BY BRIAN BYRNE
WHAT does it say about Ireland’s car buyers when there are only two B segment cars in the top 10, and that across Europe the same league features five models from that segment? Or that Ireland’s top-selling model is a fairly pricey SUV and across Europe it’s a budget hatchback? Does size matter more to Irish motorists? That five of the top 10 sellers here are mid-size SUVs kind of answers that question.
Maybe it’s a case of family-carrying cars being more essential in a country like ours where public transport has never caught up with the public’s transport needs, even in the city areas. Maybe it’s just that we like big.
So to the Peugeot 2008 which I’m looking at this week. A sub-compact crossover and the 16th biggest seller across Europe last month, in Ireland at number 33 in the sales league this year. I think it deserves better from us.
It’s the second generation of a car originally designed to replace a wagon version of the 208 hatchback, and which had a facelift last year that tweaked up what was already a car with a strong presence in its segment.
With a lot of style elements in the grille, lights, and apron that could seem to be working against each other, the overall effect is actually an aesthetic positive, especially if you want your small crossover to reflect your own personality.
My review car’s dark grey and highly styled alloys meshed well with the black roof rails and other aluminium trim, maintaining the edginess of the overall look. The rear hatch is designed to add perceived width to the car, giving it a bit more apparent overall size than some B segment competitors.
The interior fittings follow the same strong styling as the exterior, a lot going on in the dashboard shape including a stripey finish and high gloss black trim edged in metallic detail.
The infotainment screen is set on its own shelf and angled towards the driver. There are good piano-style switches below it, and a knob volume control, for key on-the-run adjustments without too much distraction. The driver information is in the familiar above-the-steering wheel space, easy to engage with, and the ‘hard’ switching on the steering wheel is welcome. In the E-2008 the transmission selector is the now very familiar flip-switch style that is my ergonomic favourite.
The review car was the top GT grade, which added some sporty touches to the trim. The car has supportive front seats, and good space for two in the back ones, three young teens would also be OK. It’s the nature of such small SUVs to be closer to a compact family hatchback in both back seat accommodation and luggage capacity, and this one has a very commodious boot even under the rear shelf.
The powertrain in my car was, as suggested above, electric. With 156hp of power, the 0-100km/h capability is a tad over nine seconds and therefore reasonable rather than irrationally fast. The refresh last year added a larger battery, and while driving the car I averaged some 13kWh/100km, which gave me a fairly accurate range in excess of 400km on a full charge. As with all electrics, a quiet and smooth drive.
I also had time in an updated petrol version of the 2008, with a manual gearbox. All I’ve said about the car applies except that my wide foot on the clutch tends to catch the footrest in any manual cars on this Stellantis platform. It’s annoying, but not a problem if you own the cars and get used to them. Still, I’m very fond of my automatics. Also I should mention there’s now a hybrid version of the car, which I suspect I’m going to like.
A strong looker, feeling well built, and rather more space than a small-car hatch. Maybe you don’t really need that large SUV?
