Peugeot 3008 GT Hybrid - long-term review

Full disclosure: it would be fair to say that I find France and French things pretty wonderful. French culture is pretty wonderful. French wine? Pretty wonderful too. French cars are also pretty wonderful. In fact, the only thing I find unacceptable about France is its unnatural obsession with filthy cow dairy products. Moving on.

Imagine, therefore, my unbounded joy when I was informed that the new 3008 you see above was coming my way. Peak delight. As none of you will remember, I was in the extremely fortunate position of running a 3008 GT Line back in 2017, so I have previous here. Back then was a remarkable time for Peugeot design – everything came together, and the world swooned at practically each French fancy the company launched. OK, so there was not universal appreciation for the then-new i-Cockpit, but if that’s the worst thing people have to moan about, frankly, you’re winning as a carmaker. Anyway, I’m intrigued to see how this new 3008 has moved on from the version I remember so fondly from seven years ago.

Most noticeably, the third-gen 3008 has had a thorough makeover. It’s got a striking new front end, and the rest of the car’s exterior has been gently smoothed and refined. First impressions? I like. The hatchy styling across the front looks kinda cool (oddly it reminds me of the warp effect from space films) and the minimal rear end looks like it’ll be a doddle to clean – these things matter. Inside, it’s a huge step forward. The wraparound 21in curved screen looks amazing and works brilliantly (it integrates both a driver display and a infotainment touchscreen) and the fabrics and materials all feel highly premium.

As it’s literally only just arrived in my parking space, driving impressions will have to wait. But I am looking forward to seeing how this mild hybrid powertrain performs both in towns and on long motorway journeys. And I have a few of those planned from the get-go.

I may be looking at the new 3008 through the rose-tinted specs of my past experiences, but I have a feeling this car and I are going to get on very well indeed. Let the test commence.