Peugeot 3008 Crossover Hybrid4 first drive

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Thursday, 26 January 2012 12:00

With the price of fuel escalating, a UK refinery operator has gone bust causing a potential for a fuel supply shortage, plus higher taxation for company car drivers in April and potential road tax rises in the next budget for us all,

every saving the car industry can give to the hard pressed UK motorist is most welcome.

Drive forward Peugeot who have introduced a ‘world first’ with their diesel hybrid power partnership now arriving in the UK in the form of the 3008 Crossover Hybrid4.

Hybrids are not new, not even in the Crossover/SUV sector, but Peugeot has come up its world first by using a diesel unit in partnership with an electric motor, rather than using a petrol engine and electric motor combination.

Why move away from petrol? Peugeot’s reasoning is that a diesel unit has advantages over petrol with better fuel economy, lower CO2 emissions, less particulate emissions due to their DPFS filter technology and more torque, which means a lower powered electric motor and smaller battery pack can be used saving on space, weight and I suspect price.

With 85 per cent of 3008 Hybrid4 UK sales expected to go to business users the 10 per cent company car Benefit-in-Kind tax rate is very attractive as is the 100 per cent Write Down Allowance for companies, the zero cost VED First Year rate road tax. The headline 74.4mpg official Combined Cycle fuel economy will also be an attractive proposition for retail and business customers. The Hybrid4 is covered by a five year/60,000 mile warranty.

But even so the 3008 Hybrid4 is not cheap with prices starting at £26,995 and rising to £29,950 for the three variants. Going Hybrid4 for the 3008 can add almost £5,000 to the price over a conventional 2.0-litre diesel model with two wheel drive. All 3008 Hybrid4 models use a front mounted 2.0-litre, 163bhp HDI turbodiesel engine driving only the front wheels. This unit is combined with a 37bhp electric motor which drives the rear wheels as and when required. The latest generation Stop & Start system is fitted to all versions as standard as is the 6-speed electronically controlled automated manual gearbox.

To manage all the available performance a control selector mounted on the centre console allows the driver to choose between four different operating modes: Auto mode, ZEV all-electric mode (Zero Emission Vehicle), 4WD mode and Sport mode. Top speed is 118mph and zero to 62mph takes 8.5 seconds.

Deliveries of the first 3008 Hybrid4 have started and the first version to arrive was an exclusive Limited Edition model of which only 300 are being made to celebrate the world’s first full Hybrid diesel car. Just 35 of these vehicles were available in the UK and all are sold, intriguingly 33 of them to retail customers.

This £29,950 top of the range version has a 104g/km CO2 level of emissions due mainly to its use of 17-inch wheels without low rolling resistance tyres and the added weight of the extra specification.

The mid-range model, priced at £28,495, is just referred to as the 104g/km variant which again has 17-inch wheels. This version is arriving now in the UK and will take around 35 per cent of the 2,000 plus annual UK sales for the 3008 Hybrid4 model. Officially this version and the Limited Edition version will return 70.5mpg, VED is zero cost in the First Year rate and then £20 per annum.

Star model of the line-up for me and for 65 per cent of all UK customers wanting the 3008 Hybrid4 is the 99g/km variant priced at £26,995. Deliveries of this model start in the next month. This version still has a relatively high level of specification but it is fitted with 16-inch wheels and low rolling resistance tyres and not only is it cheaper it is far more comfortable by having the smaller wheels. With CO2 emissions below 100g/km, for owners living or commuting into London this version is Congestion Charge exempt. As for fuel economy, the 99g/km this variant will officially return 74.3mpg in the Combined Cycle, road tax is free and BIK company car tax is 10 per cent.

Peugeot said at the UK press launch this week that Hybrid4 versions will account for around 13 per cent of total UK 3008 sales, around 2,500 units. Demand for all versions of the 3008 is so high, currently up by 16 per cent across Europe, they have added a third shift to build more at the French Sochaux plant where the Hybrid4 variants are built on the same production lines as the petrol and diesel versions.

The UK is the second largest sales market in Europe for the 3008 range behind France and if demand outstrips the annual sales predictions for the Hybrid4, Peugeot can supply more now the added production shift is operating.

