Louth Motors: New Peugeot e-2008 offers more range with a bigger battery

Peugeot have refreshed their second generation 2008 range and I got to drive the all electric version in GT trim.

We first saw this second generation model back in 2020 with the first generation, which we actually own, stemming from 2013. It’s a huge seller for Peugeot and a car that they need to get right to continue to attract existing and new buyers.

This after all was the 12th best selling car in Europe last year outselling the Captur but a bit behind the newer Yaris Cross which is taking the sector by storm.

The refresh isn't radical at all, more a tweak of what already is a very stylish looking car. The trend of ever bigger grilles features on the new 2008 with the headlights now incorporated into the grille rather than to the left and right of it.

The daytime running lights which were a single slash, or fang as it was known as, are now three claw slashes taking the design cue from the old headlights which are now more squarish. All still paying homage to the Lion connotations associated with the Peugeot brand.

The e-2008 sports the new Peugeot logo and the grille mixes the default black with the colour scheme of the car which was big news when I first saw it done on a Mercedes.

The sides still have those sharp triangular creases which seem to have had a huge influence on the design of the Yaris Cross.

They look cool but I can just imagine the costs to repair if the need arises. At the back I’m afraid without a sharp eye for detail you’d struggle to find the changes.

The car is a baby SUV so it's a bit higher up off the ground with the associated drop in handling and roadholding but the e-2008 doesn't seem to suffer too much from any of that.

It is an easy car to drive and quite comfortable. The re-gen isn't severe and not really one-pedal driving like I've experienced in other cars.

Other than the beginnings of wind noise at motorway speeds, the car is super quite and, anyway, if you drive an electric car for any period of time you really don't want to do that as the penalty is your time spent recharging.

I alway find myself at between 100 and 110 km/h and it has a huge effect on the kilometres you’ll get out of the 54kWh battery (up from 50kWh in the last model)  that’s good for a claimed 406 kms.

My return of 15.2kWh/100kms, which is only 0.1 off what Peugeot claims, would suggest a range for me of 355 kms.

Where and how you drive affects the range and I'd say urban drivers get the best range where low speeds yield a lot more range with a Peugeot claim of 568 kms.

If you do need to recharge using a rapid 100kW DC charger you can get 100km of range into the battery in only 12 minutes. 0-100km/h takes 9.1s with a maximum speed of 150km/h - not that you’ll be doing that.

Stick to Eco mode to get the most out of the battery and spare the other two modes Sport and Comfort.

A feature of electric car ownership that is often forgotten is the service interval which in this e-2008 is every two years or 25,000kms.

Inside, the I-Cockpit is still divisive with the charge of finding the correct driving position being the most serious.

ABOVE: Interior of the Peugeot e-2008

I can only attest to my seating position and I easily found a setting that I liked and had no problem viewing the driver's binnacle above the steering wheel which is in glorious 3D.

I did, however, have a problem that the heating controls did not feature on the piano keys that are provided below the central infotainment screen that is, nicely, angled towards the driver.

I just want the most frequently used controls in the form of buttons and knobs. Is that really too much to ask and I fail to see how our overzealous european lawmakers, who want straight bananas, are not all over this and insisting on them.

As for trying to find the audio controls in whatever menu car companies decide to hide them in is bad for me my cardiologist said.

The interior is very good though and has that degree of comfort you get from French manufacturers. The quality of the materials fitted, I feel, are the best that the Stellantis group offer despite DS being the luxury brand in the stable.

The boot is 434 litres up to the parcel shelf rising to 545 litres if you remove it. Lower the back seats and you can load up to 1,467 litres of your stuff.

There are three trim levels Active, Allure and GT with the Active costing €35,895 topping out at €40,675 for the GT trim.

The problem I see for the e-2008 is it is pricey and strays into to the Lexus LBX territory which starts at €39,440 and the Audi Q2 which starts at €36,230 and if it wasn't for the government grant it would be more expensive - albeit they are not electric.

But when you start to look for a car regardless of its propulsion, you do look to see what else you can get for your money and those other badges may be too tempting for some.

Peugeot rightly sees their e-2008 as a comparable quality offering and therefore they are not shy in asking for similar money.
Another strong competitor for the e-2008 is the electric Jeep Avenger - European Car of the Year 2023 - and also from Stellantis.

It always boils down to looks preference tempered by the money being asked so, as ever, do your sums.

For me, I think when it comes to a car that claims to be an SUV I’d be leaning, just, towards the Avenger.