A leader in the space race
for road tax.
While its performance of 112mph and 0-62mph in 13.6 seconds doesn’t put it in the dragster class, its good mid-range pull allows it to cover the miles effortlessly and undramatically. My average economy worked out at a frugal 45mpg.
Space – plenty of it – is really what the 3008 is all about. The high stance allows passengers to sit in a fairly upright position, freeing up extra legroom. Even with the rear seats in position there’s an abundant 512-litres of cargo space.
The boot has a three-positioned floor which can quickly be adapted to suit individual needs, and the tailgate is split for easy loading – you even use the lower section as picnic seats. Maximum room of 1,604-litres is achieved by folding down the rear seats.
In the cabin there are also loads of storage places. The central armrest will soak up 13.5-litres of oddments and can even accommodate a 1.5-litre water bottle. The front seat passenger has a 7.0-litre door tray and 3.7-litre lockable space below the steering wheel. Rear seat occupants are also well-catered for.
The 1.6-litre turbo-diesel is reasonably-refined and has ample torque. Coupled to a light, six-speed manual gearbox, the 3008 feels amply endowed. Cornering and handling is well up to the standard we are used to from the French marque.
Where the 3008 scores most highly is in poor or slippery conditions when the car’s Electronic Stability Programme is brought into action. From a centrally-mounted control, you can choose between Standard mode, Snow, All-terrain or Sand to allow you to negotiate a range of conditions from thick mud to deep snow.
It has most of the advantages of a four-wheel drive system without the penalty of extra weight and increased fuel consumption.
The Allure version, priced at £22,745, comes with plenty of goodies, such as 18in alloys, reversing camera and parking sensors, sat-nav, climate control, tyre pressure sensors and panoramic sunroof.
The latter lets in floods of natural light but ,sadly, it doesn’t open.
A giveaway that the 3008 is built chiefly in left-hand drive form is that the central front glovebox opens towards the passenger rather than the driver.
Hugely – quite literally – practical and reasonable to run, the 3008 takes some beating as reliable family transport.