Peugeot 3008 GT Line: Winning Bid

16 December 2017 Redazione News, Tested

PEUGEOT 3008 GT Line

WINNING BID

Words: Carlo Brema

Photography: S.Lomax

Many fear the mutation, but standing still is actually one of the worst weaknesses that can afflict mankind. It should be said that in certain cases, days now gone are the only jumble t which anchor our hopes, but in the constant search for improvement, enriching ourselves with past experiences to perfect our present and therefore the future is the key for success. Peugeot, being one of the automotive brands that most of all has been able to reinvent itself in its long history, knows that well and today is experiencing a profound metamorphosis – one of the many that has characterized its path – evolving into a brand that makes personality and practicality a trademark of its own. We have nothing more to do with small city cars or mediocre MPVs, but we deal with a completely new identity that, starting with the unusual choice of a raised cockpit that overwhelms a steering wheel smaller than usual, is gaining wide welcomes. Last year we dedicated space to various proposals coming from the French lion and now I can finally sit at the wheel of the new 3008 GT Line specced with any optional imaginable.

What has been consecrated as the car of the year is in effect a mid-sized SUV, but judging by the ease with which you will be carried around, it will never try to put you in trouble, nor during maneuvers, nor in the rumble of city traffic. Once you get on board you have the feeling of entering into a futuristic hi-tech salon – there’s plenty of space both in front and on the rear seats, the leather armchairs are well finished and extremely comfortable, great on long distances. But what strikes most is the precision of assemblies, the choice of soft materials and the creation of an environment that you won’t find elsewhere, not on competitors of the same segment, not even looking at more challenging prices. The central tunnel is one of the best accomplished episodes, with the 6-speed automatic gearbox shift lever just below the main (and only buttons), divided into two rows: the lower one from which to control the main aspects like climate and the top with the so-called “shortcuts” to access navigation, radio, telephone, on board computer, and so on. A smart choice that not only clears the dashboard from too many buttons but also gives elegance and a futuristic shape to the 3008 cabin. Up there is the main display, a touch screen from which you can keep in control the infotainment, also equipped with one of the best satellite navigation system I’ve ever experienced. But it does not end here, after turning the engine on by the round Start/Stop button located next to the gear lever, you start feeling that the reduced size of the steering wheel is something you’re going to like more and more as days go by – it may seem small but it really allows a perfect view of the adjustable digital speedo and tachometer. And then there’s the new i-cockpit dash, which will also be able to display a full-screen map, just like on an Audi equipped with Virtual Cockpit. In addition, the gear paddles are finished in aluminum and this is a detail from which many should draw inspiration.

So we have a lot of technology, but also efficiency and driving pleasure, with the 4-cylinder 2-liter able to ground 150 horses and stopping fuel consumption figures at 4l/100km, thanks to a low weight that does not exceed one and a half ton. Traction is on the front wheels, but the good ground clearance and the reduced overhangs (especially at the back) allow you to deal with some kind of less enjoyable terrain than usual. The wheels are large in diameter, but tires tread does not exaggerate, to the benefit of running costs. Does it really deserve to be declared car of the year? Definitely yes, and without even thinking too much about it. At the wheel of the 3008 you can grind thousands of miles without fatiguing yourself or getting bored, travel on grumpy roads, in the city, or in search of a restaurant or a mountain pass, with a simple touch on the sat-nav’s menu without wishing for some horsepower more than the 150 available, which thanks to 370Nm of torque allow to free the fast lane in no time. Of course the GT Line spec is playing an important role here, featuring the squared lines of this amazing Peugeot in the best way possible, with the two-color tones that confuses those who watch you drive by and with the precision that until a few years ago we were used to see only on German proposals. Peugeot has taken another important step forward, a lion paw that throws itself in the jungle with an extraordinary car –car of the year, SUV of the decade, who knows, maybe it also deserves this title as well. For us it does. If you do not like taking risks, but you still want to move, bid for the right number, play on 3008.