Just test driven the Peugeot 3008 diesel hybrid - It's impressive!

Just got back from a test drive of the new Peugeot 3008 diesel hybrid and I must say it's very impressive.

Details from the manufacturer here;

Peugeot | Diesel Hybrid Cars | 3008 HYbrid4 , http://www.peugeot.co.uk/Resources/...ot-3008-hybrid4-prices-and-specifications.pdf ,
Peugeot 3008 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


I was invited down to test drive one of the handful of these new diesel hybrids released in the UK in RHD form. The 3008 is a crossover type vehicle and is quite a popular vehicle in the UK in non hybrid form since release back in 2009. The hybrid version is a 4x4 in that there's a diesel engine at the front and the electric motor powers the rear, though usually any combination of the two.

Well to cut a long boring story short, it drives just like the Prius, the diesel engine kicking on and off in a very similar manner BUT you can hardly hear it other than if you floor it. The car comes with 200 bhp in total and a 0-60 of about 8 seconds.

The automatic transmission is an automated manual but this one actually works well and is mostly smooth other than when floored (in a way only a taxi driver can ). Driving round town uses the EV side much more than the Prius and can power the car for 3 miles upto 35 mph. Imagine EV mode, then add about 50% more power to it and you get an idea of the Peugeot electric drive. Regen braking is much more aggressive than the Prius too and more like a Leaf in that letting your foot off allows the car to slow quite quickly and rapidly charging the HV in the process. The Peugeot EV allows you to drive the car in city traffic rather than crawling as in the Prius.

So all in all it's a European diesel car (diesel being cheaper in most EU Countries - apart from the UK) which does what the Prius does but does it better, in a bigger, nicer put together cabin that has been put together well and with a bigger boot/trunk. It's faster, much more powerful and smooth and quiet. You really can't hear the diesel fire on and off unless you try - a/c off and windows down.

The car also falls below (only just) the magic 100g/km emission level at 99g/km meaning tax benefits and free road tax in the UK.

To most people it ticks all the boxes that the Prius does but is more usable in that it is slightly better all round - apart from the price.

I do have one concern and that's the car seemed to cycle the HV battery much more than Prius and I wonder how this will affect things long term. The dealer didn't know the full specs of the HV battery such as its chemistry or power output so it's hard for me to try and compare the 3 mile EV range against the 1.5 range of the Prius etc.

Would I get one? Not at the price they're asking BUT they're keen to do a deal with taxi drivers to get the car seen, so you never know .

I seriously think Prius and Toyota might have a competitor here, especially as Peugeot intend offering a hybrid option in most of their range in the coming 18 months.

 

Hmmm this is where it all goes sour.

Price £26,995 (all in) base model, Prius base £21,055.

Warranty is only 60,000 for everything including hybrid system. Hmmm. (warranty time limit 3 years car, 5 years hybrid).

So if the HV battery system is the same size as the Prius yet is used more often, moves the vehicle much faster and has less warranty? My alarm bells are starting to ring.

 

I'd be curious to see a comparison of specs for the two HV batteries.

I always found it curious that the Prius has a 1.5 kwh battery and has a max 2 mile EV range. The Prius phev has a 5 kwh battery and goes 14 miles and the Leaf has a 24 kwh battery and goes 100 miles.

It just doesn't add up to my non physics educated mind that a 1.5 kwh battery only goes 2 miles but a 5 kwh battery goes 14. Shouldn't it be more like 6 or 7 miles for the 5 kwh? And if the same were true then wouldn't the Leaf only manage about 30 miles? Or is the Prius the odd one out and the 1.5 kwh HV battery could move the car about 5 or 6 miles and Toyota have chosen to be ultra cautious limiting it to 1.5 miles?

If that is correct then Peugeot should be ok with 3 miles, even considering the cycling it experiences. Theoretically it could handle 5 with many many cycles? Or am I on the wrong track?

 

Nox is a disgrace. I was very alarmed at the figures when I saw them. But as we all know, in Europe everybody concentrates on the CO2 and not the Nox.

The Peugeot 3008 Hybrid Nox is 0.154g/km !?!?!
The UK Prius gen3 Nox is 0.006g/km (actually 0.0058g/km on some websites)

Prius data obtained from UK Government website; Select a search : Directgov - Car fuel data, CO2 and vehicle tax tools

Peugeot data obtained from the brochure details handed to me at the test drive; as NOx emissions don't show on the Peugeot website (and I can see why!). Saying that, it's not as bad as the Renault Espace 2.0 diesel auto which produces 0.367g/km! Shocking eh?

 

I didn't quote mpg's as I didn't bother looking. The manufacturers figures are pretty good, but I also hammered the car at some points which would destroy any mpg figures. When driving in town (30 mph limits) the car was on electric virtually all the time, even when pulling out of junctions and away from traffic lights. The engine only kicked in when I floored it or when the battery eventually got low. The regen was very aggressive, even when you just let your foot off the accelerator - much more than the Prius. The Peugeot drove almost as if it were a plug in and the HV topped up quite quickly when braking or coasting. It was this aggressive cycling that also concerns me.

The warranty is unlimited mileage for the first couple years and to be fair the local Peugeot dealers were very helpful for warranty claims when I had my last Peugeot some years ago. But the worry is after the first couple years when the problems might start to show themselves. If they did good lease terms it might be worth a punt.

Servicing costs for a diesel are not expensive over here as diesels make up 50% of cars and dealers are set up for them.

I would say that the diesel engine transition from EV was very quiet as is the diesel engine when running. No clunks, bumps or bangs as I'd imagined.

No we don't get the Highlander or Highlander hybrid. We get the Rav4 and then a small Land Cruiser 150 Prado (sold as a Lexus GX460 in the US) and then the bigger Land Cruiser Amazon. SUV's are becoming less popular so having this many in their lineup is considered a high number.

 

But their reports also say the Prius is c**p and doesn't get the mpg's it's advertised for. As we all know this is wrong.

I did say that the Peugeot heavily uses the electric drive in town use - more than the Prius, so should get good town mileage. It also has an aggressive regen and did charge the HV battery up quite quickly.

Give them a ring and arrange a test drive, they're dead keen. If you get a small bloke from Peugeot head office who looks a lot like Joe Pasquale then say hi from me