Innovation all the way from Peugeot

Sep 29 2009 Ian Johnson

Innovation all the way from Peugeot

ONE OF the most interesting market moves in recent years has been the rise of the crossover - a mixture of MPV, SUV and hatchback.

There have been a number of attempts at this difficult match - some better than others - and now Peugeot has swung in with a contender which is innovation all the way.

The 3008 takes a new slant at the crossover market which has been dominated by such models as the Nissan Quashquai.

In its quest to be a conventional car for daily use, a family car for weekends and holidays and an adventurous vehicle for those with an active lifestyle, the 3008 is without doubt on course to be greater than the sum of its individual strengths.

It may have the looks of a 4x4, but the 3008 is front-wheel-drive but with a difference called Grip Control. This consists of an advanced traction control system and special mud and snow tyres.

The system optimises the traction of both front wheels for improved traction on poor road surfaces. It features five settings: standard, off-road (mud/dirt/wet grass), sand and ESP override.

This gives the high element of grip normally associated with 4x4s in a front-wheel-drive vehicle. And it does work because a 3008 recently towed a glider into the air from a grass strip - a job usually done by a massively powered static winch.

But the real keyword of the 3008 is innovation. When the engine is started a screen slides up in front of the driver giving a fighter-plane style head-up control display.

And then there is the boot which is one of the best designs I have ever encountered. This forms part of what Peugeot calls a 'Multiflex' interior that can be converted at will thanks to its three-position load area floor and automatic folding rear seats.

With the latter folded, together with the back of the front passenger seat, the 3008 can provide a perfectly flat load floor area from the lower tailgate to the front fascia panel.

Peugeot has thrived on innovation since its early days, pioneering such concepts as the first four-valve-per-cylinder twin-cam engines in the 1900s; the first production car with independent front suspension (the 201); the first 'folding roof ' cars (401 Eclipse) and electric sliding front-doors on the Peugeot 1007.

So Peugeot knows the advantages of forward thinking, but the proof of the pudding is in the driving and the £20,895 Hdi 150 I was able to try certainly proved that fun is still a great part of the Peugeot agenda.

From a cockpit that looks like something from a £30,000 plus vehicle to the 150bhp punch from its torquey 1997cc, four cylinder diesel, this car proved itself to be a fearsome contender in an important sector of the market.

As as a front-wheel-drive vehicle its handling is in the coupe class aided considerably by a dynamic body roll system. And a 50.4 Combined mpg figure certainly helps too.