French cars don’t often leave a great impression. There are only a handful of really admirable cars from the Marianne and as time goes along, we all seem to fall with the continuous urge to despise a French car. But in the recent years, they’ve come along to hop into the much cheerful bandwagon – following the footsteps of futuristic designs and bold features that sets to leave the market impressed and very much curious.
With the Malaysian market’s inspiring support to the premium French car maker – the all-new Peugeot 2008 took stage recently at KLIMS13, presenting to the potential market on the possibility of having the 2008 here in Malaysia. We too first saw it there in PWTC and was dazzled by the car’s outlook. Fast forward to a few months down the line and here we are – the all-new Peugeot 2008 crossover has arrived! We were given the keys to experience it first hand and here is our first impressions.
The new age market enjoys urban crossovers, and I won’t deny, they are excellent city roundabouts. Practicality matched with almost all-round drivability as an added bonus; especially here in Malaysia with the occasional flash floods, these crossovers do really excel going through tides. At the same time too, because it sits taller.. it gives a much more commanding driving position which many ladies enjoy very much.
No difference here in the Peugeot 2008. Based on the 208 Supermini, the 2008 comes 4.16m in length and 1.74m in width making it just a shade larger than its little sister. Set to take on rivals like the Nissan Juke (which is not sold here officially) and the Mitsubishi ASX, the 2008 will stand as the only euro compact crossover within the price range in our market.
Its funky styling will most definitely attract the new age market that seeks for a more modern outlook. I am not particularly impressed by the persona thats attached to the 2008, due to its ‘soccer mum’ mobile outlook. Is that a bad thing? Depends. If you’re a mother with a growing up kid then perhaps not. But what if you’re single bloke seeking for something practical.. it might leave a hilarious impression on the girl you’re courting.
Jokes aside – the 2008 will most probably be driven by new families who will most definitely enjoy the tall riding stature and easy access openings. The frontal features are now shifted away from old Peugeots and in with the new; which is a plus point. We like how Peugeot has inserted classy chrome trims on the exterior that aids the 2008’s subtle characteristics and into a more fashionable item. Being European, the 2008 will be seen as a ‘premium’ product against its Japanese rivals which will move many minds positively towards its side.
The drive. Performance comes from a 1.6-litre normally aspirated engine that returns an eye watering 118bhp and 160nm of torques. On the move, it does feel sluggish and the rather reluctant engine requires to be revved hard to find power. Its Zerotohundred sprint returns with a time of 11.2 seconds which is undoubtedly slow in our books. However, in a day-to-day driving scenario, the power feels adequate and with it mated to a rather smooth and enjoyable 4-speed automatic gearbox, the 2008 will not be a dread to drive on the routine commute.
- Car: Peugeot 2008
- Engine: 1.6 litre 4 cylinder normally aspirated
- Performance: 118bhp | 160nm
- Zerotohundred: 11.2 seconds
- Top Speed: 182km/h (as tested)
For a crossover – the 2008 drives rather splendidly. At the wheel, it feels like a more well sorted compact hatchback especially on the highway cruise. Suspension is firm but the car rides plush; giving a solid feel on the drive minus a bone shattering ride. What we didn’t enjoy on our day spent we’re two main things – the unsupportive seats and the funny steering position which tends to block the view of the speedometer.
What you can most appreciate about the 2008 however is the interior ambience. Everything feels well made and anything thats plastic is coated in black; leaving it with a rather expensive outlook. We enjoyed the panoramic view of the roof that adds more see through glass area within the cabin, making it much more airy and capacious.
Something most would enjoy in the 2008 would be the in-car entertainment system. The touch screen display comes with an interactive layout, similar to what you would experience on your iPad. Sound system is not too shabby although it could do with a subwoofer assist. A pleasant interior all round and would be appreciated by many new families on a day-to-day basis.
We like
- The fresh and radical styling
- Classy and modern interior matched with good I.C.E
- The Panoramic Roof
We don’t like
- The seats
- The steering position
So.. that’s our hopefully short and concise first impression on the Peugeot 2008 crossover. There is much to like about it although matched with disapproving factors; chief amongst which is the seats. However, if you find the seats to fit you rather well – then we think its a rather cheerful car especially for the new, starting families. For more information – visit www.peugeot.com.my.
