Peugeot 2008 - Engines, performance and drive

From the start, you’ll realise that the Peugeot 2008 isn’t the sharpest-handling small SUV. That honour still goes to the Ford Puma, which feels far more rewarding and confidence-inspiring to drive.

Around town, the 2008's light steering makes it a great car for low-speed manoeuvres. We’ve noticed that petrol automatics have a strange vibration through the interior if you try to reverse park while controlling your speed with the brakes, and the ride can be a little fidgety at low speeds, with the Renault Captur offering much better cushioning from potholes and speed bumps

At higher speeds, the 2008 has a decent level of grip to enable you to carry some momentum along a twisty B road. But hit a mid-corner bump, and it can be knocked off your chosen line because the suspension is unable to dampen the initial blow.

Body lean is much more pronounced than in a Puma or an Audi Q2, both of which provide a much more settled driving experience. The electric E-2008, with its weighty battery pack mounted low in the car along the floor, does help to counteract the lean of the standard car, although it still isn’t the most agile of its kind to drive. Hit the motorway, and the ride settles down. Despite a little door mirror-induced wind whistle at 70mph, refinement is impressive overall, with low road noise levels.

Weird gear selector shape aside, the auto is great to use, shifting smoothly once on the move. In recent times, Peugeot’s manual gearboxes have been vague and rubbery, but the unit in the 2008 is a significant improvement. It’s still not as joyous to use as the manual gearboxes we’ve used in the Puma or Mazda CX-30, but it does the job.

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0-62mph acceleration and top speed

For its modest power output, the 99bhp entry-level 1.2 petrol gets off the line smartly and delivers a 0-62mph time of 10.8 seconds and a top speed of 115mph. The extra power of our preferred 128bhp version cuts this acceleration time to 9.7 seconds and ups the top speed to 122mph. The 1.2 hybrid with 134bhp is presently the quickest 2008, with a 0-62mph time of 8.3 seconds, and it can continue up to a top speed of 128mph.

The electric E-2008 range starts with the 134bhp model, but its heavy 50kWh battery means it isn’t as quick as the hybrid, needing 9.8 seconds to get to 62mph. The more powerful 154bhp version cuts this time down to 9.1 seconds. Both electric models have a top speed of 93mph.