Urban crossover.
That’s what Peugeot calls its 2008; a five door estate that sits high off the road like a 4x4 but without the uneconomical permanent all wheel drive. However, it’s fitted with a grip control that features modes for mud, sand, snow and normal everyday driving making it more agile than a standard car (watch the video at testdrives.biz). This function provides much needed traction to the front wheels when required. It can also be cancelled at speeds of up to 30mph, giving the driver ultimate control.
I’m testing a 1.6 e-HDi Allure model, which is basically the mid-range offering. Standard features include 16” alloy wheels, power folding chrome door mirrors, rear parking aid, dark tinted rear windows, stainless steel front and rear scuff plates, cruise control, speed limiter, all round electric windows and air conditioning.
Parkers, the used car experts says: “Skid plates front and rear supplement more aggressively-styled alloy wheels, either in 16 or 17-inch sizes, sitting beneath squared-off wheelarches. A kink in the roof above the rear door evokes memories of an early Land Rover Discovery, though it embellishes the space with chrome rather than glass. It’s a material used throughout the car’s exterior. That familiar, and slightly fussy, Peugeot family face is adorned with a bold grille outlined in the shiny metal, as are the roof rails, door bottoms and wing mirrors. It makes for a rather glitzy ambience to what could otherwise be considered a slightly derivative design statement.”
Over the course of our time together we head into the New Forest, Hampshire, and on into Dorset and Wiltshire, which provides ideal terrain for testing its abilities. The concept is simple; Peugeot has created a more robust estate car that embraces the challenges that the modern family will throw at it. A family like the Saunders clan, which decides to take a few days out and have a well earned rest at Sandy Balls, the self-catering holiday park in the New Forest. That means loading everything but the kitchen sink and although the boot is not large enough to accommodate our tandem pram it does tackle the smaller single pushchair, a reasonably sized suitcase and of course eldest daughter Harriett’s Trunki. Fortunately, a Farad roofbox from roofcarriers.co.uk provides extra storage space, making for a more comfortable journey. Otherwise everything else would have to go inside. With comfortable leather trimmed seats and smatterings of metal trim throughout, the 2008 Allure feels well put together, if a little minimal in its interior design. Fitted with a five speed manual gearbox, to reverse the driver pulls the gearstick towards them. It’s funny how this differs from car to car. For instance, in my Ford Fiesta the driver pushes the gearstick away from them and down to engage this mode and the same too in some Citroens.
Its raised height gives an added sense of security even if the diesel unit is at times sluggish, especially when pulling away.
In the depths of the countryside grip control comes into its own where during heavy downpours thick mud becomes an increasing problem. A turn of the dial in the centre console and the driver can rest assured that traction is optimised in conditions of poor grip, giving increased control. When an oncoming tractor forces a sudden stop and a hasty detour into an unwelcoming unmade lay-by, the Peugeot makes no complaints.
Facts at a glance:
New price range: £17,245
0-60mph: 12.8secs
Top speed: 113mph
Economy: 78.5mpg (extra urban)
VED: £0 for the first year. £20 a year standard rate
For more information about roof boxes visit: www.roofcarriers.co.uk
Watch the video at www.testdrives.biz
