Peugeot 2008 SUV: your guided tour
DESign secrets and video walkaround of Peugeot’s compact SUV
Words: Guy Bird | Images: John Wycherley
• Full design story of Peugeot’s new 2008
• Latest spec details of more spacious SUV
• VIDEO: watch our 2008 walkaround
The second-generation 2008 SUV is significantly bigger and more practical than its predecessor and, in a novel step, Peugeot has added a full-electric version alongside the petrol and diesel models. The exterior style is more chunky and boxy like a traditional SUV, while the interior now boasts the brand’s latest i-Cockpit technology including a configurable 3D instrument panel.
Let project design chief Gilles Vidal take you on a tour of his favourite design and spec details of the 2008, which costs from £21,030. All five trim levels are available with pure electric, petrol or diesel engines, and standard features include a central touchscreen which mirrors Apple or Android phone functionality, DAB radio, 16-inch alloy wheels, air-con and Bluetooth mobile phone link.
Boxy form and new proportions have transformed the 2008
size is everything
Designers say that even a few millimetres can make a big difference to how a car looks, so the fact that the 2008 is 142mm longer than the previous model is a pretty major change. Some 112mm of that stretch sits between the wheels, giving the immediate benefit of a roomier cabin and a bigger boot. This can now stow 74 litres more luggage (434 litres seats up) and with rear seats folded, expand to 1467 litres. But why the size increase?
‘We had a particularly compact 2008 before and this one grew bigger to be more suitable for other international markets,’ begins Vidal, the design director on the 2008 project. ‘In Western Europe a compact car in big cities makes sense but if it’s even 100mm longer it’s not a real issue because it’s still just as handy to park. But for dozens of countries around the world, being a little bigger and having more room inside felt important.’
READ OUR EPIC DRIVE IN THIS 2008: from Edinburgh to John O’Groats
Slimming stripes
Most people know that vertical stripes are slimming when it comes to human clothing. Well it’s the same for cars. On the 208 the large grille’s highlights are horizontal to make the small car look wider, while on the 2008 there is the option of vertical slats.
‘You might argue it feels narrower than using horizontal lines,’ says Vidal. But the 2008’s [flared] wheel arches do a good job of making the front end look wide and strong, the designer reckons. So given the 2008 shape looks inherently chunky, customers can choose whether to go for grilles with slimming vertical or broader horizontal details.
Shared lights, distinct face
If you’re familiar with Peugeot’s new range, you might notice that the 2008’s front face is similar to the 208 supermini’s. In fact the lights are exactly the same parts, but their positioning creates the crucial differentiation.
‘The [fang-shaped] daytime running lights are attached to the main lights on the 208 but separated on the 2008,’ design director Vidal points out. ‘The 2008’s body also has more sculpture and toughness, its lower part is stronger. There is a family spirit but the impact of the two front ends is very different and when you see them live it’s even stronger than in pictures.’
The view from the front
This 2008 is finished in pearlescent Elixir Red paint, with roof, rear spoiler and side mirror caps in black, a contrasting flourish that’s standard on GT (from £26,180) and top-spec GT Premium (from £28,180) models like the one pictured here.
ELECTRIC 2008: read – and watch – our guide to going electric
Discreetly hidden in the lower front grille is the radar which helps the Active Safety Brake system react to unobserved hazards ahead such as cars and pedestrians; this is the upgraded version – standard from the tier 2 trim level Allure – which can spot cyclists and function in the dark. Allure trim also offers a highly useful colour reversing camera, while this GT Premium model boasts adaptive cruise control with stop and go function and lane keep assist as standard.
KEEPING SHARP
One of the sharpest design details on the new 2008 is the small SUV’s pleasingly ‘pinched’ flank, which creates two light-catching arrowhead shapes either side of the front door handle.
Although Peugeot wanted to make this 2008 look boxier, it still wanted non-SUV design cues to make the car seem efficient not profligate. ‘That’s why it’s not so high [compared with rivals],’ says Vidal.
‘And in terms of form language there are these sculpted triangles to express something a bit sharper, more aerodynamic. It’s not the usual thing you would expect from an SUV. Something particular and special is happening.’
Flavour of SUV
Black plastic wheelarches – check. Raised ride height – check. Wheels spanning 16- to 18-inches – check. Peugeot left nothing to chance in moving the new 2008 away from the more MPV-like design of its predecessor.
‘We were trying to achieve the right basics to be a believable SUV, big wheels, high ground clearance, a horizontal bonnet and a vertical front end,’ says Gilles Vidal.
SCREEN TIME
Across its range, the quality of Peugeot’s interiors has made a tangible leap in the last five years, enabled by new i-Cockpit technology and thoughtful design. But making affordable 10-inch central touchscreens, holographic 3D driver displays, carbonfibre-effect surfacing, contrast stitching and glossy piano key controls within a supermini-sized SUV is still a remarkable feat. It’s possible because Peugeot has judiciously decided to spread the cost of certain items across multiple vehicles – including smaller cars made in large numbers.
‘Big things become affordable if we agree to share,’ enthuses Vidal. ‘If you accept commonalities on two cars rather than one, or for less visible items maybe four cars instead of one, suddenly you can afford more expensive things because you buy lots of volume from suppliers at reduced prices.’
The result of such sound thinking is a 2008 cabin – and the cockpit of its sister car, the 208 hatch – packed with high-end ‘big car’ features, wrapped up in a striking exterior design married to clean power options. It’s a formula with a lot of showroom appeal.
Head over to carmagazine.co.uk to read our full review of the Peugeot 2008 SUV.