We review the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 from price to economy and all its features
IT was quite a surreal moment when the world’s first diesel/electric hybrid car met a rare pride of hybrid white lions.
Never has Peugeot’s lion badge been more fitting as when the white jungle cats met motoring’s newest hybrid pioneer.
White lion ... Peugeot's hybrid
And it brought a new meaning to going into the lions’ den when I drove Peugeot’s 3008 HYbrid4 alongside a pride of 14 white lions.
To be honest, the lions were far more interested in devouring their dinner than they were in meeting their four-wheel hybrid cousin.
Lions need refuelling on a regular basis and they make filling up your car seem cheap in comparison — especially when it’s a hybrid that claims to deliver 74mpg.
It costs £250 to feed the big cats at West Midland Safari Park in Bewdley, Worcs, with 50lb of raw meat every day.
As our pictures show, the hybrid lions were intrigued at the strange new arrival — but only after they’d guzzled their lunch.
These awesome beasts can hit high speeds — well in excess of 30mph — and jump several feet.
They also accelerate remarkably quickly.
Which is why I was happy to follow to the letter the instruction not to get out of my Peugeot — though I was brave enough to lower my window for a chat with the lions, prowling up and down just feet from the car door.
I had wanted to drive the Peugeot right into the interior enclosure but the staff at Bewdley told me there was every likelihood the real lions would rip the Peugeot one to shreds.
At the moment Peugeot’s 3008 HYbrid4 is almost as rare as Bewdley’s hybrid lions — there are fewer than 150 white lions in the world — because the model doesn’t go on sale until next month. But Peugeot are confident that the hybrid version will become a much more common sight on our roads and add to the record 135,000 sales of 3008 models last year.
In fact they believe the diesel hybrid is writing a landmark chapter in motoring history as a family car that really does tick all the boxes.
As we know to our cost, the price of fuel is now probably the single biggest issue in car ownership.
Which makes it encouraging that the Peugeot 3008’s hybrid technology comes up trumps at the pumps.
The 2litre diesel engine is impressive enough for economy but add the 37bhp electric motor and Peugeot claim up to 74mpg for their five-seat family people carrier.
You will need a feather-light right foot to get close to that. I got 44mpg.
But between 60 and 65mpg is within range in daily driving and that is still a mighty impressive figure for a family people-carrier. And you can switch to pure electric mode in towns and cities, where the 3008 has a range of three to four miles, good enough for a trip to the shops or out for a meal.
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The hybrid also adds the bonus of reducing the CO2 emission to 104g/km or down to just 99g/km if you use the energy-saving smaller wheels — and that means zero emissions, no road tax and the lowest bracket of company car tax.
Even the electronically controlled six-speed auto gearbox, which can switch to manual mode using F1-style paddles, is geared to boosting fuel economy.
The auto changes are not the smoothest and tend to lurch through, which for me is the one real weakness of the 3008 hybrid.
The car also gets Peugeot’s latest stop and start engine management system, which automatically cuts the engine in heavy traffic and at traffic lights or road junctions, saving even more fuel.
Hybrids are not known for their driving pleasure. They’re about as exciting as a party political broadcast but the Peugeot changes that.
Its refined 2litre turbo diesel linked to the extra 37hp boost of the electric motor gives it a reasonable turn of speed but you do need to be in manual mode to get 0-62mph in 9.1seconds.
And for a bulky sized vehicle, it’s pretty nimble with good feedback from the steering that makes fast driving and cornering a lot more enjoyable than you’d expect.
Oh yes and the 3008 has another trick — it’s got the choice of four driving modes: Auto, sport, full electric and four-wheel drive.
Auto is for relaxed driving, electric is purely for town, while sport quickens the gear changes at higher speeds as well as coupling the diesel engine with the electric motor for maximum power.
All-wheel drive mode switches from two-wheel drive to four, should you fancy a spot of off-roading or if road conditions turn bad.
Last but not least the 3008 hybrid is perfect for coping with all the clutter of the growing family. It’s a full five-seater, there’s a useful 420litres of boot space with an extra 66 litres under the boot floor for valuables or wet clothing. Drop the rear seats and you have the load capacity of an estate — 1,501litres.
Both the driver and the passengers also get to enjoy one of the best cabins in the business, highlighted by a very sporty dashboard that sees the centre console wrap around the driver like a coupe cockpit.
You get all the luxuries and gadgets of an executive car — seven-inch satnav, cruise control, individual air con, leather seats... and even the plastics are finished to German levels of quality.
At £26,995 rising to £28,495, the 3008 HYbrid4 is just over £4,000 more than the standard 2litre, but you are getting pioneering engineering that pays instant dividends at the pumps and in no excise duty and reduced company car tax.
It may not quite be the new king of the jungle... but it’s got plenty to roar about.