When it first debuted in 2013 the Peugeot 2008 got plenty of people talking with its mix of stylish looks and practical proportions, but despite the fact that more than half a million of them have been sold worldwide the 2008 somewhat fell off the radar in recent years.

In order to bring it back into the limelight Peugeot has given it a mid-life update, with a bolder new look, bigger body and a new front grille that’s due to feature on all upcoming Peugeot crossovers in the coming years.

Peugeot claims that it’s aimed to make the updated 2008 more of a proper SUV than a car-like crossover, but exactly how different is it?

Performance

The new 2008 range comes with a wide choice of as many as eight different engine options, which includes five versions of the same 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine and a 1.6-litre diesel available in three states of tune.

Of all the options, the best-seller is expected to be the 99bhp 1.6-litre diesel version, which comes with a five-speed manual gearbox and which is the engine that we had on test.

Despite the fact that it’s not the most powerful on paper with an official 0-62mph time of 11.3 seconds, it feels quite punchy in person. It’s quite obviously turbocharged as, upon pressing your foot down, you get a lot of nothing and then suddenly a lot of boost, but it gets up to speed quickly with good acceleration and a decent dollop of torque.

It does tend to run out of puff above 4,000rpm or so though, so you get quite a narrow power band but it’s very useable nonetheless, although refinement can be a big issue as the engine gets rather vocal at speed.

Officially, it can deliver up to 76.3mpg with just 97g/km of CO2 and while we haven’t yet gotten the chance to truly test that out they’re impressive figures nonetheless. This version could use a sixth gear though, as the efficiency of the engine will go out the window pretty quick when you’re buzzing along at motorway speeds in fifth.

Ride and Handling

A high seating position also offers good visibility of the road ahead, while the steering is quick, direct and reasonably well weighted

Compared against the previous version, there’s been no changes made to the 2008’s setup and so it drives fairly similarly to its predecessor. As a family car it’s soft and comfortable, but it’s prone to its fair share of wallowing in the corners and can feel a bit floaty over bumps and undulations. Not as fun to drive then as, say, a Skoda Yeti or Mazda CX-3, but generally that can be overlooked as it’s not designed to be driven hard and fast. The vast majority of the car’s customers will be families, for whom relaxed road manners are more important than performance. The 2008 also comes with Peugeot’s Grip Control function like its predecessor, which is designed to allow more capability and control in low-grip conditions. It’s more for light use like snowy roads rather than bona fide off-roading, but it does work quite well. There’s a noticeable difference when navigating low-grip conditions when you switch the system on via the large rotary dial, and you can feel it actively shuffle power around to different sides of the car in order to give the wheels more purchase and power you out of trouble. A high seating position also offers good visibility of the road ahead, while the steering is quick, direct and reasonably well weighted if a bit numb and lacking in feedback. On the topic of steering, the 2008 comes with Peugeot’s new compact steering wheel. It’s shockingly tiddly compared to a lot of other wheels and feels almost like a racing wheel, but once you’ve driven with it for a bit and get used to it, it’s very easy to get from lock to lock and will make any other car feel almost unwieldy.

Interior and Equipment

Long before Peugeot manufactured cars the company was better known for producing high-quality salt and pepper grinders, something which it continues to make to this day.

Inside, the new 2008 is spacious and comfortable, with an airy and fairly well laid out cabin. The interior trim is okay; there are some scratchy plastics here and there, but it comes with a soft touch carbon-look material that’s quite nice. Four trims are available, starting with the entry-level Access which is followed by the Active and the Allure, while the slightly sportier GT Line sits at the top of the range. Of those, the Allure is expected to be the best-seller. Standard equipment across the range includes cruise control, remote central locking and air conditioning, while higher trims add everything from a reversing camera to a panoramic sunroof, autonomous emergency braking and a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system. As standard, the 2008 also benefits from Peugeot’s i-Cockpit which moves the instrument binnacle up above the steering wheel and into the driver’s line of sight. It’s a small touch but it’s a nice one, and means you don’t have to crane your neck to see through the compact steering wheel. There’s also more cargo capacity than before with maximum boot size increased from 1,194 litres to 1,400 litres. An additional 22 litres of storage space can be accessed underneath the boot floor if you take out the spare wheel, and the load bay is flush with the floor and features a sturdy metal lip to protect it when loading in heavy items.

Cost

Peugeot claims that the 1.6-litre diesel engines are able to achieve a maximum of 76.3mpg with as little as 96g/km of CO2

Prices for the new 2008 start from just £13,615 for the entry-level Access, but Peugeot reckons that this model will account for less than two per cent of sales. It’s much better to skip straight to the best-selling and better value Allure which starts from £16,315, while the range-topping GT Line is priced from £18,815. Compared to many of its rivals it’s better value as standard, but beware some of the options and trims which can get prohibitively pricey. The GT Line trim, for example, looks good but can easily become a £25,000-plus car if you’re not careful with the extras. Regardless, the 2008 should be relatively cheap to run, with Peugeot claiming that the 1.6-litre diesel engines are able to achieve a maximum of 76.3mpg with as little as 96g/km of CO2 depending on which one you go for.

Our Verdict

Peugeot has made efforts to make the 2008 more capable and more practical with more storage space and a more SUV-style attitude, but unfortunately it still suffers from many of the same problems carried over from its predecessor. Refinement is still an issue and there are rivals in its segment which are a bit more fun on the road for a bit less money, but all the same the new 2008 isn’t half bad at all. If you’re not too bothered about sporty road manners and you’re careful with your options, then the new Peugeot 2008 offers a good looking, comfortable and cheap to run option in the small SUV segment. For many, that alone will warrant a second look.