While they sometimes have quirks, French cars are still a popular choice for New Zealand car buyers. The choice is somewhat limited now, since Renault is only selling commercial vehicles – gone is the Arkana SUV, and the excellent Megane R.S. Trophy 300.
That means if you want to buy a new French car in New Zealand, Peugeot and its sister brand, Citroën are your only choices. We love driving Peugeot cars here at DriveLife; that tiny 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that powers so many of their models is not only an award-winning engine, it’s also an engine of immense character – and delivers some delicious engine noises to boot.
Will adding a hybrid system to the 2008 compact SUV water it down? We took the 2008 GT Hybrid away for a 1,000km road test.
What We Like and Dislike About The 2024 Peugeot 2008 GT Hybrid
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Characterful engine Design Performance Ride Stability in all weathers Transmission Handling | Hybrid transition can be a little jerky Adaptive cruise jerky at low speeds Engine start/stop button Real-world fuel economy |
What’s In The 2024 Peugeot 2008 Range?
New Zealand sees three models of 2008 available:
- 2008 Allure $39,990
- 2008 GT $44,990
- 2008 GT Hybrid $49,990 (tested)
The Allure and GT are powered by a 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that puts out 96kW of power and 230Nm of torque. The transmission is an 8-speed automatic, and fuel economy is listed at 5.6L/100km. Both models get to 100km/h in 9.4 seconds.
The GT Hybrid has the same petrol engine but is mated to a 48-volt electric motor and this bumps power up to 100kW, while torque remains the same. The transmission changes to a ‘Hybrid e-DCT6’, so a dual-clutch unit. Fuel economy in the hybrid models drops to 4.9L/100km, and the car gets to 100km/h in 8.3 seconds.
2024 Peugeot 2008 Colour Range
The 2024 2008 comes in a choice of six colours, with only grey as a ‘free’ colour:
- Selenium Grey Metallic
- Okenite White Metallic – $550
- Cumulus Grey Metallic – $550
- Nera Black Metallic – $550
- Vertigo Blue Pearlescent – $950
- Elixir Red – $950
Our Review Vehicle’s Optional Equipment
With its Cumulus Grey paint option at $550, and the Alcantara Seat Trim Package at $2,990, our test vehicle’s cost was $53,530.
For a full list of specs and options available for the 2024 Peugeot 2008 GT Hybrid, head on over to Peugeot’s New Zealand’s website.
How Does The 2024 Peugeot 2008 GT Hybrid Compare To Its Competition?
| Make/ Model | Engine | Power/ Torque kW/Nm | Seats | Fuel L/100km | Towing Capacity | Boot Space, litres | Price |
| Nissan Qashqai Ti-L e-Power (AWD) | 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder petrol-hybrid | 140/330 | 5 | 5.8 | 750 | 452 | $56,990 |
| Toyota C-HR Limited Hybrid | 1.8-litre, 4-cylinder petrol with hybrid assist | 103/145 | 5 | 4.4 | 725 | 422 | $52,990 |
| Hyundai Kona Active Hybrid | 1.6-litre 4-cylinder petrol hybrid | 104/265 | 5 | 4.3 | 600 | 407 | $52,990 |
| Subaru Crosstrek Premium e-Boxer Hybrid | 2.0-litre 4-boxer cylinder petrol hybrid | 110/196 | 5 | 6.5 | 650 | 315 | $51,990 |
| Peugeot 2008 GT Hybrid | 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol with hybrid assist | 100/230 | 5 | 4.9 | TBC | 434 | $49,990 |
| Kia Niro HEV Earth + | 1.6-litre, 4-cylinder petrol-hybrid | 104/265 | 4 | 4.4 | 750 | 451 | $49,990 |
| Ford Puma ST | 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder, turbocharged petrol, mild hybrid | 125/248 | 5 | 5.7 | 665 | 465 | $47,990 |
| Honda HR-V Sport | 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol- hybrid | 96/253 | 5 | 4.3 | Not rated | 319 | $45,800 |
| Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid | 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol hybrid | 139/375 | 5 | 5.1 | 750 | 255 | $40,990 |
Please note that DriveLife does its best to ensure the information above is correct at the time of publication, however, prices, specifications and models can change over time. Please bear that in mind when comparing models in the comparison table.
First Impressions Of The 2024 Peugeot 2008 GT Hybrid
It would be petty to call any new Peugeot model unattractive; the company has done a brilliant job of nailing the design of all its models. The 2008 is no exception to this, and even when finished in a flat Cumulus grey like our test car, it still stands out as an attractive car.
Side on, the car can look a little slab-sided with that very high waistline and small windows, but it’s still pleasant-looking, and the plastic mouldings that run the entire length of the car give it a bit more of a rugged, SUV look.
Around the back, it’s all inoffensive, pleasing and modern – consider the 2008 GT Hybrid a mainstream car, and not something that looks a little weird.
What’s The Interior Like In The 2024 Peugeot 2008 GT Hybrid?
