Peugeot 2008 2015 Review

Close to two years after sampling the Peugeot 2008 around a tight and twisty racetrack in New South Wales, I find myself behind the wheel of a diesel variant in very different circumstances.

Far from punting the little wagon-cum-SUV around the Sutton Road complex near Queanbeyan and complaining about understeer, I found the diesel 2008 in suburbia offered a nice mix of ride and handling. Where the 2008 struggles during the daily commute rests with its power delivery.

In plain language, the engine doesn't begin to feel lively until it's up around 2000rpm or higher. That's fine for a small-capacity diesel, but the 2008's shift indicator tells the driver to select a higher gear at 2000rpm. Engine revs fall back to about 1400rpm, accompanied by much vibration from the labouring engine. It is, in fact, unpleasantly noisy and harsh at revs so low.

Keeping the engine running above that threshold where NVH is a serious issue requires some determined driver input: don't change up before 3000rpm, for instance, and stand on the accelerator for the engine to reach those revs in about the same time as it takes to reach 2000rpm driven 'normally'.

The 1.6-litre diesel may be rough at lower revs, but it certainly is frugal and responsive. For the week it posted an average fuel consumption figure of 5.8L/100km, which is pretty good, given the 'pedal to the metal' style of driving employed. The engine is a fast-starting unit and there's very little turbo lag. Given some stick, it's more than powerful enough to spin a drive wheel and induce mild torque steer in the wet.

In other words, it's a pretty decent little engine, if only Peugeot would do something about its NVH.

Part of the problem with the 2008's drivetrain on the whole is its gearing (or lack thereof). The manual transmission is a five-speed unit, and it could really do with a sixth gear. At highway speeds the engine is ticking over at 2000rpm – which avoids the vibration at lower engine speeds – but at lower speeds second, third and fourth are simply too high for negotiating street corners or maintaining speeds in accordance with standard Australian speed limits.

You won't just roll through a give-way sign in second gear without engine speed dropping down to 1000rpm and the powerplant rumbling its heart out. At 60km/h the 2008 will be running as low as 1400rpm in fourth gear, so you will probably prefer to stay in third. Fifth gear is too low at 80km/h, and so it goes on. This is one diesel that objects to short shifting.

Still on NVH, the 2008 at freeway speeds is moderately noisy, thanks mostly to wind over the bodywork, and some drivetrain noise. There's not a lot of road noise present on either well maintained roads or country roads, however.

On the subject of the idle-stop system, this the first time I can recall driving a car that will literally stall the engine at a speed above walking pace. On one hill the car rolled forward and reached 26km/h before the engine restarted. Despite that, the power assistance for steering and braking remains available. The Peugeot will stay stalled for relatively long periods of time without restarting, unless the air conditioning is demisting the windows, for instance. You may not like idle-stop systems, but it must be admitted, this one is pretty clever.

The 2008's handling and steering is quite impressive for a short SUV with a relatively high centre of gravity. On known roads, and without direct comparison to its petrol siblings, the 2008 pointed pretty well. Steering was precise and more tactile than expected. The ride comfort was fine, but the 2008 errs more on the side of handling and roadholding – notwithstanding the power-induced torque steer and wheelspin already mentioned.

Night driving is not helped by the 2008's headlights, which were pretty dismal on low beam.

The driving position, front-seat comfort and general ergonomics are commendable. After brief familiarisation the instruments are legible and controls easy to use. With the steering wheel set low and the instruments mounted high the 2008 provides a commanding, unobstructed view and easy wheel twirling (the steering is very well assisted, delivering light effort but communicative feel).

Something mentioned in the original launch review for this car is the matter of setting up the driver's seat the right distance from pedals and clutch. It's not the lack of adjustment that's the problem, as such. To get the best out of the gearshift the driver's seat has to be set back to account for the high clutch take-up. This has some impact on rear-seat legroom behind the driver.

Another problem with shifting gear manually is the shift action itself. It seems to be common to French cars that the shift quality is far from crisp. Combine long throws with a shift quality that feels isolated from the transmission and the Peugeot's manual shift is far from satisfying to use. On the other hand, it's basically foolproof for less experienced drivers and it hardly needs to be as slick and notchy as an MX-5.

In the introduction to the long-term 2008, Nadine Armstrong remarked that the unconventional handbrake was not to her liking. It seems to work better with the driver's seat set back further. For hill starts you would grab the lever with the ratchet button held down – fiddle-brake style – and let the lever drop back as you let the clutch pedal out. It's fine for that, but not as easy to use as an actual parking brake, when you have to pull the lever up with the ratchet locking and holding it in place. It calls for a slightly different hand hold. Most owners will work it out though.

One shortcoming while parking is the reversing-camera display in the rear-vision mirror. Other companies have tried this, and it doesn't work to my satisfaction. Having the camera display through the infotainment screen in the centre fascia would be preferable [Ed: The Peugeot importer has since been in touch and advises that the 2008 is now fitted with a new reversing camera that displays in the dash]. As it is, the driver's eyes can't take in the display while sweeping from left to right, scanning the external mirrors and back again. And if you're not the sort of driver to back using the external mirrors, you're almost certainly not likely to back using the reversing camera display in the rear-vision mirror.

While rear-seat legroom behind the driver can be restricted, it's still adequate for adults of average height, although the knee room would certainly be better behind the front passenger. Headroom back there is fine for passengers of almost any height, within reason, and access is made easier by the 2008's hip point. If there's one reason to criticise the rear-seat accommodation, it's the lack of face-level vents for passengers.

Despite the relative roominess in the back seat, the 2008 also features a commodious boot. It will readily accept a week's worth of groceries for a family of four, and still leave room available. The only minor issue there is that some may find the tailgate slightly heavy to lift initially.

A week in the 2008 left me more convinced than ever that the 2008 is a practical small car that's fun to drive, but I couldn't bring myself to opt for the diesel – no matter how economical it is.

Related reading:
Peugeot 2008 Long-Term Test (Intro)
Peugeot 2008 Long-Term Test (Video)