Roy Lewis road tests the Peugeot 3008 Sport 1.6 THP 156 (From Hereford Times)

Roy Lewis road tests the Peugeot 3008 Sport 1.6 THP 156

8:00am Friday 18th June 2010 in

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AT-A-GLANCE Peugeot 3008 Sport 1.6 THP 156.

Price: £19,495.

Top speed: 125mph.

0-62mph: 8.9 seconds.

Fuel: 39.7mpg (combined figure).

C02 emissions (g/km): 167.

Verdict: First-rate family all-rounder, spacious, practical, refined, good build quality. One of Peugeot’s best.

NISSAN caught car makers on the hop with the success of the Qashqai but it didn’t take long for some manufacturers to catch up.

Peugeot soon launched the 3008, a blend of beefy SUV styling with the practicalities of an MPV.

Without doubt, the 3008 is an accomplished package for the family and its space, suppleness and sheer flexibility makes it one of the best cars to come from the company.

Certain components and styling relate to Peugeot’s 308 but the extra 0 represents a great deal more in terms of creature comforts and load capacity.

Prices are not cheap but compare well with the main opposition and go from £16,595 to £22,495 with three different specifications – Active, Sport and Exclusive.

As one might expect from the French firm there is a good range of different petrol and diesel motors available with the noted diesels being the favourites.

But the latest petrol units have also improved by leaps and bounds and the 16-valve 1.6-litre petrol, housed in the Sport, is a real cracker, producing a whopping 155bhp at 5,800rpm and returning a combined fuel figure of almost 40mpg and more than 50mpg on the open road.

Mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, this 125mph unit seems well suited to the car. It is quick off the mark with an official 0-62mph time of 8.9 seconds. There is plenty of power for quick and safe overtaking and it proves a quiet and economical cruiser, especially with the fairly high sixth gear in use.

The ride on the test car was good on smooth surfaces and Peugeot’s dynamic roll control, fitted as standard to the Sport and Exclusive models, virtually eliminated body roll. However, the rear shock absorbers were clearly spent and couldn’t cope adequately with potholes and poor surfaces.

Otherwise the 3008 was a smooth operator and proved a family favourite on test.

The steering is sharp and accurate to add to the good-to-drive character but even more impressive for some will be the high quality and fit and finish of the interior.

The inside is spacious for the family, despite a large central console dominating the cabin. Actually, the console does an excellent job of conveniently grouping many of the controls in one place.

Head and leg room is excellent for all five occupants while the boot is big enough to swallow the family luggage. And at the pull of a lever the rear seats fold flat for plenty of extra carrying space and a clever touch is the boot floor which has three different positions. The front passenger seat folds flat, too, which is ideal for carrying long items. The tailgate splits to make easy work of loading.

As ever, safety and security are tops with Peugeot. The 3008 scored a five-star Euro NCAP rating, and other safety features include an electronic stability programme, a grip control system for going off the tarmac, and automatic electric brake with hill assist.

Choose the Sport and the long list of equipment includes air conditioning (standard across the range), cruise control with speed limiter, RD4 radio/CD player with MP3 playback, rear parking aid, and 17in alloy wheels with energy-saver tyres.