UK Marketing Director for Peugeot, Morgan Lecoupeur, has said; 2012 is set to be a year of regeneration for the Peugeot brand with several exciting new product launches on the horizon including the 3008 Hybrid4 the world’s first diesel electric hybrid car. This will be followed by the hugely anticipated new 208 supermini sector hatchback with a new generation of low emission petrol and diesel engines.

Peugeot will also add to their range this year the Hybrid4 modular diesel/electric all wheel drive powertrain partnership to their 508 RXH, which uses the SW estate body style but with raised ground clearance to make use of the all wheel drive system. With emissions at a low 107g/km with a low Benefit-in-Kind tax rate of 12 per cent this model is aimed at the business car users. In the future the 508 Saloon Hybrid4 will be launched and the diesel/electric hybrid system can be used in other future model ranges including light commercial vehicles. Peugeot’s partner brand Citroen will also adopt the Hybrid4 diesel/electric package.

First drive views
By launching the world’s first diesel full hybrid vehicle - the 3008 Hybrid4 - Peugeot has written a new chapter in motoring history.

The combination of an already fuel efficient 2.0-litre 163bhp HDi diesel engine and a 37bhp electric motor is they say the optimal combination for a hybrid vehicle. Unlike other hybrid vehicles which use less fuel efficient petrol engines, the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4’s diesel engine provides a Combined Drive Cycle fuel consumption of 74.4mpg, and CO2 emissions from just 99g/km for the most popular version priced at £26,995.

This version has a relatively high specification and uses 16-inch wheels and low rolling resistance tyres. Other running costs are low with road tax at £0 and company car tax at the lowest 10 per cent rate. This version is also free of London Congestion Charges.

Around 65 per cent of UK buyers are expected to choose this version and 85 per cent overall of customers for the 3008 Hybrid4 are expected to be business car users because of the low taxes which includes a 100 per cent Write Down Allowance for a company bought vehicle.

The second model in the three version range has the same drivetrain but comes with added specification and 17-inch wheels which compromise the ride quality as well as putting up the price to £28,495. Emissions go up to 104g/km because of the larger wheels but BIK company car tax remains at 10 per cent. VED road tax is zero cost in the First Year and then £20 per annum. Official fuel economy drops to 70.5mpg.

Third model in the range is a Limited Edition version of the 104g/km model. Just 35 of these are coming to the UK and all are sold even though they cost £29,950.

It is all very well being a world-first, but does the 3008 Hybrid4 really work satisfactorily, efficiently and more importantly does it make financial sense?

Well yes it does - on paper anyway. It is descent enough for performance because of its torquey 300Nm diesel engine that gives good fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions anyway. The benefit now is that it is improved by adding a relatively low 37bhp power electric motor but with 200Nm of torque to boost performance. Adding a four wheel drive function and an electric power propulsion mode for future zero emission areas of cities all help with the reasons-to-buy as do the compelling statistics for much reduced taxes.

But these tax savings might lose their appeal when potential customers consider the overall higher purchase price. The 3008 Hybrid4 is up to nearly £5,000 more expensive than a two wheel drive 2.0-litre diesel model with the same ECG semi-auto gearbox. The relatively short range of around three miles, at best, the vehicle can travel in using electric power only is not that impressive either.

The actual fuel economy isn’t that appealing either. Officially the Combined Cycle fuel consumption figure for 3008 Hybrid4 model is 74.4mpg with 17-inch wheels and 70.5mpg for the 17-inch wheel version. I’ve done two test drives with this vehicle now, one in France where the smaller wheeled model returned 49.5mpg and this week I drove the 17-inch wheeled version and the figure was 44.4mpg. Unfortunately for the UK press launch only the 17-inch wheeled, 104g/km models were available. Both of these test drives included stop/start city traffic, open roads, winding country lanes and in the UK a little lightweight off-roading in the West Midland’s Safari Park where the Lion badge of the Peugeot brand came face to face with the real thing.

These real-life figures fall too far below the official ones and a non-Hybrid 3008 diesel model can easily match that fuel economy. For instance I am driving a 3008 1.6 e-HDI diesel with the micro-hybrid stop/start system and two wheel drive and that is regularly returning 46mpg and it costs significantly less to buy. The 200kg weight penalty of the electric motor and battery pack the Hybrid4 has to carry over non-hybrid versions and the four wheel drive function have to be a big factors in these poor fuel economy figures. But the customer can still win because official homologation paperwork shows the Hybrid4 scores highly with low CO2 emissions which determines the free road tax and the lowest company car tax rate.

