Peugeot 2008 - Interior, design and technology

The latest Peugeot 2008 looks far more distinctive than the somewhat bland-looking original 2008, with a chiselled shoulder line, blocky silhouette, and distinctive front end dominated by LED lights. A facelift in 2023 has only enhanced its appearance, making it look more like a concept car that someone accidentally let out of Peugeot's vault. It incorporates Peugeot's shield logo, plus the same three-bar lighting signature that also features on the facelifted 208 supermini, 508 saloon and 508 SW estate, with the vertical LEDs integrated into gloss-black inserts in the front bumper. 

Base models feature a horizontal grille design, while Allure and GT models have a vertical pattern in the same colour as the car's bodywork. The 2008’s three-claw LED tail-lights have also been tweaked. There’s no denying the 2008 is an eye-catching car, which helps it stand out in the bloated small SUV segment, and we’re sure has allowed it to be sold on looks alone a good many times.

Inside, the 2008’s interior design, although a little quirky and very gloomy in our opinion, offers superb levels of quality for the class and puts most of its rivals, like the Ford Puma, in the shade. Sadly, there aren’t any physical climate controls, so if you want to change the temperature or adjust the fan speed, you’ll have to delve into the central touchscreen. The piano-style keys below the screen only cover limited functions or controls that have to have a physical button by law, such as the hazard warning lights.

Other highlights include Peugeot’s i-Cockpit layout, although you’ll need an Allure and above to get it with the configurable digital dash display. The digital display is similar to Audi’s Virtual Cockpit in that you can change the layout from traditional dials to displaying various trip or driving assistance screens, or – as we’ve found particularly useful – show sat-nav directions on a map. Switching between screens isn’t as easy as in an Audi, and there’s no full map-view option, either. 

However, some individuals might find it hard to see the dials, as Peugeot’s i-Cockpit setup also includes a small flat-bottomed steering wheel that you should look over to read the instruments rather than through it. When we tested the 2008, it took us a long time to find a natural-feeling driving position that didn’t involve having the steering wheel basically in our lap, but even then, we couldn’t see the dials fully. The setup won’t suit all, so we’d recommend trying a 2008 first before buying.

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Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

Every 2008 now features a 10-inch central touchscreen display with Bluetooth, a DAB radio, plus wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity to run your own audio and navigation apps. In-built sat-nav is an option for all versions. 

You’ll need to upgrade to Allure or GT trim to get a screen with high-definition graphics, and the upgraded screen is more visually appealing, the operating system itself is very laggy, often using swipe transitions to cover up the thinking time the car needs when you tap to enter a menu. Ultimately, it’s nowhere near as slick as the setups in rivals such as the Hyundai Kona. 

Top-of-the-range GT variants also feature a 3D version of the i-Cockpit digital driver display, which looks very modern, but It’s more of a gimmick than a genuinely useful feature. A wireless smartphone charging pad is available as an option on mid-range Allure trim, and comes as standard on GT.