REVIEW: 2022 Peugeot 2008 SUV in Malaysia, RM127k

Sometimes it doesn’t pay to be first. You may remember the original Peugeot 2008 that had the distinction of technically being the first B-segment SUV to be sold in Malaysia (discounting, of course, the Mitsubishi ASX based on a C-segment platform). It may have been a trendsetter, but it – and the Ford EcoSport that followed – hardly made a dent in the marketplace before the Honda HR-V took the country by storm.

For years afterwards, the Japanese wunderkind reigned supreme, not only making mincemeat of existing competition but also seeing off newer rivals (I’m looking at you, Mazda CX-3 and Toyota C-HR). Not even a handy facelift – which introduced a new turbocharged engine and a fresh gearbox – managed to save the 2008 from fading into obscurity.

But here’s the thing about dominance – it never lasts. Proton’s tie-up with Geely enabled it to bring two new SUVs to market in relatively short order, and the attractively-priced X50 and X70 immediately knocked the ageing HR-V off its perch. The Honda now has to fight with the rest of the market for the remaining slice of the crossover pie, and there is no shortage of contenders these days.

It’s in this evened-out market space where this Peugeot 2008 slots into. This second-generation Gallic soft-roader arrives in Malaysia on a wave of renewed optimism, backed by a new distributor with a proven history. It certainly looks the business, but is there enough substance underneath to match the sharp new clothes? We take the new kid on the block for a spin to find out.

New distributor, new beginnings

First, a little bit of background. After years of Naza management, the Peugeot brand is now being stewarded by Bermaz in Malaysia. The French marque achieved modest success in the late 2000s and early 2010s but its name has been tarnished somewhat with a reputation of poor reliability and customer service.

Bermaz does have a respectable track record of selling and servicing Mazda vehicles, but it remains to be seen if it will be able to banish memories of subpar servicing and long wait times for spare parts – as well as solving any technical issues that may crop up in the long run. But the company has acknowledged past shortcomings and is making an effort to appease buyers, which is always a good sign.

Also a good sign is the fact that the 2008 has undergone 200,000 km of endurance and quality testing, according to Peugeot’s parent company Stellantis. The latter now fully owns the Naza-built assembly plant in Gurun, Kedah, from which this fetching crossover has rolled out from.

Good value in an ever more competitive class

Onwards to the car itself, which was launched last month priced at RM126,753. That’s quite a good deal for a turbocharged crossover, coming in a couple of thousand ringgit below the range-topping naturally-aspirated Toyota Corolla Cross petrol (although that car is usefully larger than the Peugeot).

As such, the 2008 makes a mockery of the also-NA Hyundai Kona which, when specced accordingly, is a full RM10,000 more expensive (to say nothing of the frightfully pricey turbo versions). Of course, you also have to consider the two elephants in the room, the dominant X50 and X70 that offer even more for less money (much less in the case of the X50). That’s just the reality of being a foreign player in our market.

Measuring 4,300 mm long, 1,770 mm wide and 1,550 mm tall, the 2008 is on the tinier end of the B-segment crossover market, being 34 mm shorter, two millimetres narrower and 55 mm lower than the now seven-year-old HR-V. That means it’s also smaller than the X50 (which is almost identical to the Honda in every dimension bar width), although its 2,605 mm wheelbase evenly splits the two by five millimetres.

Extroverted styling turns heads

Even so, the Peugeot’s exterior styling imbues it with plenty of road presence, particularly through the overtly aggressive front fascia. The “three-claw” LED daytime running lights, culminating in the illuminated slash that runs the entire height of the bumper, give the car a bit of a KISS vibe, while the large grille with its network of chrome “dashes” and 2008 badge adds plenty of welcome jewellery.

It’s unfortunate that the fog lights are missing on Malaysian-spec models, their spaces in the bumper taken up by apologetic little slats that attempt a poor impression of air intakes. Even so, this is a very attractive-looking machine from the front, and this continues further back with the interplay of slashes along the side of the car.

For its size, the 2008 has a long wheelbase that pushes the wheels to the corners for a strong stance, although the 17-inch two-tone rollers are a little bit on the small side, handsome though they are. The blacked-out C-pillars provide an in-vogue “floating roof” look, although the effect is masked by the Nera Black paint on this test unit. You also get roof rails for that quintessential off-roader look.

At the rear, you’ll find strong haunches that lead into the slim full-LED taillights, again carrying the “three-claw” lighting signature. The black tailgate bar (again hidden by the paint) holds the spaced-out Peugeot script that is all the rage these days, while the chrome bar on the black bumper is reminiscent of the larger 3008. Shame the tailpipes are such tiny pea shooters, though. Overall, however, this is a great-looking car.

