The French marques have traditionally been quick to exploit new niches, or in some instances, to invent them, but when it comes to SUVs, they’ve been slow off the mark. Having spent a considerable amount of time in France these past few years, I’ve noticed they are still (wisely so, in my opinion) in love with station wagons. That said, I’ve also noticed that particularly the Koreans are making inroads into the French market with their compact crossovers, the Hyundai ix35 and Kia Sportage. So, better late than never, Peugeot has decided to join the party with its new 4008.
Mitsubishi partnership
The 4008 is the result of a PSA (Peugeot-Citroen) partnership with Mitsubishi. It is, on the face of it, a clever strategy. After all, Mitsubishi is an expert in the SUV market, while Peugeot has little experience in this field – it previously also developed its European-market only 4007 with Mitsubishi (it was a badge-engineered Outlander). But as our recent test of the Japanese marque’s ASX showed, it is not exactly a clear class leader. Could the French versions be more enticing?
Good looks
Peugeot is keen to point out that it was involved from the beginning of the ASX’s development and that the 4008 isn’t simply a badge-engineered job. Many of the body panels are different and the result is a striking machine. In my opinion the Peugeot is better looking than the ASX and Citroen’s C4 Aircross. It manages to look more upmarket and also, perhaps strangely so, bigger than the Mitsubishi. That said, it is certainly no hulking big SUV, and stands “only” 200 mm off the soil.
My test unit during the launch in Portugal was of mid-level specification and therefore similar to what South Africans will be able to buy. The interior is obviously very similar to the ASX in architecture, but just like the exterior, the cabin appears slightly more upmarket, though this is a very subjective opinion and I’d like to put the two next to one another to say for sure. It is certainly a comfortable cabin, though it is not as spacious as the segment leaders, especially in terms of boot size.
Ride comfort
The one area in which I’m quite confident the 4008 betters the ASX is in ride comfort. We criticised the ASX’s choppy ride, but the 4008 I had on test in Portugal coped with that country’s at times patchy road surfaces very well. It was fitted with relatively high-profile tyres, however. That said, Peugeot also pointed out that it had worked hard to ensure the 4008 would display the ride comfort that buyers would expect of a Peugeot. Whatever they’ve done, it was impressive on the frankly poor roads we experienced in Portugal.
We were also given the opportunity to briefly drive the 4008 off-road. All 4008s coming to South Africa will feature the AWD (all-wheel drive) system that offers 2WD (power to the front wheels), 4WD (most power to the front, depending on conditions, with the balance to the rear) and Lock (up to 80 per cent to the rear) modes. The off-road course was probably more challenging than most 4008 owners will ever attempt, and it is here where the Mitsubishi-genes were obvious. Even though its not very high off the ground, the approach/departure angles are obviously sufficient, and the vehicle’s compact dimensions mean it is also very maneuverable.
CVT only
All 4008s coming to South Africa will be powered by the same 2,0-litre, four-cylinder engine that also does duty in the ASX and upcoming Citroen C4 Aircross. There will also be only one transmission – a CVT. Now, the mere mention of a CVT will have most motoring journalists running for the hills and, in most instances I would be hot on their heels. However, if you are in the market for a practical family vehicle with an auto-box, you are unlikely to be someone who gets up early in the morning to go for a quick blast in something fun to drive. So, theoretically, a CVT is fine for a vehicle such as this. But I nevertheless still have some concerns. The maximum torque figure is not terribly impressive (197 N.m), and it’s developed fairly high up the rev range (4 200 r/min), so the drivetrain becomes a rather noisy partnership whenever you send the throttle pedal downwards. And the noise is not necessarily accompanied by a helluva lot of acceleration. It’s a pity that a turbodiesel model with a normal automatic transmission won’t be coming to South Africa…
Summary
Overall, the 4008 is unlikely to shake up a segment which continues to be dominated by the Koreans and the Nissan Qashqai, mostly because of its one-model-only line-up. I do like the look and general comfort levels of the Peugeot, though, and my overall opinion would’ve been quite different had it been available with a better engine/transmission combination. That said, it all comes down to price and final specification (SA is said to get “mid-level trim), and those are not confirmed yet. When it arrives in September/October it will, however, be backed by Peugeot’s impressive new five-year/100 000 km maintenance plan.
Specifications:
Model: Peugeot 4008 2,0 CVT
Engine: 2,0-litre, transverse, four-cylinder petrol
Power: 110 kW at 6 000 r/min
Torque: 197 N.m at 4 200 r/min
0 to 100 km/h: 12,1 sec
Top speed: 188 km/h
Fuel consumption: 8,1 L/100 km
CO2: 192 g/km
Price: R320 000 to R340 000 est.
