► We say goodbye to the Peugeot E-2008
► It’s good, but not great
► Less exciting than its rivals
You might be fortunate enough to have a pronky car you pull out of the garage on special occasions. Several friends of mine own older 911s, mostly 997s. Two of them are GT3s. I’m delighted for them. If I had the garage space and the spare cash, it’d be a Renault Megane R26.R. In cars like that every drive is memorable, just as pretty much every ride on my increasingly idle motorcycles is memorable.
The E-2008, it won’t surprise you to learn, is not like that. It is not a car with any of the tactility or stand-out sensory stimulation to lay down memories. I can’t recall any individual drive. Instead, like looking back fondly on the years you spent in a certain house, or on a good summer as the first copper leaves of autumn fall, the lasting impression is a kind of indistinct happiness and contentment. An electric crossover isn’t about soaring highs. But this one was about pleasant and highly effective transport.
Peugeot’s current run of form is based on fine design and a premium level of finish. A re-working of a model originally launched in 2019, the 2008 is a good-looking car; faceted and funky where the ubiquitous Model Y is bland and bulbous.
The E-2008’s interior, as the three CAR readers who drove it in the summer will attest, is equally striking. The tiny, kart-like steering wheel isn’t universally adored but the worst it elicits is mild bemusement. I love it: an all too rare example of originality in mainstream car design. And the interior design is as nicely resolved as the exterior; innovative, handsome and nicely screwed together.
The luxe atmosphere in our car was helped quite a bit by the sports seats GT trim unlocks. Finished in alcantara with acid green stitching, they’re also power adjustable, heated and massage-equipped (for £500).
All this Audi-bothering class doesn’t suddenly disappear when you drive the Peugeot, either. Yes, the brake pedal is gratingly vague and mushy, and the ride lacks sophistication at times, a combination of weight, tight budgets and bumpy roads prompting some bouncing at the rear. But generally, the Peugeot drives nicely; quiet, fast enough and immensely easy, whether you’re nipping into town or gliding home from an airport on empty motorways in the small hours.
Easy to spec, too. It’s hard to build an argument for the car with the smaller (50kWh) battery, and the only way into a car with the bigger 54kWh unit is with a GT model. Opt for that and you’re all but done. All that remains is to ignore the plethora of newer, spunkier rivals (Renault Scenic, Kia EV3) joining this swollen sector by the day.
Logbook: Peugeot E-2008 (month 5)
Price £40,700 (£42,060 as tested)
Performance 47.7kWh battery, e-motor, 154bhp, 9.1sec 0-62mph, 93mph
Efficiency 4.9 miles per kWh (official), 3.9 miles per kWh (tested)
Range 227-271 miles (official), 183 miles (tested)
Energy cost 7.0p per mile
Miles this month 1274
Total miles 4193
Count the cost
Cost new £42,060
Part exchange £20750
Cost per mile 7.0p
Cost per mile including depreciation £4.97