A car for all seasons: RAY MASSEY completes a 1,000km round trip in Peugeot’s 3008 GT Premium Hybrid4 300 e-EAT8 compact electrified crossover SUV
Given the recent weather – from the freezing arctic blasts of the deep freeze to the mild winter sun – I really needed an all-weather car.
I found this versatility on a 600 mile round trip in Peugeot’s 3008 GT Premium Hybrid4 300 e-EAT8 electrified compact SUV crossover, which gave me plenty of opportunities to get a good feel, whatever whatever the weather or road conditions. Not cheap at £50,930 (including £1,000 extras). But smart and elegant.
And if you listen to Middlesbrough-born crooner Chris Rea on the smart infotainment system, it’s really great when you get home for Christmas.
Versatile: Peugeot’s new SUV crossover is reliable and comfortable
Here’s why. It’s a plug-in hybrid so after one charge I got between 34 and 40 miles of electric-only range, along with great fuel economy in mixed-hybrid mode.
There’s also plenty of thrust from the 300hp combination of a 200hp 1.6-litre petrol engine and a 110hp (81kW) electric motor linked to an 8-speed automatic gearbox. , giving 0-62mph acceleration of 6.1 seconds to a top speed of 149mph in sport mode, and even 84mph in pure electric mode, and frugal hybrid fuel economy.
It’s nippy and grippy on country roads, packs plenty of mid-range punch and is comfortable enough with sporty seats and good satnav. There is also a decent sized boot.
Charging takes about four hours from a home wall box
Lots of kit and, thankfully, simple control buttons and toggles. Remember these?
It’s nippy and grippy on country roads, packs a lot of mid-range punch and is comfortable enough with sporty seats and good satnav
Not cheap at £50,930 (including £1,000 extras), but smart and stylish
The 4WD mode proved invaluable during the big freeze, when I had to scrape frost off windshields and windows and navigate slippery, often unsanded roads.
I started my epic ride feeling like country singer Johnny Cash – ‘the man in black’ – as my Nera Black crossover also had the classy £400 ‘black pack’ option.
By the time I was done, I had splashed the salty roads so much that the car looked more gray and white.
Charging takes about four hours from a home wallbox. Lots of kit and, thankfully, simple control buttons and toggles. Remember these?
Merry Christmas.
Less driving at Christmas a false economy
One in five drivers plan to use their car less over Christmas and New Year to save money due to inflation, and more than a third (38%) are worried about soaring driving costs such as fuel.
But that may prove to be a false economy, warns car accessories chain Halfords, which says motorists risk a dead battery when trying to start engines in January if they leave cars idle during the season celebrations.
False economy: Halfords says motorists risk a dead battery when trying to start engines in January if they leave cars idle over the festive season
Almost a quarter (24%) plan to travel less than usual and one in five say they will leave their car completely idle during the holidays.
In this case, Halfords recommends regular battery checks. His research also found that more than four in ten people don’t own a spare car battery, nearly a quarter (24%) admit they don’t know how to change one and a fifth have never checked their battery.
Citroën commissioned for the new wheelset for Asterix
Driving force: Citroën have been commissioned to create Asterix a new set of wheels based on the legendary 2CV
Arguably France’s greatest hero, Asterix the Gaul is a popular cartoon and silver screen character with children of all ages and nationalities.
And for his latest cinema outing – Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Empire – Citroën was commissioned to create a new set of wheels for him based on the legendary 2CV.
Its design team sketched and built the 2CV wagon in less than three months, compared to the usual 12 months needed to create a concept vehicle.
Advertised as “made in Gaul” and pulled by two horses, the 2CV features a solid oak chassis, recycled shield wheels incorporating Citroën’s signature chevrons, inflated boar-bellied suspension and headlights to fireflies.
Set in China but with traditional Roman enemies, the film will be released here on Netflix in the spring.
