Peugeot 3008 on its way

Almost every car company on the planet lays claim to the ultimate crossover vehicle, a car that combines the best of both SUV and traditional family car traits. And you can add Peugeot to that list.

Built in France, the fresh-faced 3008 will arrive locally in June and Peugeot Australia is confident the new crossover vehicle will find a lot of new friends. Joined by its new RCZ sports car later in the year, 2010 is shaping up to be a good year for Peugeot.

The five-seater compact CUV has already found favour in the European press, with glowing reviews and several awards, including 2009 Car-of-the-Year from British magazine What Car? plus the 2009 AutoRevue Award in Austria and the 24th Auto Europa 2010 in Italy.

Peugeot claims its new vehicle combines several traits that have previously been "incompatible" in crossover vehicles, such as a tall vehicle that can deliver driving pleasure and adding improved traction while being eco-friendly.

Some of the features of the new 3008 include a head-up display, distance alert, hill assist, an electronic parking brake and an innovative "multiflex" interior, comprising a horizontally-split tailgate to improve access to the boot.

The flexibility of the interior will be one of the Peugeot 3008's drawcards when it launches here in June, with remote-folding rear seats and a three-position boot floor height adjuster. It is a "patented innovation, simple and new to the market" explains Peugeot, a system that "will greatly facilitate the use of the vehicle on a day-to-day basis."

The new European crossover vehicle had attained class-leading fuel economy by utilising a range of low-displacement engines, all of which are turbocharged.
As well as 1.6-litre turbodiesel and 1.6-litre petrol turbo engines that output between 80kW and 115kW, there is also the range-topping 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine, which delivers a 120kW/340Nm kick.

Various gearboxes will also be offered, including six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes. European models are also available with MCP (manual compact automatic gearbox in Peugeot speak) but Peugeot Australia was vague when contacted about the possibility of these gearboxes being offered locally with the 3008. Company spokesperson Kirin Tipping admitted to the Carsales Network  that the robotised transmission holds appeal for Australian "companies and government bodies looking for the OH&S factor in company vehicles."

Vehicles equipped with the MCP gearbox, an automatically controlled manual gearbox similar to Alfa Romeo's Selespeed units, are the most efficient in the range, using 4.9L/100km. This compares to the six-speed manual's 5.2L/100km.

Peugeot's future plans for the highly lauded 3008 include its new HYbrid4 technology, which will make its debut for the French company on this vehicle in 2011, reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by a claimed 35 per cent. There has also been talk of the 5008, a seven seat version of the CUV.

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