Peugeot may well win over a swath of euro-sceptics with their plug-in hybrid SUV. In an increasingly crowded space, the 2022 3008 GT Sport PHEV has the pedigree to take the challenge to its rivals.
The new model, the first of its kind for the French car maker, also introduces all-wheel drive to what has traditionally been a front wheel drive range. In many ways, it offers the best of both worlds, and is a powerful, frugal and smooth combo that’s hard to knock.
The 3008 GT Sport PHEV is powered by a 1.6-litre 147kW PureTech engine, paired to two electric motors, one upfront and one at the rear, which together produce 81kW and 83kW, giving the vehicle an impressive combined power output of 222kW.
There’s an 8-speed automatic transmission, and with a full battery charge, Peugeot claims 1.6-litres/100km, and it is achievable, in the right conditions. In the city, where you’re on and off the pedal in traffic, you can expect around 5.0-litres/100km.
That will blow out quickly when the engine is charging the battery on the open road, but this is nothing new for plug-in hybrids. To achieve optimal efficiency, you’ll need to be plugging in every night to make sure the battery is full, each day.
When you do charge, there’s a satisfying LED pulse while the unit is doing its thing. In real world testing, the 13.2kWh lithium-ion battery is good for an EV range of 49km (Peugeot claims 10km more than that).
On the plus side, if you’re a commuter who rides the train, a school drop-off parent or simply drive locally, you could go fully electric if you run solely in battery mode, at least on weekdays. There are four drive modes; Electric, Hybrid, Sport and AWD.
Peugeot often leads the industry in style too, and the 3008 does not disappoint, with one of the coolest interiors on the market. It presents as a stylish, futuristic experience that’s bound to impress.
The Nappa leather work is top notch, beautifully stitched with clean artistic lines. The seats are simply sublime and with three built-in massage options, it’s truly a treat to take this thing for a drive.
The brushed metal piano-key quick controls are an absolute delight, giving tactile and effortless shortcuts to the complexity of options the car has to offer.
The infotainment system is placed high in the middle of the console, ensuring you almost don’t need to look away from the road, as it at least allows you to maintain your line of sight. We found the dynamic battery status and charging visualisations super attractive.
Glancing at it while using the regenerative braking gives you a slightly smug feeling of getting something for nothing. Sitting in the front seat also affords far more spaciousness than the car’s external dimensions would suggest.
As always, the corresponding rear seats have less room as the rear seat cannot be length-adjusted. The luggage compartment at capacity is 590-litres. It’s quite well angled too, with plenty of space for the charging cables under the floor.
The rear seat backs are easily folded down too, and many winter sports folk will appreciate what looks like a ski hatch in the rear back seat. The GT Sport version has some nice additional touches too, like 19-inch alloy wheels.
Those massaging front seats are also heated, and there’s a black-finish exterior trim and grille, a panoramic glass sunroof and light toned wood dashboard and door trim finishes. It’s all pretty yum.
The 21.9cm ground clearance does not make the 3008 an all-terrain vehicle though, but given many people love the SUV advantage of being able to get straight into the car, it’s pretty damn good (just not an off-roader).
One nice touch is the fact the Peugeot doors cover the sills, meaning those who are hopping in and out of the car frequently don’t have to get their pants dirty. The amount of technology crammed into our GT Sport was almost overwhelming, as well.
Each day, this writer discovered new refinements and variations. Safety too is on point, with autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, driver attention monitoring, traffic sign recognition, automatic high-beam, and adaptive cruise control.
There’s also adaptive LED headlights with static cornering, a hands-free powered tailgate, dual-zone climate control, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter, rear privacy glass and wireless phone charging.
The 2022 Peugeot 3008 GT Sport Plug-in Hybrid has a five-star ANCAP rating, albeit from testing conducted on previous models, and comes with a 5-year unlimited kilometre warranty, and 5-years capped price servicing.
It’s priced at $86,799 drive away, and while that’s a little pricey for the average Aussie budget, it’s a great performer and arguably a reasonable and very stylish entry point into an electric vehicle future.
You can build your own on the Peugeot website. If you need finance, pop on over to CreditOne.
Our test vehicle was provided by Peugeot Australia. To find out more about the 2022 Peugeot 3008 GT Sport Plug-in Hybrid, contact your local Peugeot dealer.
