Fresh Peugeot 2008 here soon

PEUGEOT has detailed the line-up of its new 2008 small crossover, consolidating the range to a single engine and transmission, tweaking looks and upgrading on-board technology ahead of its arrival in Australia late next month.

The top-spec Outdoor diesel variant has been dropped and replaced by the GT-Line, a new variant for the 2008 range.

The Active variant, previously split between a 1.2-litre three-cylinder manual and 1.6-litre four-cylinder automatic, has been consolidated into a single variant, meaning the updated 2008 range will consist of Active, Allure and GT-Line model grades.

All variants will be powered by Peugeot’s Euro 6-compliant 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed sequential automatic transmission which pumps out 81kW of power and 205Nm of torque.

Styling tweaks are subtle, with the most noticeable change being the redesign of the grille which eschews the horizontal bars and silver bezel of the previous model for a multifaceted grille with the brand emblem front and centre, which Peugeot says will preview the future look of all Peugeot SUVs.

The rear LED lamps get new “warm-coloured lion claws”, according to Peugeot, while the new range will be offered with the Ultimate Red exterior paint colour, first displayed on the 308 GTi.

Equipment for the 2008 has been boosted with the fitment of a seven-inch touchscreen with reversing camera and mirror screen functionality as standard across the range.

Other standard equipment on the base-level Active includes MirrorScreen connectivity with MirrorLink and Apple CarPlay, USB and Bluetooth compatibility, digital sound processing, trip computer, cruise control, rear parking sensors, front and rear foglights, single-zone air-conditioning, leather-clad steering wheel with audio controls, cooled centre console compartment and 16-inch alloy wheels.

Stepping up to the mid-spec Allure adds park assist, satellite navigation, autonomous emergency braking, grip control for low-traction situations, a foglight cornering function, automatic headlights/wipers, electro-chromatic rearview mirror, rear privacy glass, dual-zone climate control and 17-inch alloys.

Opting for the top-sec GT-Line also gets a number of styling enhancements including red highlights on the doorhandles, seatbelts and handbrake, leather-wrapped steering wheel with red stitching, ‘Redline’ theme for the touchscreen display, alloy door sills and sports pedals, red LED instrument panel surround, black highlights for roof rails, rear door trim, spoiler and mirror shells, a unique rear bumper with chrome exhaust, and a gloss-black grille bezel with red Peugeot lettering.

Peugeot Australia general manager Kai Bruesewitz said that the introduction of the new engine should help the 2008 in the compact SUV segment.

“We have already proven with our 208 and 308 model lines that Peugeot’s award-winning PureTech, turbo-petrol 1.2-litre engines can compete with larger-capacity drivetrains of other players in the market and there is no reason this segment shouldn’t benefit from Peugeot’s advanced drivetrain,” he said.

“We are very excited about the introduction of the new-look 2008 range as it signals a significant year for the Peugeot SUV stable with the all-new 3008 and 5008 following hot on the 2008’s heels.”

While pricing for the new range has yet to be announced, a small increase for the range is likely, which currently starts at $22,490 plus on-road costs for the Active manual.

The 2008 has struggled to make a big impression sales-wise since launching locally in September 2013, selling 1254 units since its launch including 359 in 2016, an improvement over the 315 sold in 2015 but less than the 488 sales from 2014.

Last year it outsold French rival Citroen’s C4 Cactus (266 sales), but was trumped by other niche competitors such as the Renault Captur (1563) and Fiat 500X (599), and well behind the segment leaders: Mazda’s CX-3 (18,334) and the Mitsubishi ASX (18,126).