One neat and convenient feature is proximity locking and unlocking, saving you from having to interact with buttons or touch surfaces on the door handles (such a pain, I know). This is something Honda pioneered with the FC Civic in 2016 and has only recently started appearing on BMWs that cost double the price, so it’s nice to have it on a car this affordable.

It works great, except in instances when you stand near the 2008 for too long and it locks you out. This requires you to either use the buttons on the key or walk away from the car and walk back again, the latter making you look like bit of an berk. The car also produces a cheap-sounding beep when it locks up, although at least it is loud enough to hear so that you don’t have to double back to check.

Posh interior with typical idiosyncratic French flair

As ever, the Peugeot’s real party piece is the interior, which oozes class, polish and zany French styling and ergonomics. You’re met with an expansive dashboard that sweeps into the doors, made from soft-touch plastics (partly imprinted with a curious faux carbon fibre pattern) and making judicious use of expensive-looking and feeling silvered trim.

You sit high on the plush leather seat, giving a commanding view out the front windscreen, although the steeply-rising beltline and tall rump means rearward visibility is almost non-existent. The good news is that the reverse camera, while lacking in resolution, has a top-down view that extends the rear feed down the sides of the car as you back up, offering some of the functionality of a 360-degree camera setup.

Right in front of the driver is Peugeot’s trademark i-Cockpit instrument cluster, which continues to amaze and befuddle in equal measure, positioned above (and slightly blocked by) the small two-spoke steering wheel. The latest version features a customisable ten-inch display and a separate screen hidden in the hood of the cluster, which is reflected by a lens to produce a holographic three-dimensional effect for the speed readout, gauges and vehicle data. It’s so cool it almost distracts from the task of driving.

It’s not all perfect, however – for some reason, Peugeot insisted on applying flashy but time-sapping animations for every interaction, so pop-up information takes a while to show up. This trait is repeated in the seven-inch infotainment touchscreen, which juts out abruptly towards you and occasionally runs a little slow, once packing up completely during my time with the car.

The user interface also leaves a lot to be desired, with menus and settings strewn everywhere for you to dig up. Worse still, like all modern Peugeots, the hard buttons for the climate control have mostly been eliminated. Yes, there are some functions mapped onto the gorgeous physical piano keys on the centre console, but the fan speed and temperature controls are buried in the touchscreen, as opposed to the other (right) way around. But hey, at least Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard, right?

So-so rear seats, excellent active safety

Most buyers will also be disappointed to learn that the three de rigueur items for cars in this segment in Malaysia – power-adjustable front seats, rear air-conditioning vents and rear USB ports – are conspicuously missing here, although you do at least get a central front armrest. On the bright side, the generous wheelbase does afford the 2008 a decent amount of rear legroom, even if it isn’t a patch on the HR-V. However, the back seat squab does come up at an angle, so the seating position isn’t the most comfortable.

Hidden behind the (sadly non-powered) tailgate is a 405 litre boot, which dwarfs the X50’s 330 litres and is nearly a match for the HR-V. A slight load lip does make loading a pain, though, and the parcel shelf doesn’t lift up when you open the tailgate (unlike the Proton), so you’ll have to do it yourself. Also, the tailgate on our unit rattled because of a loose screw, which doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the car’s build quality.

Safety-wise, the 2008 marks a quantum leap for Peugeot in Malaysia with the introduction of autonomous emergency braking – making its first reappearance since the second-generation 308 was launched here back in 2015. This immediately makes the car a far more recommendable proposition, especially given the increasing number of driver assistance features making its way into the competition.

Blind spot monitoring and lane keeping assist continue to be offered and work well, although the latter can get confused by badly-painted lane markings that dot Malaysian roadworks (it nearly put me into a wall once). Six airbags, stability control and ISOFIX child seat mounts are also fitted, as are the excellent automatic high beams on the full-LED headlights.

New bones, improved powertrain

Under the skin, the 2008 rides on Stellantis’ latest Common Modular Platform (CMP) platform. This currently doesn’t mean much in the local context, but consider the fact that its close relations, the Opel Mokka and Citroën C4, have been spotted undergoing testing here. Developing these cars using a single platform generates economies of scale that will potentially allow the group to assemble the vehicles here, paving the way to the reintroduction of the Opel and Citroën brands in Malaysia. Exciting times ahead.

Powering the 2008 is the 1.2 litre PureTech turbocharged three-cylinder engine, which was introduced in the facelifted previous-generation model. In the intervening five years, Peugeot has massaged the mill to produce an extra 18 PS and 15 Nm of torque at 130 PS at 5,500 rpm and 230 Nm at 1,750 rpm.

