What is it with motorway service stations? Have you filled up with petrol/diesel at one lately?

Last Friday I had to drive to Nottingham and totally misjudged my mpg and had to call into a service area on the M1 for some petrol. Although it was a Shell station, the same type I use close to where I live, I had to pay a whacking £1.69 a litre. Ouch. It’s the last time I go there and, judging by how quiet the place was, I guess other drivers are doing the same. Needless to say that I put in sufficient to get me another 50 miles or so to my destination where, hurrah, as I pulled off the motorway, there was a garage next to the first roundabout I came to. I filled up with juice at £1.32 a litre.  

Okay, I appreciate that a motorway service area may have higher overheads than a small garage, but it feels as though the motorway driver is penalised. I bet the majority of drivers who use motorway services for fuel are on a company card.

Thankfully, I was in a Peugeot 3008 GT, so I didn’t need to stop again on my return journey. In fact, I arrived home with well over half a tank remaining. Sorted.

Peugeot in modern times

Oh, and I know that style is a very personal thing and we all have varying ideas of what looks good and what doesn’t, but I reckon that Peugeot has some of the most stylish cars around. On the whole, I’d probably give them my vote for being the most improved firm in terms of how their cars look. Some, like BMW for example, seem to have gone backwards.

They’ve also made the transition from being heavily reliant on diesel engines. Most of their latest models, like this Peugeot 3008, are available as petrol, electric, hybrid, and PHEV. It allows you to do some arithmetic and juggle purchase price with running costs and BIK (Benefit in Kind) if you are a business user. Proper handy.

Space in abundance

The Peugeot 3008 is bigger than it looks in the photos. This translates to a seriously roomy car and there’s loads of legroom up front and in the rear. It’s comfy too and families will love it. The only downside which slightly affects the overall enjoyment is that the ride is quite firm, especially if you go for something like the GT version which as bigger wheels. The uptick is that it’s fun, even a tad sporty, so keen drivers who like to push on will approve. At town speeds, it can be a bit jiggly. Swings and roundabouts I suppose.

Hybrid power stats

The self-charging hybrid version which I had is no flying machine, achieving 0-60mph in 10.2 seconds with a top speed of 125mph, but the 134bhp 1.2 litre 3-cylinder petrol engine which is helped by a 48v battery-driven motor, is a willing performer. It sounds good too. The 6-speed auto ‘box shifts smoothly and you can switch between ratios by using paddles behind the steering wheel. Go steadily and you’ll manage a predicted 48.5 mpg. Peugeot reckon that if you regularly drive in town traffic, the 3008 will trundle along for over 50 per cent of the time using battery power only. You can also juggle three power modes; Sport, Eco and Normal.

Trim Levels and Price

There are two trims available. Allure, which kicks off the range at £35,035 or GT at £38,535. For the record, if you wanted GT trim as a PHEV, add around £6k, while if you wanted the most powerful of the two fully electric models, add £14k.

Quality Interior

Have you stepped inside a Peugeot lately? If not, you need to go on a refresher course because they’re all extremely smart and very upmarket. Quality is top notch. A few years ago you would never expect Peugeot to even get close to worrying the likes of Audi, Jaguar, MINI etc, but they do now. In other words, the exterior design revolution has carried into the interior.

If you go for GT trim - I certainly would - you get some natty ambient lighting, Alcantara trim, and handy stuff like a powered tailgate, front parking sensors, heated front seats and steering wheel, excellent pixel headlights and adaptive cruise control. Allure trim has already provided sat nav, reversing camera, DAB, rear parking sensors, and the stunning 21-inch curved display which Peugeot refer to as their i-Cockpit. It all looks really good and works well. You can customise the layouts and shortcuts.

Something you need to get used to is the tiny steering wheel. It’s about the size of a dinner plate. The idea is that you look over the top of the wheel rather than through it. I found that no matter where you positioned the wheel, it still required a bit of bobbing up and down to see certain things but overall we like it and it’s certainly has the wow factor.

On a par with the German brands

Peugeot has got its act together. Being part of the enormous Stellantis organisation which,  in the UK, also includes Citroen, Alfa Romeo, DS, Jeep, Vauxhall and Fiat, and specialist brands such as Maserati and Abarth, has no doubt helped. The 3008 is great to look at and live with. Quality is on a par with the German brands. Economy is good, it’s roomy, loaded with kit and good to drive.

What’s not to love?

words: Graham Courtney
pictures: Peugeot