SA Road Tests

Welcome

This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.

*To read one of our road tests, just select from the menu on the left.

*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the reports.

We try the Peugeot 3008 Premium 1.6 with automatic transmission.

Maximised assets

Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday December 8, 2010

One thing you must give the Peugeot-Citroën alliance; they maximise their assets. Over the past couple of months. I have driven two Citroëns with the 88-kW, 1 598 cc, PSA-BMW Prince engine. This is also my second experience of a Peugeot fitted with a 115 kW version of the same motor coupled to an Aisin AT6 automatic gearbox.

This is an adaptive torque-converter transmission with manual override selected by slipping the lever over to the left and changing gears "forward-for-up and backwards-for-down." Adaptive means that the gearbox senses how you are driving and, in autoshift mode, adopts either a brisk or laid back style of gear changing and response. These choices require no pushing of buttons, but if you want type A personality select "Sport."  Whatever your driving style, changes are smooth and pleasant with kickdowns happening quickly and without unnecessary noise.

The first 3008 I drove was a six speed manual, 2.0 litre diesel "Grip" version fitted with a Bosch-patented addition to the ESP that, by means of selective braking and feeding of torque to where it is most needed, stops the slipping wheel from spinning fruitlessly and places the power where it can do most good. A five-position selector, rather like those on Land Rovers, allows choice between standard mode with ESP on, snow mode, all-terrain mode (mud, dirt, wet grass), sand mode and ESP off.

The Peugeot 3008 Premium 1,6 automatic we tested recently is a little different; you can switch ESP on or off, you can select "Sport" or "Snow" modes or leave things normal, but you do it by means of separate buttons rather than a selector. There is also no gizmo doing clever things with the ESP, so it works rather like the Alfa MiTo's DNA device, but without altering steering response.

What the various modes do is pretty much self-explanatory. Sport mode holds onto gears longer before changing up, while kickdown happens with more enthusiasm. Snow mode is used in slippery conditions when you don't want torque to kick in too suddenly or strongly. In other words, gear changes are more leisurely and kickdown won't happen until the system is ready to do so. Selecting neither allows the gearbox to behave as normal, while switching ESP right off is probably best left to those who know what they're doing.

Performance from the turbocharged 1600 cc VVT four-cylinder is a claimed two tenths of a second quicker to 100 km/h than the diesel, with an additional couple of clicks' top speed. Bearing in mind that we are comparing automatic with manual, performance from this 1600 in a biggish body is excellent and more than up to its intended roles as compact people mover or baby carrier.

Because it's a minivan with some gravel credentials (slippery surfaces mode, remember?) I introduced it to my favourite stretch of potholed and washboard country road. The 3008 was very forgiving of corrugations and tracked well. The suspension could be heard working hard and while I reckon that higher profile tyres on 16" rims from the Grip version would have benefitted ride quality, there was little to complain about.

Apart from that, the Peugeot 3008 1,6 automatic is a spacious, well-built and comfortable car with all the electronic wizardry and safety kit anyone really needs, so is well worth adding to your viewing list.

The numbers

Price: R299 959 (fabric upholstery) or R309 959 as tested, with heated leather seats)

Engine: 1 598 cc 4 cylinder VVT, petrol, turbocharged

Power: 115 kW at 6 000 rpm

Torque: 240 Nm at 1 400 rpm

Zero to 100 km/h: 9,8 seconds

Maximum speed: 201 km/h

Fuel index: 7,7 l/100 km

Real life consumption over 380 km of mixed driving: about 8,9 l/100 km

Tank: 60 litres

Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km

Service plan: 5 years/90 000 km

Read about our experience with the 2018 version here

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.

What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I am based in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. This is the central hub of the KZN Midlands farming community; the place farmers go to to buy their supplies and equipment, truck their goods to market, send their kids to school and go to kick back and relax. 

So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!

Comments?

Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you thoroughly disagree with what I say? That's your privilege, because if everybody agreed on everything, the world would be a boring place. All I ask is that you remain calm, so please blow off a little steam before venting too vigorously. Contact me here

Back to Home page