheel. The 2008 shares a platform with the accomplished 208 hatchback and Peugeot will no doubt hope this car is equally successful.

That said, the compact crossover market if full to the brim with enticing models competing for supremacy, so the 2008 needs to be good if it's going to succeed. Talking of competition, a very impressive new version of the Renault Captur is also now available at a much lower price than the 2008, so there's a very serious decision to be made between these two options.

Prices for the new Peugeot 2008 start at £20,150 for Active models and rise up to a lofty £31,575 for GT models. From launch, there are four standard trims with a choice of petrol, diesel or electric power and the option of either manual or automatic gearboxes, too - there ought to be a variation in there somewhere to suit your preferences.

One thing that is immediately apparent with the 2008 is its striking appearance – which is more than can be said for many of its rivals. It's safe to say whoever designed this latest generation of Peugeot SUVs has certainly taken a radical approach. The boldness continues inside, with Peugeot’s divisive 'i-Cockpit' (the one with the tiny steering wheel) being implemented once again.

Some love it, some hate it, so you might want to think about whether this departure from the norm appeals to you before taking the plunge. Importantly, though, the new Peugeot 2008 is more than just a pretty face. Everything is well built, and it's practical too thanks to a good amount of space in the rear.

Excluding entry-level Active models, buyers can snap up a 2008 with a five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating - the highest rating available. Active models only score four out of five due to not being fitted with autonomous emergency braking that detects cyclists as well as pedestrians and automatically slams on the brakes if it senses that you are going to crash otherwise. For those with kids, all models achieved 84% for child occupant protection, making it a safe bet for families.

Key facts

Warranty Three-years, unlimited mileage
Priced from £20,150
Length 4,300mm
Tax £0 to £170 in the first year and from £0 to £145 thereafter (all-electric cars are exempt from vehicle excise duty)
Width 1,987mm (including mirrors)
Height 1,550mm

Best Peugeot 2008 for...

Best for Economy – Peugeot 2008 Allure 1.5L BlueHDi 100 Manual

When it comes to traditional fuel economy - so, ignoring the all-electric e-2008 - the 1.5-litre BlueHDi 100 engine consumes the least fuel and has an official fuel economy figure of up to 62.7mpg.

History

  • July 2013 Peugeot launches the first-generation 2008
  • March 2014 Peugeot rebrands engines as PureTech (petrols) and BlueHDi (diesels)
  • September 2015 smart Urban Cross trim introduced
  • July 2016 facelifted 2008 arrives – bringing refreshed styling and engines
  • December 2019 the all-new second-generation Peugeot 2008 becomes available for order

Understanding Peugeot 2008 names

Engine 1.2L PureTech S&S

Peugeot refers to its petrol engines as PureTech units (diesels are BlueHDi). At the same time, “1.2L” refers to engine size (1.2-litre in this case) and “S&S” means start/stop technology is included, which switches the engine off when you stop to save fuel and limit emissions.

Peugeot 2008 Engines

Petrol: 1.2 PureTech Diesel: 1.5 BlueHDi Electric: 50 kWh 136

In line with consumer trends, Peugeot offers its 2008 with more petrol engines than any other fuel type. All are the same size but come with varying amounts of power output. Kicking off the range is the 1.2L PureTech 100 S&S which is solely available with a six-speed manual gearbox.

Performance from the PureTech 100 unit is adequate with 0 to 62mph taking 10.9 seconds and top speed of 115mph. That said, for a small economy and emissions penalty the PureTech 130 engine reduces 0 to 62mph time to 8.9 seconds with a manual gearbox or 9.1 seconds with an automatic.

If the best straight-line performance is all you want, Peugeot’s PureTech 155 engine (the most powerful engine available) manages to sprint from 0 to 62mph in 8.2 seconds and will reach 129mph flat out. This engine is only available with an automatic gearbox.

The sole diesel option, the 1.5-litre BlueHDi brings home the economy and emission figure bacon but trails most of the petrol units when it comes to performance. CO2 emissions are claimed to be as low as 96g/km and economy is as high as 62.7mpg.

Finishing off the engine options is the Electric 50kWh 136 which promises an official range of 206 miles under the latest - and most economical - economy test conditions. 

