Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 Revealed

The Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 -launches Spring 2011

We got a glimpse of the Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year, and at the time we commented that it looked almost ready to go. And so it seems – even though almost a year has passed – with the reveal today by Peugeot of what will be the world’s first diesel hybrid when the 3008 HYbrid4 starts to hit the road in 2011.

You couldn’t get a much better starting point for a hybrid than the 3008 Crossover (read our review of the Peugeot 3008 if you have any doubts). And if you’re going to pick a diesel PSA engine to use as the ICE in a hybrid you’d choose the 163HDi lump, the same engine as was in the 407 Coupe we reviewed recently.

The 3008 is already a very good crossover - possibly the best in its sector. It’s very good to drive, has lots of room, is versatile and for our money pips the Nissan Qashqai as the pick of the Golf sized Crossovers. Chuck in the 163HDi lump to run the front wheels and an extra 37bhp electric motor to shove the rear wheels along and you have a great recipe.

The result of the hybrid setup is a total of 200bhp on offer with average economy of over 74mpg possible and tax-beating CO2 figures of 99g/km (surprise, surprise). The hybrid setup is controlled by an automated manual ‘box with four settings – Auto, which sorts out the propulsion all on its own; ZEV, which lets you run in pure electric; 4WD, which does what it says on the tin and Sport, which plays with shift patterns to give some sporty oomph.

All of which sounds like the ideal hybrid setup for the 3008. It offers plenty of choice and the ability to use the decent amount of power on offer for a good dose of fun, not just to play ‘Green Halos’. It’s not going to be cheap and will sit at the top of the 3008 range. However, you’ll get lots of kit in the price including SatNav, Park Assist, STOP & START, 7’’ 16:9 colour screen and a Guérande & Tramontane two-tone leather finish for the interior.

As you would expect, Peugeot has sent us a quite extensive press release for the 3008 Hybrid4, which you might find interesting. We’re expecting the 3008 Hybrid4 to come in close to £25,000 when it launches in Spring 2011. But it will be very well equipped and offer not just great economy but a decent drive and impressive performance.

Our kind of Hybrid.

By Cars UK