Peugeot 2008 review

Peugeot 2008 Mk2 (2020 - current)

One of the most impressive features of the new Peugeot 2008 is its cabin. Not only is it satisfyingly premium, with lots of well thought out features and soft-touch materials, it’s also much more interesting than the cabin you get in a Skoda Kamiq, for example.

Allure models and above get Peugeot's clever 3D virtual instrument panel as part of the i-Cockpit setup. This takes a little getting used to, projecting information in hologram form within the driver's eyeline, but Peugeot claims it cuts reaction times. While we're not entirely convinced its practical benefits, it's certainly funky and modern to look at.

There's also a 7.0-inch touchscreen display as standard across the range (increasing in size to 10-inch on GT-Line models), featuring TomTom-based navigation as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, providing access to features on your phone. This is easy enough to use, although responses can be a little slow compared to slicker systems used in premium rivals.

The 2008's quite a practical choice too, with a 434-litre boot and little in the way of a lip, making loading bulky items easy. If you need more space, the rear seats drop to provide 1467 litres of room - pretty good for a crossover of this size, and slightly better than the latest Nissan Juke and Skoda Kamiq.

With the seats left up, there’s a generous amount of room for rear passengers, including ISOFIX points for two child seats. Access to the rear is good too, thanks to wide-opening rear doors.

The 2008 shares a platform with the recent 208 meaning, like the 208, it’ll be available with petrol, diesel or electric power. It’s the Puretech 130 petrol we’ve driven here - and that’s expected to be the most popular with buyers. Like all the petrol engines in the range, it’s a 1.2-litre three-cylinder unit, and it’s very good.

It’s a little noisy in a characterful three-cylinder way but it’s eager enough to almost make the more powerful 155 engine redundant (although you can only buy that in top-spec GT trim, anyway). Buyers can choose from a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic gearbox. The manual isn’t the slickest gearbox on the market - a long throw means it feels quite stodgy to use.

As such, we’d recommend the EAT8 automatic gearbox. This is a torque-converter gearbox that responds quickly and adds to the premium feel of the Peugeot 2008.

Around town, light steering and excellent visibility makes the 2008 easy to manoeuvre into tight spaces. That small steering wheel means it feels surprisingly agile on the open road, too, although - like other Peugeot models - it can make it feel slightly darty on the motorway.

That said, it’s quite refined on the open road, and the ride quality is pretty good, although we’ll wait until we’ve driven it in the UK for final judgement.

What's the best Peugeot 2008 Mk2 to buy?

Standard equipment on all models includes electric power steering with reach and rake adjustable steering column, front windscreen wiper with 'Magic Wash' cleaning system, one-touch electric front windows, Peugeot i-Cockpit compact steering wheel, 7.0-inch colour touchscreen, push button start, heated rear windscreen, carbon effect dashboard, gloss black piano keys, manual seat adjustment, Bluetooth telephone connectivity, MirrorScreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, voice recognition, six-speaker radio with MP3 compatibility, 12v socket, body-colour exterior door handles, rear full LED lights, visibility pack with automatic headlights, 'follow me home' headlights and automatic windscreen wipers.

Active features 16-inch alloy wheels, colour-coded door mirrors, manual air conditioning (automatic air con on EV models), electric and heated door mirrors, manual rear-view mirror, manual parking brake (electric parking brake on EV), rear parking sensors, Peugeot i-Cockpit with 3.5-inch instrument panel display, leather steering wheel, LED headlights, LED daytime running lights.

Allure adds 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, gloss black B-pillar, gloss black roof bars, rear bumper with gloss black finish, leather-effect seating, automatic air conditioning, high centre console with two cup holders, central front armrest with storage compartment, electric heated and power folding door mirrors, passenger seat height adjustment, front and rear parking sensors, electrochrome rear-view mirror, electric parking brake, 3D i-Cockpit configurable head-up instrument panel, dark tinted rear wide and tailgate windows, modular boot floor, LED front fog lights, USB socket (x2) front including 1 USB_C, USB socket (x2) rear, Active Safety Break.

GT Line comes with a frameless electrochrome rear-view mirror, colour reversing camera, heated front seats, 10-inch colour touchscreen, connected 3D navigation with TomTom Live updates, 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, Diamond Black roof and rear spoiler, smartphone charging plate, leather-effect seats, perforated leather steering wheel, lime green contrast stitching, eight-colour ambient lighting, full LED headlights with smartbeam assist.

GT adds double chrome exhaust pipe (petrol version), adaptive cruise control with stop&go function, lane positioning assist, active blind spot monitoring, panoramic opening glass sunroof.

Peugeot 2008 Mk1 (2013 - 2019)

The 208-based 2008 is a striking looking car, which should pull in the existing Peugeot customers looking for a larger, more useful supermini, but it needs to be up against some strong alternatives.

The 2008 is closely related to the 208, and it's also lightweight in construction, with kerbweights from 1045kg. The wheelbase of the two cars are shared, but the 2008's overhangs are longer for a larger boot - it's 360 litres seats-up, and 1194 litres with the rears folded. It is 96mm taller, 25mm wider, has 162mm more ground clearance for more headroom and easier entry and exit.

Inside, the 2008 looks good. Trim and colour combinations are classy and muted, and the low-line dashboard is stylish. In top-of-the-range Allure specification, it comes across as a compact luxury car, and we love the mood lighting, with Rolls-Royce-style LED-lit headlining. The way the instrument surrounds illuminate is also striking and pretty. The interior lacks useful cubby holes that you'd reasonably expect on a vehicle like this, the A-post is bulky and obstructs your view, and the weirdly shaped handbrake takes some time to get used to. Also, the grained plastics might look good, but they do lack solidity.

The driving position is commanding, and forward visibility is excellent. And we like the opera-style seating at the rear - anyone in the back sits higher and enjoys great visibility and acres of headroom. Sadly, the legroom isn't generous for six-footers sat behind other six-footers - and in a crossover like this, it would be nice to see adjustable rear seats, which aren't available in any of the models.

Standard equipment levels are high, with automatic headlamps and wipers, and fully-featured infotainment system. The options list is predictably long, but in an era of personalisation, it's to be expected - you'll pay extra for leather, big wheels, panoramic roof, parking assist and Peugeot Connect - but none of these come at too high a price, although they'll stack up if you get too free and easy ticking boxes.

On the road, your first impressions will be clouded by the small wheel and light and feel-less electrically-power assisted steering. We drove the car over a mix of motorways, city and mountainous B-roads, and it was reasonably composed and moderately fun in all situations. The ride quality is good on typical road surfaces, and the body and interior feel solid on rougher surfaces. In corners, there is some body-roll, but the damping is controlled, so the 2008 never gets scruffy in corners.

What's the best Peugeot 2008 Mk1 to buy?

We tried four different drivetrains, and they were a mix of excellent, characterful and disappointing, depending on which version you go for. The line-up reflects that in the 208, so there is a pair of 1.6-litre diesels, and a smaller 1.4-litre oil-burner, as well as a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder petrol, and a 1.6-litre four pot shared with the MINI.