Peugeot 4008 Active 2012 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $30,990
Options fitted (not included in above price): 18-inch alloys, chrome door sill inserts, Piano black gloss trim, leather trim (all bundled for $3000), metallic paint ($800)
Crash rating: TBA
Fuel: 95 RON
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 7.9
CO2 emissions (g/km): 186
Also consider: Citroen C4 AirCross, Mitsubishi ASX Aspire, Nissan Dualis II Ti

Peugeot and Mitsubishi make a good team – certainly as good or better than the prospect of any similar cooperative venture by a French brand and a Japanese manufacturer. The evidence for that observation is Peugeot’s new 4008... Styled by the French, built by the Japanese...

It’s a car offering few surprises. The driving experience is not far removed from the Mitsubishi ASX donor car, but styling is an improvement on the Mitsubishi’s. So 4008 is a pragmatic design aimed at attracting rather than affronting would-be buyers.

Ironically, the 4008 is so sensible, the motoring.com.au correspondent tripped up with the location of the SUV’s indicator stalk – on the right side of the steering column. That’s where it should be, but never is in any other Peugeot -- including the larger 4007, also built by Mitsubishi, in Japan, and based on the Outlander.

Clearly the 4008 doesn’t come with the same quirk quotient as other ‘French’ cars. It’s an easy car to drive and very nicely blends the badge cachet and (relative) exclusivity of the Peugeot brand with the ‘no excuses’ comfort and ergonomics we expect from Mitsubishi. An appropriate hip point eases entry or exit, plus there’s plenty of right-sized accommodation for adults in the rear as well as the front, and the driving position is sufficiently flexible for a wide range of physiques. Overall, the interior was serviceable and attractive, enhanced by the option of some chrome and piano black gloss trim.

Bluetooth connects readily and streams audio from a smartphone without endless button pressing once the phone has been paired. The climate control system is hard-working and efficient in the Aussie environment and the inclusion of a reversing camera and acoustic guidance in a vehicle selling for under $31K is highly commendable.

From a driving standpoint, the petrol engine struggles with weight and gearing, particularly, as we found, on a run up to Victoria’s Lake Mountain with four aboard. There’s only a five-speed manual box, but the engine could use an additional cog – either that or Peugeot’s diesel combined with the Getrag twin-clutch transmission from the 4007.

At lower revs refinement is impressive; the four-cylinder runs at 1500rpm without labouring and a combination of induction noise and exhaust note produces an interesting hollow timbre, but higher in the rev range the engine is less charming.

Fuel consumption around town varied between the low 10s to mid 11s, according to the traffic density and running in all-wheel drive as an alternative to front-wheel drive. That’s in line with the official city consumption figure of 10.2L/100km.

Keeping the 4008 in all-wheel drive further erodes performance, but holds everything together on wet tram tracks and other low-friction surfaces. On the run to Lake Mountain and back the 4008 averaged 8.9L/100km.

The 4008 didn’t go offroad, because history with the ASX tells us that’s an exercise in futility, but the 4008’s lockable diff would help getting out of packed snow. On the road, dependable grip, a communicative chassis and steering response are offset by firm ride and steering feel that’s good by SUV standards, but not as flash in comparison with passenger cars.

Most of those properties were influenced in part at least by the car being fitted with optional 18-inch alloy wheels. The regular car comes with 16-inch wheels as standard, and even with the option of the larger wheels, the spare tyre remains the smaller diameter with a Yokohama tyre. It's not a spacesaver, it is a full-size tyre, but when fitted the Yokohama will be very nearly as compromised, being just one of a kind – versus the remaining Bridgestones, on the 18-inch wheels.

We found the manual transmission’s shift lever glides into the next gear smoothly and precisely. Clutch take-up was fairly high and took some getting used to over the first few days.

On the basis of value and specification, the Peugeot came up with the goods. With petrol engine, manual box and all-wheel drive, it's a distinct variant not offered by Mitsubishi in its ASX range, nor by the other kissin' cousin, the Citroen C4 AirCross.

Even optioned up, as the 4008 for this test was, it's in the same league as Hyundai's ix35 Elite for value. However, for much the same money Hyundai buyers score an automatic transmission and significantly more performance, thanks to the 2.4-litre engine.

The Kia Sportage SLi with the same gear as the Hyundai's is even more affordable again. For something a little more like a raised wagon or hatch, there's also Subaru's XV to consider. And don't forget the vehicle that started the whole extra-compact SUV shooting match, the Nissan Dualis.

A final word about the Peugeot's warranty: Aussie buyers get an extra two years of cover and a further 30,000km range with Mitsubishi. Both ASX and 4008 are built in the same factory, but the 4008 is hobbled by the warranty coverage Peugeot promises across its local range.

If buyers can set aside that concern, the 4008 is a really good package. It's manoeuvrable in town, well packaged inside, affordable and stylish. It could do with more performance – and it's rumoured that PSA is working on a diesel auto variant, which might be worth the wait.