French Charmer: Inside The Peugeot e-3008

Motoring editor Jeremy Taylor and Jessica Talbot-Ponsonby discuss the most important Peugeot in years: the e-3008.

Inside The New Peugeot e-3008

J-TP – Which begs the question, why is Peugeot calling this their most important car?

JT – And a good question, too. En un mot, or in a nutshell, the last generation 3008 was a huge seller for the French brand, offering lots of luxury touches at an affordable price. Changing a winning formula is fraught with pitfalls.

But surely this new version has to be even better than the last 3008 SUV?

Of course, but Peugeot is now owned by automotive conglomerate Stellantis and this model is built on the new STLA all-electric platform – the first of many cars in the group that includes future models from Vauxhall and Citroen.

Well, the e-3008 certainly looks cool – positively eye-catching, I’d say. A coupe-SUV with sporty aspirations?

A fastback of sorts and I totally agree it looks fantastic – especially the frameless front grille and the slippery side profile.

I’m especially keen on the interior, which Peugeot call the Panoramic i-Cockpit. The screen in front of the driver stretches 21-inch end-to-end and works extremely well. It feels premium and every inch as good as an upmarket Audi.

Agreed. Headroom in the back seats is a little restricted due to that low-slung roof line, but the boot is a decent size and the raised centre armrest in the front offers lots of storage. All in all, it’s a very smart cabin.

I always know when there’s a ‘but’ coming!

The issue is, the e-3008 looks the part but isn’t that enjoyable to drive. The driving position is fine, but the ride quality is lacking: the e-3008 gets the jitters on our potholed roads and the steering is less than precise.

Those sporty looks don’t match up then? It certainly feels heavy with that battery pack on board.

Our GT test car at £49,000 was fitted with a 73 kWh battery pack capable of around 230 miles, but there’s a bigger – and heavier – 98 kWh version coming that will offer over 400 miles. An entry-level mild hybrid starts the range at around £35,000.

PIX 3 here

Is the e-3008 worthy of the hype then?

Difficult to say, but popular brands like Skoda and Tesla offer very good EVs for less money. That said, if you want a comfortable A to B car with lots of standard equipment, the Peugeot is a decent proposition.

I suspect you prefer a French fancy with a little more ooh la la?

I do – it’s disappointing the e-3008 doesn’t drive as well as it looks, because the Peugeot is aesthetically excellent, refined and smart inside. Our car was supposedly the sporty GT version, but it will leave enthusiastic drivers wanting.

DISCOVER

Learn more about the Peugeot e-3008 at peugeot.co.uk

Jessica Talbot-Ponsonby is Director of Programmes at London College of Fashion, studying for a PhD in sustainable e-textile design.