The power figure isn’t much to shout about, but the torque output is nothing to be sniffed at and comes close to matching the new Honda Civic (and surpasses the MPI version of the X50). So it’s no surprise that the 2008 is deceptively fast, specifically in the middle of the rev band where it pulls with devastating ease – at least until it runs out of breath near the redline.

But that’s only once it gets up to speed. At lower revs, the three-pot feels a trite lifeless and you have to get it past 1,500 rpm to gain any sense of forward momentum. It’s sluggish enough from a standstill to become an annoyance in cutthroat Kuala Lumpur traffic, especially when hordes of selfish drivers are chomping at the bit to cut the queue in front of you.

Sluggish carryover gearbox spoils the fun

This wouldn’t have been an issue if the gearbox was fleet-footed enough to work around it, which the Aisin six-speed automatic unfortunately isn’t. This is an ageing transmission and it shows – each stab of the throttle results in a second or so of latency as the car lazily shuffles into a lower ratio before firing you forwards with a burst of unexpected torque. As you can imagine, this makes smooth low-speed driving a little difficult.

You can play around with the manual mode by flicking the gearlever to the right, but there are no steering wheel paddles and while the sequential shifter is configured like a race car (pull to shift up, push to downshift), the gearbox upshifts automatically before the redline, defeating the purpose of the manual mode. Granted, most drivers will just stick it into “D”, but it’s something you should know nevertheless.

That’s a shame, because elsewhere the engine and transmission combination delivers a smooth and seamless driving experience. Barring some vibration when starting up and decelerating, the PureTech mill exhibits none of the trademark three-pot judder – this, combined with the quick and light steering and the slug of mid-range torque, gives the 2008 an easygoing demeanour that’s really quite enjoyable on the right road.

Excellent dynamics but crashy ride

Refinement is just about average for the class. The engine makes itself heard with a Kancil-on-steroids thrum that rises into an engaging straight-six-like whine just before the redline, but settles down at a cruise. There’s also quite a bit of tyre roar on rough surfaces and a slight whistling noise around the A-pillars on this particular unit at speeds above 110 km/h, but they’re not especially intrusive.

But it’s in the corners where the 2008 feels at home. This is a fun car to chuck into a bend, thanks to the razor-sharp steering that starts out light but builds weight naturally as you wind the lock. It’s ably aided by the taut chassis, which allows you to carve a tight line through the apex without it being unsettled by mid-corner bumps. There’s also not a lot of body roll to speak of and decent grip despite the lack of all-wheel drive.

The trade-off is, of course, the ride. While the dampers are able to round off the big bumps and undulations in the usual European big car manner, the 2008 is stiffly-sprung and utilises a torsion beam at the rear, so you’ll feel every surface imperfection. This is especially true on the poorly patched-up tarmac that litters our roads, where the Peugeot sometimes feels like it wants to jostle you out of your seat.

The ride quality actually reminds me a little of Hafriz’s old 208 GTi, which I remarked was comfortable for a hot hatch. This, however, is a small family crossover, with a completely different target demographic – and in that sense the 2008 falls short. Remember that most buyers in this segment will be approaching middle age and probably won’t appreciate their fillings being rattled out.

Verdict: Just a few steps away from greatness

As such, the 2008 feels a little contrived and ever so slightly frustrating to drive, as there is a great car underneath just waiting to be unleashed, held back only by a few minor flaws. Had the engineers tuned it further in either direction – either softening the ride and trading the mid-range punch for low-end tractability, or giving this sporty SUV the modern gearbox it’s crying out for – they’d have a real winner in their hands.

Judged as it is, the 2008 is a good crossover that could use a little more refinement. But this is still an enjoyable car to live with, helped by its bags of style and panache. Every single person I showed it to during the Chinese New Year holidays was blown away by how good-looking it was – especially the sharp front end and the eye-catching 3D instrument cluster – and didn’t give a toss about the firm ride.

This, then, is a car whose showroom appeal knows few equals – and that’s before you take into account the seriously attractive pricing. Yes, Bermaz has its work cut out in improving the Peugeot brand’s stature in the eyes of most Malaysians, and there are lingering doubts about the build quality and long-term reliability, but the 2008 is proof that a little verve and a lot of visual sparkle go a long, long way.

The new Peugeot 2008 is priced at RM126,753 for the sole 1.2 PureTech Allure variant, on-the-road without insurance. Included is a five-year, 100,000 km warranty and three years of free servicing. Browse full specifications and equipment on CarBase.my.

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.

Learn more: Peugeot 2008 P24