Engine

Fuel

Economy* 

Emissions*

Power

Acceleration (0-62mph)

Top Speed

1.2L PureTech 100 S&S

Petrol

46.0 to 52.0mpg

105 to 113g/km

103hp

10.9 seconds

115mph

1.2L PureTech 130 S&S

Petrol

43.7 to 50.6mpg

103 to 109g/km

129hp

8.9 seconds

122mph

1.2L PureTech 130 EAT8 S&S

Petrol

42.2 to 47.1mpg

109 to 117g/km

129hp

9.1 seconds

122mph

1.2L PureTech 155 EAT8 S&S

Petrol

41.7 to 46.6mpg

113 to 121g/km

153hp

8.2 seconds

129mph

1.5L BlueHDi 100

Diesel

54.4 to 62.7mpg

96 to 102g/km

101hp

11.4 seconds

115mph

Electric 50 kWh 136

Electric

N/A

0g/km (tailpipe)

134hp

9.0 seconds (estimate)

93mph

Peugeot e-2008 charge times

Charger output

Charge time

3kW

24 hours

7kW

7 hours 30 mins

100kW

30 mins (from 0% to 80% charged)

Peugeot 2008 Trims

Active, Allure, GT Line, GT

If you want the most affordable 2008 then you will need to look at Active spec, which starts at £20,150. These models come with manual air-conditioning, electric (heated) wing mirrors, rear parking sensors, LED headlights, a leather steering wheel and 16-inch alloy wheels. As the table above shows, all fuel types can be had in Active trim. In fact, the only trim combination buyers cannot have is a diesel 2008 GT.

Electric e-2008 models come with a few extra features in Active spec compared to fossil-fuel-powered versions. The additional kit includes automatic air-conditioning, electric handbrake, central armrest with cubby space, four extra USB ports (one of which is a USB-C port), revised front grille and pre-heating functionality. Pre-heating refers to a feature where you can warm up or cool down your car’s cabin before getting in the vehicle – great for cold winter days. Another benefit is that if you have the car plugged in at home it uses mains power to warm or cool the cabin, rather than depleting the battery charge, to maximise how far you can travel until you need to charge.

Next up in the range is Allure trim which starts at £22,350. Allure builds upon Active with larger 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic air-conditioning, electric (heated and folding) wing mirrors, front and rear parking sensors, automatic dimming rearview mirror, electric handbrake, tinted rear windows, front LED fog lights and some subtle exterior design tweaks – such as a gloss black rear bumper.

Second from top is GT Line spec which bolsters cabin equipment further – with a subsequent starting price increase that sees buyers need to shell out at least £26,100. Additional equipment includes heated front seats, sat-nav, wireless phone charging pad, adjustable ambient lighting, automatic main beam lights, 18-inch alloy wheels and again, a number of exterior tweaks – for example, a chequered chrome and black front grille.

Sitting pretty at the top of the range it GT spec which costs from £31,575. The additional kit it comes with includes black 18-inch alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control (with stop and go functionality), lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, opening panoramic roof and seats clad with Alcantara.

While there is no performance version per se, the further up the range a buyer goes the sportier the styling gets.

Trim

Available with a petrol engine?

Available with a diesel engine?

Available with all-electric guise?

Active

Allure

GT Line

GT

-

Peugeot 2008 Reliability and warranty

To help put buyers’ minds at rest, Peugeot offers a two-year unlimited mileage warranty but also states that there is a free optional additional year of cover provided by the Peugeot dealer network in the UK.

Used Peugeot 2008

As Peugeot has only recently started delivering the latest-generation 2008, the used market isn’t awash with options yet. That said, those with a bit of patience may find that some nearly new/pre-registration deals cropping up.

What there is on the used market, though, is a whole host of old-shape 2008s. While these are a world away from the new model (especially when it comes to styling), this model was available for seven years so there are many options available – including petrols, diesels, automatics, manuals, affordable basic models and plush range-topping models.

If you want a specific first generation 2008 to focus on, the 1.5 BlueHDi 100 Allure is one of the sweet spots in the range. If you don’t want a diesel, then the PureTech 110 petrol engine is a great option as well

Other Editions

2008 (2013 – 2020)

Compact, comfy and stylish, the 2008 offers an affordable way to get a high-riding 'crossover' with low second-hand pricing