First drive: Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4

Tuesday, 24 January 2012 6:39 PM

The new Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 is the first diesel - electric hybrid car in the world, and while it'll suit a family just fine, its sub 100g/km CO2 rating and tax benefits will make it very attractive to company car drivers

Up until this here Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4, the hybrids we’ve been running about in combined petrol engines with electric motors for their best eco-performance. But, as we know, a small, eco-focused diesel engine – especially with the recent advances in silkier turbocharging – will always give better miles-per-gallon than the same-sized petrol engine. Surely someone needs to hook a greener diesel engine up to an electric motor, and really stretch out those green horizons..?

Well, Peugeot’s done their homework and packaged their familiar 163bhp, 2-litre, 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine up front with a torquey, 37bhp electric motor and battery pack out back, all under the family-friendly 5-door skin of their familiar 3008 MPV.

The World’s first diesel-electric hybrid car indeed, and a combination that brings between 99g/km of CO2 (coming soon) and 104g/km (seen here, on 17-inch wheels as opposed to the 16-inch wheels on the 99g car, and on sale now), as well as a quoted combined economy figure of 70.5mpg for this 17-inch-shod test car. Some impressive figures for a full-size 5-seater.

And familiarity is the key here, as Peugeot want the average person or family to jump right into their blockbusting new MPV, and for everything to look, feel and drive in a familiar fashion. No electric-only range anxiety, many hundreds of miles between fill ups, and a comfy interior that doesn’t loose much cargo space to bulky batteries.

And with the 3008 Hybrid4 on sale now, we’ve got the keys to a Hybrid4 104g model, priced at £28,495 OTR, with a few hours of motorways, fast back lanes and muddy off-road terrain – to test the four-wheel drive set up – stretched out ahead of us. And we’ll be keeping a close eye on the mpg-meter…

Peugeot fans will recognise the chunky, quirky exterior of the award-winning 3008 MPV – and we’ve already test drive sampled the 3008 112 HDi Exclusive to the tune of around 41mpg – and the Hybrid4 variant gets a few exterior and interior tweaks to differentiate it from the non-hybrid motor; mainly a new front grille, LED driving lights and some subtle badging.

Inside it’s the same 3008 story, with this test car benefitting from five leather seats, a huge glass roof that floods the well-built interior with light, just a little less storage – thanks to the batteries – but with extra eco-instructions and instruments dotted around the dashboard and centre console.

The main gateway to this 3008’s hidden tricks and treats is a dial mounted just in front of the central armrest – and explained by the following Peugeot video – that flicks the 3008 Hybrid4 between “ZEV” – zero emissions vehicle – for around 3 to 4 miles at around 30mph electric-only motoring; batteries to strength and a gentle right foot required. Next to “Auto” which lets the car work out it’s best eco-running mode, and onto “4WD” for diesel power up front and electric power out back, pulling together. And finally, “Sport”, with the taps wide open on both powerplants, for faster fun and a potential 8.5secs to 62mph sprint and a 118mph top speed. Most of the time Auto will do the trick.

There’s not much manual operation to be done inside the 3008 Hybrid4, with a dial-rotate to Auto, the handbrake a switch-flick off, and the 6-speed automatic ‘box – with manual paddles – a mere nudge into “A” for automatic. Just whiff of gas – or should that be electric? – and we’re rolling.

Light on the accelerator and 3008 wafts off under electric steam; smoothly and quietly, prod harder and the diesel motor springs into life and adds brute strength to the power-party.

The transition between electric and diesel, and back again, is impressively smooth, and as I make light demands on the car around town it makes quiet work of our slower street to street drive. Floor the gas and it’s easier to catch the car out, but work with it using an eco-driving style and you’ll not notice much difference between the hybrid and a normal 3008.

However, set this 3008 into Sport and get busy with the power, provoking engine and motor to combine for 200bhp, and the 3008 Hybrid4 feels quick. The automatic gearbox doesn’t feel bang-up-to-date and can make a fuss of gear changes – the manual paddles take the strain off the ‘box and work pretty well – but at a full sprint this 3008 could surprise at traffic-light-race-time. But aren’t we supposed to be going green here?

The 4WD mode worked well on the slightly muddy, grassy slopes we tried after our quiet and smooth motorway drive and quickest-ever-MPV back lane thrills, but with road tyres and road suspension, the 3008 of course, can only offer four-wheel drive traction, not dune-bashing madness. Good for a snowy Sycamore Drive, though.

The in-dash mpg-meter showed me between 39 and 44mpg during our few hours of driving – a little better than the 112bhp diesel-only 3008 previously test-driven – but with its sub 100g/km of CO2 potential, it’s the company car drivers that will be most interested in the 3008 Hybrid4 - especially those with families, and for all the taxation benefits this car brings – including zero road tax. In fact, Peugeot predict that 85% of Hybrid4 drivers will do so under a company car scheme.

www.peugeot.co.uk