Peugeot e-2008 GT
Given that every electric car of the small crossover ilk drives as if the engine room is full of rubber bands and the steering rack is made from them, our decision as to which to plump for largely comes down to subjective issues such as exterior and interior design, and objective ones such as toys, range and, of course, price.
The exterior, then, boasts faceted bodywork in the manner of a cut gem face, which we first saw used to such stylish effect under the side glazing out Audi’s Q2. The front of GT models is dominated by a sabre-toothed treatment to the headlamp design shared not quite identically with the 208 (in this case, courtesy of the swellings necessary to merit crossover status, think walrus rather than tiger), and front grille modifications from the non-electric 2008, employing body colour painted Morse code entirely made from just the letters M,O and T and the number zero. To the rear the triple light cluster stolen from a 60s Mustang remains.
It’s on board, however, wherein you suspect most punters will be won over; the instant impression being of a space far classier and engaging than any offered by the e-2008’s rivals. There’s a good visual match between driver’s instrument binnacle and the centre touch-screen (something Citroen hasn’t managed since pre-Cactus days), and the former sports a pleasing 3D effect through double-layering of the information provided. Peugeot says this cuts drivers’ reaction times by half a second; one wonders how, exactly…
There’s a crisp, two-tier row of centrally-mounted toggle switches and tabs to access main car and touch-screen features, which would be a somewhat better idea if they were rather more receptive to the touch. Still at least there’s consistency here too, because the same must be said of the screen itself which, as elsewhere in the Stellantis product pantheon, remains only just this side of acceptable in the tardiness of its response to prodding.
And Peugeot’s i-Cockpit, though much vaunted (largely by the company itself), is just a load of old hype. The whole novelty of looking at the instruments over, rather than through, the wheel is only here made possible by two measures: Firstly Peugeot has chopped the top off the steering wheel as well as the bottom. It’s not, as often described, a small wheel, it’s just an oval wheel with decent width retained. Secondly, You have to drive with said helm in your lap if you want to see the instrument binnacle properly, and that I’ve never quite grown accustomed to.
Still, this proves less of a nuisance in an electric car, because the e-2008 never feels like a car the elastic band performance potential of which you particularly wish to wring out…
There are three drive modes on offer here; Eco, Normal and Sport -the latter delivering the motor’s maximum output of 134 bhp, which sends the e-2008 almost silently off the line with the brisk gathering of momentum akin to the catapult launch of a glider. Ride is on the firm side, as is so often the case in EV’s with suspension stiffened to counter the extra poundage of the battery pack; the advantage of same being the car’s respectable poise and agility when the going gets twisty.
Unfortunately, this respectable dollop of poise is not complimented by any particular feel through either the wheel or the seat of the pants and, ultimately, I came away thinking I’d sacrifice a deal of cornering prowess for a whiff more straight line comfort.
With adequate adult room astern, a good sized, two-tier loadspace, a comprehensive specification including Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and four USB ports through which you may simultaneously drain the car’s battery into all the family phones, the e-2008 seems well thought out and is not without appeal. And then you open a door…
Literally a massive howler, the excruciatingly shrill din the e-2008 emits if you dare to open a door so much as a crack whilst the car’s still switched on is the stuff of nightmares. I’m sure we can all conjure a million and one good reasons why we might open a door whilst a car’s still running (kerb proximity check, penchant for vomiting, wasp bother…), but if anything can disabuse us of every single one of them it’s this machine.
So, range. Peugeot quotes around 200 miles, which is more than enough for local pottering and the occasional foray further afield in brave pants. Sadly, though, the car I drove didn’t play host to a cable equipped with a three-pin plug on one end. I haven’t yet taken the plunge and installed a fast charging post at ff-C Towers so, the availability of recharging stations in Mudforshire currently making hen’s teeth seem commonplace, had crippling range anxiety all week.
If the company’s UK website is anything to go by, even Peugeot doesn’t know how much the least expensive e-2008 costs -initial blurb suggesting £30,730, the subsequent configurator two and half grand more. Either way, by the time you reach the giddy specification heights and sabre-toothed walrus headlamps of this GT version, your wallet will need a £37,000 capacity. And that’s pricey for a modestly sized crossover, no matter how clever it thinks it is.