It is probably unnecessary to describe the appearance you see in the photos, which we all perceive subjectively. I will only mention something that is not obvious at first glance. In this weather, it's hard to drive away from the car wash in order to take a picture of the car unsalted. Floors covered with doors will save you many dirty pants.
As has been typical for Peugeot lately, the interior is dominated by an unconventional cockpit characterized by a small steering wheel and a high-placed instrument panel or display. Although this combination looks strange at first glance, its great advantage is a great view of the instrument panel: it is close to the field of vision when driving and is not covered by the steering wheel, so it is not necessary to look at it through the steering wheel.
Since the tested 3008 is in the sporty GT version, even the small two-spoke steering wheel is sporty, and in addition to the ergonomic shape, it has an unconventional flattening not only at the bottom but also at the top. The steering is pleasantly precise, but as is common with most modern cars equipped with EPS, it does not give the driver feedback from the chassis. On the other hand, the sporty feeling is supported at least by the steering wheel and the shift paddles located below it.
The leather seats are electrically adjustable and the driver's seat also allows the settings to be stored in memory. The seats are comfortable, a length-adjustable seat will come in handy on longer journeys, and especially the massage functions that are available for both the driver and the passenger. You can choose between 4 types of massages, always in 3 intensities.
As for ergonomics, I can't fault the 3008, everything is where you expect it to be and you get used to the car very quickly. Receding buttons, rotary controls and indicator lights for ever smarter touchscreens are already a reality everywhere.
The interior, thanks to the combination of materials such as leather, gray textiles and many types of plastics, looks tasteful and pleasant, but still moderate (especially compared to the DS).
The digital cockpit offers a choice of several looks, even despite the high location there was no problem with legibility in the sun. The Infotainment display is also located high up and is excellently visible, the Infotainment itself is fast and of course offers functions such as phone screen mirroring, voice control (also in Czech) or internet connection for communication with a mobile application or monitoring the current traffic situation for satellite navigation . As a disadvantage here, I see an unnecessary preference for touch control even for setting basic functions such as the temperature of the air conditioning, when even such things are already being moved to the display, a touchpad or a rotary controller closer to hand would be useful.
Drive
The Hybrid 4 is a top-of-the-line motorization providing a total combined power of up to 300 horsepower, it is a combination of a turbocharged gasoline four-cylinder 1.6THP with a power of 200 horsepower with an 8 automatic transmission and a pair of electric motors driving both the front and rear axles.
The drive system can operate in the following modes: electric, hybrid, 4WD and sport.
In pure electric mode, according to the WLTP methodology, it can travel up to 59 km on the battery and without starting the internal combustion engine it can drive at a speed of up to 135 km/h. I actually managed to drive 40 km on a charge in the winter. How long does it take to charge a 13.2 kWh battery? The fastest way is from a wallbox or a "full-fat" Menekess socket, when it can charge with the full power of the 7.4 kW on-board charger, and can thus handle a full charge in less than 2 hours. Charging from a 230 V socket takes 4 or 7 hours depending on the current that flows through it, in any case, both during normal working hours and during night charging, even the slowest charging option should be sufficient. In addition, you can set a delay in the start of charging and thus avoid recharging at peak times. A small and quite unnecessary disadvantage is that the on-board computer does not show the current charging speed or the estimated time until full charge, but you will notice it anyway after using it for a while.
In hybrid mode, the car controls itself, how it combines the use of the individual engines, it shows itself in a very refined way. During quiet driving thanks to very low vibrations from the engine and excellent noise reduction, the only indication that the internal combustion engine was on was the energy flow indicator. For some uses, the energy reserve function is useful: you can choose whether you want to keep the battery fully charged for 20 or 10 km.
However, the sport mode is definitely the most fun, because in this mode the entire drive system completely changes its character. The turbocharged 1.6 revs willingly at the request of the gas pedal, and both electric motors are ready to help move this SUV weighing over 1,800 kg. And it works, the combination of 300 horsepower from 3 engines provides excellent dynamics and fun behind the wheel. After all, it can accelerate from 0 to 100 in 5.9 seconds. Shifting paddles under the steering wheel is just the icing on the cake. By the way, the maximum speed is said to be 240 km/h.
Conclusion
The trend of reducing emissions is a reality, unfortunately somewhere it comes at the expense of dynamism, performance, fun or even usability. The 3008 GT Hybrid 4 is an even bigger surprise – you can use such a well-balanced mix both during the daily commute to work, when you can enjoy low consumption and a small carbon footprint, and also when traveling, when you will be happy with performance and dynamics. Finally, we must not forget the advantages associated with a license plate starting with EL. I wish the Hybrid 4 in this form would make it to, for example, the 208 or 308?. And what about the price? While the most affordable model with a 1.2 and 130 hp starts at a price of CZK 562,000, the top hybrid engine costs CZK 1,200,000.
Source: Author's text Image source: Author's own photos
