2022 Peugeot 3008 long-term test: report 4

The car Peugeot 3008 1.2 Puretech 130 Allure EAT8 Run by Mark Pearson, used cars editor

Why it’s here To find out if this practical and stylish SUV can still cut it in a highly competitive class

Needs to Prove it’s more than just a pretty face. It’ll need to dispatch commuting work and family life with flair, and cope with a wide variety of everyday duties 

Mileage 6221 Price £30,360 Target price £28,379 Price as tested £31,085 Official economy 48mpg Test economy 32.8mpg 

31 March 2022 – Searching for the right key

My Peugeot 3008 and I are getting on famously, but since there is nothing made that can’t be improved upon, I feel duty-bound to point out one or two quibbles. 

It is perhaps unfortunate that I took delivery of it in the winter, when temperatures in the UK can vary so considerably that even in the course of quite a short journey, you might find yourself adjusting the car’s heating controls half a dozen times or more.

You see, the problem is that the 3008’s temperature settings are controlled using the touchscreen infotainment system, with no physical knobs or dials. That's a bit of a chore, even at a standstill, and if you try to do it when the car is in motion (which of course you will do), it’s a right pain.

You access the temperature settings by prodding the touchscreen or with one of the shortcut piano keys on the centre console. I find these shortcut keys confusing, but that might be my age. There are seven of them lined up in a row, controlling the audio system, sat-nav, hazard lights and whatnot.

They have symbols on them to alert you to which one does what and, of course, anyone with a normal memory can remember after one or two uses which one does what – but alas not me. Every time I go to use one, I've forgotten what it does. That means either pressing it and hoping for the best or finding your reading glasses and trying to read the tiny symbol on the key, which isn't the safest option.

Meanwhile, I love the refinement of the 3008's teeny 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine. I'm always impressed by its ability to haul this well-equipped family SUV around at a reasonable pace even when it’s fully loaded with people and luggage. 

The only fly in this ointment is that I've perhaps been using it a little too hard in my attempts to keep up with other traffic, because I’m not very impressed with the fuel economy figures I’ve been recording. According to the digital readout on the dash, I often struggled in my first few weeks of ownership to reach 30mpg in everyday use (the official figure for my car is 48mpg). My first 500 miles worked out at 32.8mpg after a bit of motorway and steady cruising work brought the figure up a bit. 

A familiar 50-mile journey from Surrey to Kent usually brings out the best economy figures I achieve in any car I have on test. It combines a few miles of motorway cruising with a bit of steady A and B-road action, and just a little light traffic at the beginning and the end. True to form, I was rewarded with a read-out on the digital dash of 49.5mpg at the end of the journey – not bad considering my average speed was a healthy 46mph. 

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