A few weeks back I drove an amber coloured Peugeot 5008, which was a seven seater and a massive car. Last week I was in the much smaller Peugeot 2008, but it was an electric version and officially called an e-2008.
The test car also came in an amber colour and I couldn’t but feel that I was in a smaller version of the 5008. Officially the colour is Orange Fusion.
The 2008 was first launched in 2013 and after a few upgrades we now have a fully electric version.
I’m told the battery in the Peugeot e-2008 is the same as in their electric 208 and the Corsa-e. But that’s the way it is with cars nowadays as many brands share the same parts.
The e-2008 is a neat SUV and very easy to handle. My test car was the Allure version with 136 brake horse power from the 50kWh battery.
The French brand with the famous Lion logo has witnessed a revival in the market thanks to the launch of a trilogy of popular SUVs and a move upmarket with new designs and rock-solid quality.
Last year Peugeot introduced a new version of the 2008 compact SUV with a radical new design, new interior and a range of petrol and diesel engines. Then along came the electric e-2008.
Life doesn’t stand still and everything is moving fast in the motor industry. The market now demands electrified powertrains including greater choice in hybrids, plug-in hybrids and pure electric vehicles.
The e-2008 is a very neat looking motor. There is good ground clearance and two black roof rails add to the SUV look. Seventeen-inch diamond alloys and a rear spoiler complete the SUV look.
Inside the layout in the dash is typical Peugeot and those seven piano-type toggle switches under the main display screen always catch the eye. The switches are used to adjust the air con and radio controls and it’s all rounded off with a very neat flat-bottom steering wheel.
‘Range anxiety’ is the big worry for people driving electric cars. The range in the e-2008 is not great, around 300k and while this is good enough for urban driving, it’s does eat up the kilometres if you go too fast on the motorway.
I don’t have a home charger, so I did have to spend a bit of time sitting in the car at a Circle K garage waiting to see the numbers clock up on the dash and thinking about the old days.
However, you do meet some interesting people at the charge points. It reminds me of the very old days in the country when you went to the well for water and got talking to the neighbours. That was in the days before we had electricity in rural Ireland, never mind electric cars!
The boot is a decent size and normally Peugeot supply a spare wheel. But the space for a spare is now taken up by the electrics needed to power the car.
Prices start at €31,997, while the price of my test car was €33,665. Road tax is €120.
I think Peugeot cars have really improved in recent years and when they get a more powerful battery for their e-2008 it should then be able to compete with the likes of Hyundai, Kia and Tesla, who are currently producing cars with better range.
