‘Country of Love’ crossover marries frugal with stylish: Peugeot 3008

Romantic, love-smitten France has finally found its way to the land of warm smiles and, well, fun, by way of a hard-to-pronounce car brand.

 

The name itself is a guaranteed conversation-starter. Your average Juan, relatively unfamiliar with the French automaker, would most certainly ask first how “Peugeot” is pronounced. It should be mouthed off as “Poo-Zho.”

 

It should also be worth noting the company—and its upright lion insignia—is one of the oldest automakers in the world, having begun manufacturing internal combustion-powered automobiles all of 123 summers ago.

 

Well, it took all that time for the steely lion to pounce across the continent and finally “roar” in this Southeast Asian archipelago. Peugeot comes into the Philippines carrying with it a strong heritage in vehicle design and engine efficiency, as noted by auto expert Giles Chapman and journalist Tony Lewin.

 

Peugeot was one of the first European manufacturers to follow the American example and set up its own design studio, under Henri Thomas, in 1930. Up until 1995, it had maintained a consistently high standard in its designs, and that creative vigor was brought to life again from 2008 onwards.

 

These dominant DNA threads in design and engine efficiency have been fused in Peugeot’s first so-called “crossover” multipurpose vehicle (MPV) the 3008. First rolled out in eastern France at the Sochaux manufacturing plant and positioned at the crossroads between several existing vehicles, the sport utility vehicle (SUV), the MPV and hatchback, the 3008 is undoubtedly a headturner—that lion insignia up front seemingly screaming “Viva La France!” every rev of the way.

 

Inside, the 3008 makes every effort to not look Western (read: American) at all. The glass heads-up digital speed display makes the driver feel he or she is prepping up for a speed run of sorts, particularly when that panel makes that whir as it positions itself upright. Stunning, too, is the end-to-end tinted, laminated glass top panoramic roof stretching from above the driver and front passenger to the rear passengers. Imagine a glass-bottomed boat, then turn that upside down. The button control for that is conveniently positioned just below the gear shifter. The glass roof is said to be designed to limit light transmission and heat transfer in the cabin.

 

The unconventionality extends to the gearing. There’s no “P” shift, just the “N” (for neutral, and then a quick push of the handbrake lever just below it to complete the “park” mode), and the “A” (for the automatic/drive mode) and “M” (for manual mode with clutch that is automatically controlled). Needless to say, new owners will need to be briefed about the gearing. There are also paddle shifters directly behind the steering wheel, which may not really be that useful if you already have the “M” mode.

 

The headlight controls are a bit confusing as well. And don’t even try to waste your time looking for the trip and fuel consumption indicator reset button yourself. Ask your dealer and sales agent to point you where that reset button is (most likely they’ll point to the tip of the windshield wiper lever).

 

After being so used to the refined CRDi engines of Korean and Japanese diesel-powered SUVs and MPVs, this writer felt the noise and vibration of the 3008 engine a bit more pronounced. And there was a certain “heaviness” on the acceleration at the “A” driving mode, as if this cat was holding something back. There was a considerable lag in response, necessitating the need to “crack the whip” and go to “M” mode when push came to shove in snarling traffic. Then again, being overly aggressive with the 3008 would defeat the purpose of it being among the more fuel-frugal MPVs in the market.

 

The engine purr and ride improve as the 3008 comes up to cruising speed on the highways. Handling mountainous twists and turns, the 3008’s heaviness resurfaces, yet the engine performs confidently on the uphill.

 

The Hill Assist feature prevents the vehicle from backing up for up to two seconds when on an incline.

 

The 3008 lives up to its billing as a fuel-efficient beast. The best fuel consumption rating this writer got was at 24.3 kilometers per liter on an average speed of 50 kilometers per hour (the record for the 3008, according to Eurobrands Distributor Inc., the exclusive importer and distributor of Peugeot in the Philippines, was 28 kpl).

 

Significantly aiding the 3008 to sip fuel as infrequently as a cat would be a start/stop system that switches off the engine during idling—part of the microhybrid system that features the e-HDI technology. Engineers devised this start/stop with an advanced reverse alternator system so that automatic shutting down and restarting of the vehicle becomes quick and smooth. During shut down, the blower and audio system are still on. A slight tap on the accelerator would restart the engine, bringing about up to 15 percent lower fuel consumption and up to 5 grams per kilometer, less harmful carbon dioxide emissions.

 

The large, two-level trunk space surprisingly still has space for a full-sized spare tire. The heads-up speed display, though a cool feature, brings about a concern on its durability as it folds up and down as frequently as one turns the engine ignition on and off.

 

In safety, however, the 3008 doesn’t risk unconventionality, and goes for the tried and tested and standard: six airbags (including two front side, and two curtain airbags covering front and rear).

 

Another impressive feature of the 3008 is the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) System that eliminates harmful emissions. DPF is a world-first, according to Peugeot, completely eliminating harmful particulates of whatever size found in unclean fuels by collecting them in a filtration system and eventually burning them with increased temperature within the said filter.

 

Verdict: Once you get past the “French-ness” of the driving controls, gears and what-have-you, you may find yourself actually falling in love with the 3008 ride, and with the stylish exterior, you would definitely win some hearts yourself in this Peugeot looker. Since you’re willing to pay anywhere from P1.495 million to P1.795 million for that lion insignia, don’t forget to open the cover of that glass roof and look up. Someone may be looking admiringly down at you from above.