Practical experience Peugeot (e-) 2008 SUV – AutoWeek

You don't really have to try hard to spot a Peugeot 2008. There are already more than 20,000 of the current model on the road in the Netherlands and this number is only going to increase. Obviously, the electric alternative makes a big difference; The majority of user reviews revolve around the plug-in variant. In this article we will of course look at 2008 as a whole, but we will certainly not skip the electric experiments.

Ease of use and seating comfort

The interesting thing about electric cars is that drivers usually pay more attention to electric driving than to other uses. This is also the case with the owners of the Peugeot 2008. Drivers who do this are very happy with the practical characteristics of their SUV. “You have to find your feet in the car, mainly due to the small steering wheel, the very low seat of the 'top' car and the high instruments,” writes a 2008 Allure e-driver from 2020, “but after some adjustments I was able to find a good position.” The handlebars Low, making it easy to look over the handlebars towards the screen. The only drawback is that my knees sometimes stick behind the steering wheel when getting out. About the space for passengers and luggage: “The interior space is well organized. I can sit 'behind myself' well (I'm 1.93 meters tall) The trunk is not as big as a station wagon, but now we can use it very well.

Another 2008 e-driver could also live with the small steering wheel and top-mounted instruments. “I have no problem at all with the seating position opposite the cockpit, in a Peugeot you look at the steering wheel through your gauges rather than through the steering wheel. My seat is in the lowest position and I have a good view of the screen. PureTech 130 petrol driver points out the space “It is of course very spacious for two people. With family or friends in the car, there was room for four adults, with less room in the back for taller people.

The driver of the luxury Peugeot e-2008 GT expresses his feelings. “The interior looks nice, and the materials used are well done. The yellow/blue stitching you see everywhere, the well-placed widescreen display, the really nice 3D cockpit, and the mood lighting that can be adjusted to different colors from the higher-end versions are sure to help. “And the black lining and beautiful panoramic roof certainly don't do that. Don't make it boring inside.”

Infotainment and controls

One of the owners above mentioned that his car has 3D tools. An amazing feature that riders love to share their experiences with. “I like the way the 3D cockpit works with the navigation system, better than the central screen itself! It provides clarity on which turn to take and the like,” says one PureTech 130 racer. What is practical for someone, it turns out It's a gimmick for others. “The 3D cockpit is a very successful piece of interior design,” says one 2008 e-driver. “Every ride is fun to watch.”

The central screen was also well received by users, although there were criticisms at the level of detail. “The combination of screen and switches/buttons works well,” writes the 2008 e-Driver. “You can use the buttons to select the menu (music, navigation, air conditioning, etc.) which then appears on the screen.” Now the downside. “What I find stressful is turning on the air conditioning. To put it on your feet or up/down, you have to go into the menu and not care about the road anymore. That could have been better.”

The driver of the 2008 BlueHDi 1.5 is also quite enthusiastic. “And of course, 2008 is also distinguished by the fact that almost all functions are now on the screen. And I must say that you quickly get used to it, just like the small steering wheel. And here too it is followed by a point for improvement: “Although I would have liked to set a dial to adjust “Indoor lighting is powerful, but I often adjust this myself to block a strong beam of light in my face.”

Behavior on the road and driving (electric).

We start with the petrol models, where two 1.2 PureTech drivers let us know how they drive their Peugeot. “The car drives great,” says the driver of the GT with the eight-speed automatic transmission. “You can keep up with the fast sections in Germany well. Of course it's not a racing beast and you can't get to 100 km/h in 8 seconds, but once you're doing 180, it's It does it well and consistently. Eye-catching: “Man, that hood moves when you keep driving. “But it doesn't fall,” he winks. The diesel driver also reports this moving hood.

Another rider who chose the same drivetrain wrote: “The EAT8 automatic transmission is perfect for me! 130 hp feels fast enough, although I must say that there is no real feeling of speed. In this regard, I dare to call it excellent because I imagine “Myself on flat, good roads at 80 km/h while I'm already approaching 110. This is new from Peugeot, at least for me.”

The perfection of this machine continues until a traffic jam appears. “Even in Eco mode, traffic seems intermittent and the start/stop system sometimes triggers at ridiculous moments,” the passenger continues his story. “Okay, I'll turn it off, right? So there's no start/stop, but even in normal driving mode, the fitness guy actually decided to switch to 2nd gear at 8 km/h. Only to realize that maybe he wasn't very smart and stopped at 4 km/h.” /Hour, with a shudder and annoyance, at the number '1'. Incomprehensible in my opinion.” Obviously, electric drivers don't report such inconveniences, but they also reveal little about the drivetrain. They have a lot to say about the driving range, in a previous article, we already paid extensive attention to the range of the Peugeot e-2008.

Maintenance, malfunctions and inconveniences

Not every driver experiences the Peugeot 2008 with the same degree of reliability. A number of electric car drivers suffered breakdowns, and one owner even lost his car for a month. “After several measurements, it became clear that there was something wrong with the wiring harness from the charging mechanism to the engine, and they eventually had to replace that entire wiring harness,” he says. Fortunately, this seems like a redundancy, although another driver also lost his 2008 e-2 for a while. “The car was at the dealer for a week due to a serious malfunction in the electric drive system. It turned out to be a mysterious software error that should have been resolved through an update. There have been no other technical problems so far.

There are also points of interest in the minor suffering category. “If you open the trunk after it rains, there's going to be a nice puddle of water in your trunk,” says the driver of a 2020 e-Class, just as you don't always open the outside mirrors after unlocking the car. . Another contestant tests that digital gadgets are sensitive to scratches. “When purchasing the 2008 car, a completely new cockpit was already installed after 1,500 km, because it was a surprise to me that when cleaning the interior, the cockpit could not be wiped with a slightly damp cloth. Following Peugeot's advice to clean this only with a clean, dry cloth, It happened again and the cockpit became purple again with spots and all kinds of scratches.The new 2008 is also not without flaws, as the driver of the facelifted e-2008 reported that his car's windows became foggy quickly.

The 2008 PureTech driver, who is otherwise irascible and reported no problems after 120,000km, still has one point worth noting. “I still like the car very much, without any defects or oil consumption. However, during the 100,000 km service, the timing belt was worn out, according to the dealer. Fortunately, it is a rental car, but otherwise it will quickly become expensive. This surprises me, According to the instruction booklet, the timing belt does not need to be replaced until after 175,000 kilometers.It's true what the driver says: Peugeot has reduced the timing belt replacement period from ten years and 175,000 kilometers to 100,000 kilometers or six years.

Peugeot 2008 achieves good results with its drivers. The car is practical enough, as one can find a good seat behind the compact steering wheel and not have to frustrate the rear passengers. In terms of infotainment, there are mainly small areas that need improvement, and when it comes to the powertrains, the electric variant seems to be the better option. At least the drivers don't make any negative comments – regardless of the range.