Having just got out of the Toyota C-HR, it was all déjà vu in the 2008 GT Hybrid: the interior is completely black. I realise manufacturers think having an all-black interior is all very sporty, but honestly, it just makes the interior feel so much smaller than it is.
While it may feel smaller with all the blackness, there is more than enough space inside the 2008 GT Hybrid for everyone, and headroom specifically is plentiful. Rear seat passengers will find legroom on the shorter side of things, but overall for a compact SUV, it’s quite roomy.
The black theme is added to by the piano black finish over the steering wheel, the dashboard, and it almost completely covers the centre console. Within a day, that console was covered in dust and fingerprints.
The steering wheel is leather, small and chunky – three of my favourite things for a steering wheel. There’s a small GT badge on the lower part of it, as well as some green contrasting stitching. That green stitching extends to the doors and seats, and sets the interior off nicely.
That green stitching is an optional extra; our test car was fitted with the Alcantara Seat Trim Package, that includes:
- ’Iconium‘ Alcantara seat trim with ’Adamite’ green stitching
- Driver seat with multi-way electric adjustment (position, height & lumbar)
- Heated front seats with driver seat massage function
Above the steering wheel is the dashboard, what Peugeot calls a “3D i-Cockpit”. It’s not a heads-up display that we’re used to seeing, but in Peugeot-speak that means the whole dashboard is above the steering wheel. We’ll talk about this more in the drive section.
At the lower part of the centre console are two USB-C ports, and above those is a cover that reveals the Qi wireless phone charging pad. I’ve mentioned this before on the Peugeot 208; I like that when the wireless charging cover is folded down, it becomes a pen holder. A small touch, but appreciated. On the wireless front, there is wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The rear of the console contains a very small cubby, big enough to chuck your wallet in and a few other items. There is storage in the lower part of the centre console, and this area has a 12-volt socket.
Like the 208, there is fake carbon fibre on the doors, dash and console, but thankfully it’s not too try-hard and actually suits the car. There is an LED strip on the front doors, and this extends up across the dash. It adds something a little special when driving at night.
Air conditioning is controlled partly by alloy toggle switches below the centre screen; these toggles are real alloy, and feel very nice to use. On the left of these is an actual volume and audio on/off knob – something that’s fast disappearing from cars.
Opening the electric tailgate, the boot is a usable shape and quite reasonable in size, at 434 litres. It has a pocket on each side, and is a dual-layer system, so you can change the height. You get a space-saver spare tyre under the floor with the 2008 GT Hybrid, a feature that’s becoming quite rare.
What’s The 2024 Peugeot 2008 GT Hybrid Like To Drive?
If there was one thing about Peugeot and Citroën cars I’d like to change, it’s the start button. You have to hold it down for 3 seconds to get the engine to start, and 3 seconds to turn it off. Too many times I got this wrong, and had to hold the button down a second time. I expect this is some sort of safety feature, but no other brands do this and it’s a bit painful.
Still, starting the car ignites that little honey of an engine, and I like it very much. Euro engines have a tone that no one else can manage to replicate, and it’s glorious when you wind it out. In day-to-day use, it’s a quiet thing, and at motorway speeds is almost silent. But up hills or passing traffic, the engine noise is delicious.
Since we are testing the hybrid version, that means less engine and more electric, and Peugeot has done a great job of making the most of this. The car will run in battery-only mode when it can, including on the motorway on a very light throttle opening. Having that hybrid assist does give the 2008 a bit of extra go, not that it needs it. The 1.2-litre petrol engine has so much torque, it’s a great commuter with a punchy bottom end. You can drive this car in Eco mode so very easily. You don’t get any control over the hybrid system, so you can’t force it into EV mode, unlike the Toyota C-HR GR Sport Hybrid I had just got out of. That’s fine, however, just get in and drive it, and let the car do the hybrid thinking for you.
There is one drawback of the hybrid system in the 2008 GT Hybrid, it’s that there is some light shunting in the transition between petrol and EV, or the other way around. It wouldn’t be a dealbreaker for me, but it is noticeable. On the fuel economy side of hybrid use, over our 1,000km of driving, the 2008 GT Hybrid used 6.2L/100km, compared to Peugeot’s suggested 4.9L/100km. For a 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder hybrid, our real-world result feels quite high, especially in comparison to the Toyota C-HR, which managed 5.1L/100 as a real-world result – and that car has a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder engine. Still, 6.1L/100km is better than the 7.1 I got out of the 2008 non-hybrid back in 2020, with exactly the same petrol engine.
There are some very good and some not so good points around using the 2008 GT Hybrid as a commuter; visibility is generally very good, although like so many other SUVs, the C pillar is quite chunky, cutting into your view out the left-rear of the car. The A pillar is quite fat too. This model is fitted with a 360-degree camera system, and the resolution is reasonable for a decent view of your surroundings. At 10.4 metres, the turning circle is very tight and this makes the 2008 GT Hybrid a dream to drive around narrow city streets – and for parking.
