- the new peugeot 2008 crossover has been revealed, and it has a fully electric powertrain available for the first time.
- it rides on the same platform as the new 208 hatchback and also has a range of gas and diesel engines.
- when peugeot re-enters the u.s. market, allegedly by 2023, the 2008 is one of the most likely models to be the first to arrive.
peugeot is continuing its rollout of new models with the completely redesigned 2008, the compact-crossover counterpart to the recently revealed 208 hatchback. like the 208, it rides on a new platform, has extremely radical styling, and is available for the first time with a fully electric powertrain.
peugeot's new design language is turned up a notch with the new 2008, which at 169.3 inches long and 60.6 inches tall is close in size to the buick encore. it's got a really distinctive, expressive face, with a large grille and big headlights. the front bumper is covered in creases and slashes, and the surfacing of the sides is made up of really interesting angular lines on the flanks. in contrast, the rear is pretty simple, with high-up taillights that appear merged with the rear glass. and, of course, the roof has a "floating" design and can be had with a two-tone finish. the electric e-2008, the blue car in these photos, is distinguished by a body-color grille with a "sparkling dichroic" lion emblem, some additional badging on the sides of the car, and alcantara seats.
the interior looks straight out of a spaceship from a sci-fi movie. there's an incredible variety of materials, with faux carbon fiber, gloss-black plastic, soft-touch accents, microsuede, and more covering different parts of the dashboard, door panels, and center console. the tiered dashboard is topped by a large central screen and a digital gauge cluster with a 3d effect, and the futuristic look is further set off by the two-spoke steering wheel and weird electronic shifter. there's a holographic head-up display, a wide range of passive- and active-safety features, and programmable ambient mood lighting, among many other tech features.
there will be three gas three-cylinder engines and one diesel four-cylinder engine available at launch, with a mix of eight-speed automatic and six-speed manual transmissions. all 2008s will have front-wheel drive; all-wheel drive isn't an option. the e-2008 uses a 50.0-kwh battery and a 134-hp electric motor, and peugeot says it will achieve 193 miles on a charge on the european wltp cycle. an 80 percent charge takes just 30 minutes, while a full charge using an 11-kw fast charger requires around five hours.
while you might expect the 2008 to be peugeot's biggest-selling model based on industry trends toward crossovers, especially smaller ones, you'd be wrong. worldwide in 2018, the 2008 was actually outsold by the 208 to the tune of more than 76,000 units. but when peugeot finally does return to the united states, it's likely to start with the 2008 or its larger crossover sibling, the 3008 (which also outsold the 2008 last year). and while we might not get this exact iteration of the 2008—more likely a heavy facelift or a next-gen model—the funky new crossover has us getting even more excited for the upcoming french revolution.