Green car expert John Simpson drives the Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4
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Quick facts:
Cost: �26,995
Range: 2.5-3 miles in ZEV mode – 977 miles on a full tank
Power: Diesel engine: 163bhp – Electric motor: 37bhp
0-62mph: 9.1s / 8.5s (Auto / Sport mode)
USP: Four cars for the price on one
The hybrid car has become established as a happily accepted form of transport for some time. However, all hybrids have been petrol-driven in the past. That was until Peugeot’s 3008 HYbrid4, the world’s first diesel-electric car, arrived. Why didn’t anyone think of it sooner?
The hatchback/SUV crossover is a far-cry from what many would consider a ‘typical green car’, but what’s under the bonnet tells a very different story.
There’s less than 100g/km of CO2, engine Stop/Start, and amongst the 3008’s quartet of driving modes, a fully electric setting. Those four driving modes essentially give the owner four cars in one – a performance car (Sport mode), a 4x4 (4WD), a regular hatchback (Auto) and an electric car (Zero Emission Vehicle mode) – an innovation that, on the whole, works.
That ZEV mode allows motorists to drive at speeds up to 40mph, deftly recreating the golden silence of Nissan’s LEAF but unlike the world’s first mass-marketed Electric Vehicle (EV), the 3008 HYbrid4 need never be plugged into the mains. It demands a light calm, right foot to stay within the 37bhp electric motor’s confines but for city driving, filling the tank will become an infrequent experience.
The ZEV mode may be one of the 3008 HYbrid4’s main selling points but it would be foolish to consider it a practical EV with the fully electric mode strictly limited to the city and lower power situations like pulling away or cruising at low speeds.
Sport mode partners the 163bhp HDi diesel engine and 37bhp electric engine to produce an optimal 200bhp and a 0-62mph time of 8.5 seconds, maxing out at 118mph. Reaching motorway speeds is swift and effortless and even in the more withdrawn default Auto and ZEV settings, the 3008’s prompt response is impressive, taking 9.1 seconds to hit 62mph from a standing start.
With light responsive handling, the ride itself is pleasant enough but building up speed can be noisy and fairly unsettling with the boisterous automatic gearbox. Persevering with the accelerator eventually results in a shift-up of gears but it isn’t long before the alarming over-revs start all over again. The paddles behind the steering wheel form a practical manual remedy but this workaround defeats the point of an auto gearbox.
Peugeot quote some pretty impressive fuel consumption figures but our 3008 - with around 2,000 miles on the clock - fell well short of the 74mpg claimed.
The 3008 HYbrid4 emits 99g/km or 104g/km of CO2 (depending on trim) the latter of which narrowly misses out on free ‘A’ VED road tax band which also cuts out London’s Congestion Charge. Buyers won’t benefit from the Government’s �5k Plug-In Grant so although a plug-in version is expected eventually, the 3008 HYbrid4 remains at a significant disadvantage.
With prices starting from �26,995, the Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 may be more expensive than the priciest Toyota Prius but you get a lot more car for your cash.