All that torque makes for a fun drive, and gets you away from the lights quickly if you need to make a speedy lane change, but in the wet, wheel spin is normal if you use just a little too much throttle. There can also be a few thumps from the front of the car as it tries to get traction. This is normal in some front-wheel drive cars, although other manufacturers are taming this down.
The 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission in the 2008 GT Hybrid is perfectly matched to the motor, and driving conditions. It changes down hills for engine braking and the programming of the gearbox is spot-on for all driving conditions. It is a little lazy though, as gear changes are quite slow, and speed of changes is normally where a DCT automatic shines. Still, it’s so much better than a CVT automatic transmission.
Part of our testing of this car included a 4-hour drive to Hawera and back over a weekend, to work on our project car. There were some more revelations of the 2008 on this trip, although not too much has changed since I last reviewed the model in 2020.
The “3D i-Cockpit” works well, taking away the need for a real heads-up display. Some people don’t like having the dashboard above the steering wheel, but you get used to it very quickly, and then stepping into another car that doesn’t have it feels antiquated. It’s a crystal-clear dashboard, and the ‘3D’ effect means that the speedo seems to jut out from the rest of the gauges. This looks cool at first, but doesn’t really make the speedo better or worse, just different.
You get to choose from a number of dashboard options, like Dials, Energy, Driving, or Personal – each has its own settings and changes the dashboard display. I expect once an owner has found one they like, they’d just stick with it. It’s for this view that I found it strange that Peugeot makes the dashboard change button as a thumb wheel on the steering wheel on the left side, exactly where your thumb initially falls. I would have far preferred this to be the volume control, since that’s the button that’s going to be used most. Instead, volume control is a left and right button on the lower part of the steering wheel. This messes with my head, as the track/station controls is a thumb wheel on the right side of the steering wheel. Some more work on ergonomics would be great.
I did use the driver’s massaging seat on the way to Hawera, and it works well. Only the driver’s seat is fitted with this, and keep in mind that you can’t pick a certain massage setting, it’s just on or off. But still very much appreciated on a long journey – but note this is part of the optional package on our test car. Next to the seat massage button are the 4-way electric lumbar adjust buttons, again – only on the driver’s seat.
The weather on the way to Hawera was atrocious, strong winds and heavy rain. I would have thought a slab-sided SUV like the 2008 would have been quite severely affected by this, but it wasn’t in the slightest. The car remained stable and steady, and sat on the road nicely.
Since the drive to Hawera from Wellington is so very boring, I made heavy use of the car’s adaptive cruise control. In open-road conditions, it works very well, although it is operated by a stalk, and that stalk is hidden by the left-hand spoke of the steering wheel. Regardless, after a while you can hit the buttons by feel – although I’d still prefer steering wheel controls and not a stalk, but that’s a personal preference. On the motorway in start/stop traffic, the adaptive cruise control is a bit painful, with too much jerkiness in its operation, as it does brake on/brake off, brake on/brake off.
Ride quality in French cars is normally an example of perfection, and while the 2008 doesn’t ride as well as the 208 it’s based on, it’s still damn good for something this size and weight.
Gassing up in Hawera before heading home gave me a real-world range of 600km from the 44-litre tank, and that’s a good number to achieve. Bear in mind, being a turbocharged motor, you will need to put 95 (or higher) octane fuel in the 2008 GT Hybrid’s tank.
I actually managed to get the car onto a few twisty roads on the ride home, and for a front-wheel drive, it does extremely well. The grip is excellent, and handling overall is safe and secure. It’s hard to tell it’s a front-wheel drive, and that’s a good thing. If I were to describe the 2008 GT Hybrid’s handling, I’d call it very ‘chuckable’. You can throw it at corners, and it simply goes around them with little fuss.
READ ON FOR OUR SUMMARY OF THE 2024 PEUGEOT 2008 GT HYBRID.
2024 Peugeot 2008 GT Hybrid – Specifications
| Vehicle Type | Compact SUV |
| Starting Price | $49,990 |
| Price as Tested | $53,530 |
| Engine | 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol with hybrid assist |
| Power, Torque kW/Nm | 100/230 |
| Transmission | Hybrid e-DCT6 |
| Spare Wheel | Space saver |
| Kerb Weight, Kg | 1,297 |
| Length x Width x Height mm | 4,304×1,775×1,550 |
| Boot Space / Cargo Capacity, Litres (seats up/seats down) | 434/1,467 |
| Fuel tank capacity, litres | 44 |
| Fuel Economy, L/100km | Advertised Spec – Combined – 4.9 Real-World Test – Combined – 6.2 Low Usage: 0-6 / Medium Usage 6-12 / High Usage 12+ |
| Towing Capacity Kg, unbraked/braked | TBC/1,100 |
| Turning circle metres | 10.4 Small: 6-10m / Medium 10-12m / Large 12m+ |
| Warranty | 5 Years/100,000km vehicle and battery warranty 5 Years Roadside Assist 3 Years/45,000km service plan $1,890 5 Years/75,000km service plan $3,290 |
| Safety information | ANCAP Rating – 5 stars – Link Rightcar.govt.nz – 5 Stars – QSD918 |
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