So choosing a Hybrid4 over any other 3008 Crossover/SUV is going to be a financial balancing act but I suspect being able to use a hybrid to show off the private or company owner’s ‘green’ credentials will be the biggest reason to buy, especially as it offers four wheel drive. But I just hope owners will not be disappointed by the lower actual mpg figure than official one.

All 3008 Hybrid4s are technically identical apart from the wheels and tyres. The 3008 Hybrid4 does have some bespoke but minimal styling changes including a new two bar grille design and discreet Hybrid4 badging. The rear suspension is a more compact and sophisticated independent multilink system needed to make room to house the electric motor, battery pack and electronic control unit.

The diesel engine powers the front wheels only and the electric motor drives only the rear wheels. The two power systems have no mechanical connection whatsoever, just a high capacity electric cable connection. All versions use Peugeot’s EGC six speed electronic automated manual gearbox, normally criticised for its jerky shifts, but works marginally more smoothly with the additional torque from the engine/electric motor combination. However this EGC system is one of the biggest dislikes about the 3008 range in any form.

The specification for the 99g/km best selling model includes electronic stability programme, alarm, cloth interior trim, climate control air conditioning, automatic electronic parking brake, front and rear electrically operated windows, rear parking sensors, cruise control, electric operated mirrors, auto headlights and wipers, 16-inch alloys, low rolling resistance tyres and a rear spoiler. The 104g/km model gains 17-inch wheels which unsettles the vehicle over poorer road surfaces, an exterior lighting and visibility pack, Peugeot’s Connect Media Navigation system and a head-up display with distance alert. The Limited Edition version, now already sold out, has a panoramic roof and leather upholstery. The load space for 3008 Hybrid4 models is 354-litres and up to 1,435-litres with the rear seats folded down. Non Hyrbrid4 versions have 432 to 1,604-litres of space. The difference is due to the space under the load floor taken up by the electric power unit and batteries for the Hybrid4 models.

There are four driving modes that can be selected by using a centre console mounted rotary dial which is a little out of the eye-line of the driver. Selecting ZEV mode (Zero Emission Vehicle) the electric motor only powers the car driving the rear wheels providing there is enough power in the batteries otherwise the diesel engine cuts in to top up the batteries. In theory this mode would be ideal for zero emission zones in towns and cities but using the air conditioning does severely limit the driving range using battery power only. Choose 4WD mode and both the diesel engine driving the front wheels and electric motor driving the rear wheels work in tandem to boost traction. Sport mode sharpens the throttle responses and speeds up the gearchanges of the electronic transmission with the electric motor’s providing extra torque. Or most likely most of the time the driver will just select Auto mode where the car’s brain sorts how best to optimise performance and fuel economy. Driving is impressive with the two power units working in harmony. The diesel engine is strong and the electric motor provides a linear surge in power and torque.

The Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 might be the world’s first diesel/electric hybrid on the market but it will not be the last.

MILESTONES. Peugeot 3008 Crossover Hybrid4. Price: £28,495 (104g/km test drive model). Powertrain: 2.0-litre, four cylinder HDI turbodiesel 163bhp and 300Nm of torque boosted by a 37bhp electric motor with 200Nm of torque, auto, stop/start function, two/four wheel drive, electric drive only and sport modes via a 6-speed electronically controlled automated gearbox. Performance: 118mph, 0-62mph 8.5 seconds, 70.5mpg Combined Cycle (44.4mpg on test), CO2 104g/km, VED road tax £0 then £20 per annum, BIK company car tax 10%. Insurance group: 20E. Dimensions/capacities: L 4,365mm, W 1,837, H 1,639mm, boot/load space 354 to 1,435-litres, braked towing weight 500kg. For: World first use of diesel and electric hybrid power, low CO2 emissions, tax friendly, nice delivery of power. Against: Battery power alone has a very short driving range, jittery ride and worse if larger 17-inch wheels are chosen, doesn’t get close to the official fuel economy figures, very low towing weight, very expensive price premium over diesel power only models. Miles Better News Agency

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