Peugeot E-2008 GT long-term test: proving its worth as a daily runaround

Verdict

While it may not be everyone’s idea of the perfect two-car garage, the Peugeot E-2008 has made me appreciate my bright-orange BMW more than ever. The French crossover is ideal for daily duties, leaving me to enjoy something more characterful at the weekend.

• Mileage: 3,811
• Efficiency: 4.1mi/kWh

The idea of the ‘perfect two-car garage’ often comes up in conversation in the Auto Express office. Some of my colleagues favour something big and practical alongside a small and sporty model, while others refuse to acknowledge that they’ll ever spend time in traffic, or on bumpy roads, and clearly never visit the tip or a builders’ merchant. It appears many are (theoretically) prepared to live with a pair of stripped-out race cars, day in, day out.

But if I had to choose two cars to live with from now until the end of time, I know exactly which way I’d point. It’s a solution that’s been drawn into sharper focus during my time with our Peugeot E-2008. It might not be perfect for long motorway slogs, but as something to jump in and out of Monday to Friday, commuting to the office or airport, it’s ideal.

Yet the true benefit of running such a simple car day to day has been hopping into my classic BMW 2002 at the weekend. Driving the electric Peugeot makes my seventies saloon feel so raw and analogue; the heavy steering, manual gearbox and complete lack of creature comforts mean it’s not necessarily a car for popping to the shops, but for enjoying on high days and holidays.

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That’s not to do the Peugeot a disservice. I love how easy it is to park, its impressive efficiency, and even its big boot, which, with the parcel shelf removed, swallowed all we needed for a weekend of glamping before my daughter started school last week. 

The E-2008 is a doddle to drive around town, where I like to lean on its progressive regenerative brakes. The set-up isn’t strong enough for one-pedal driving, but it slows the car gently in stop-start traffic and feeds precious energy into the battery. Then, when the road opens up, the small steering wheel makes the car feel darty and keen to turn in.

That’s something that’s had me searching online auction sites in recent weeks, actually. Hopping into the BMW after a stint in the 2008 feels like you’re piloting the car with a discarded bin lid. So I’m now after something more compact; a smaller steering wheel should make the BMW feel a bit more agile and playful on the kind of roads I enjoy.

Of course, while my classic car does have a stereo (and USB connectivity, for what it’s worth), I rarely use it. The four-speed gearbox means the engine is screaming at 65-70mph, and if it’s a warm day, I’ll have the windows lowered a fraction to help with ventilation. There are no such problems in the Peugeot, although I have noticed that my phone gets alarmingly warm while charging wirelessly – especially if I’m running maps or media through Apple CarPlay.

I’m now just over three months and 3,500 miles in, and efficiency is improving all the time. That glamping trip to Dorset saw the car average 4.6mi/kWh over almost 400 miles – even factoring in the higher-speed stuff down the M3. A recent journey back from Heathrow showed 5.5mi/kWh on the trip computer.

In short, while neither of my cars is perfect on their own, together, they come pretty close. The combination is arguably the best way of continuing to enjoy driving long past any rules or restrictions on the sale of new cars that come into force in the future.

Peugeot E-2008 GT: first report

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Our new arrival is immediately pressed into service for a family holiday

• Mileage: 2,055
• Efficiency: 4.0mi/kWh

You may have noticed more and more Auto Express staffers are taking their electric test cars on holiday. Only a few weeks ago editor-at-large John McIlroy drove his Polestar 2 to France, proving there’s now very little to stop EV owners venturing further and further afield.

So the fact that just days after taking delivery of our new Peugeot E-2008 I drove it to deepest Cornwall, isn’t that newsworthy. Indeed, I’ve driven upwards of 40,000 miles in various electric cars over the last five or six years – including the same trip to the West Country three summers on the trot.

Every June, we travel to a tiny hamlet called St Anthony-in-Meneage just outside Helston. It’s about 20 miles from Falmouth, but once you’ve arrived, it feels like you’re stepping back in time. There’s no shop, no post office – not even a pub.

Yet it’s the perfect place for a mental detox. Providing the weather is kind, there is honestly no place I’d rather be – enjoying the fresh air and the calm creek with my extended family, it’s perfect for sailing, walking, and even a spot of paddle boarding.

The place is a complete time-warp – something that was only emphasised when Sean, one of the people responsible for keeping the coastal community ticking over, turned up on his Ford tractor to pull one of the many boats from the water.

While my knowledge of vintage farm machinery leaves a little to be desired, I’m led to believe this specific example dates back to the mid-sixties. Wikipedia (not the most reliable source, admittedly) tells me it’s likely powered by a three-cylinder water-cooled engine with around 35bhp.

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So if the juxtaposition of taking an EV to these parts wasn’t evident enough already, Sean’s noisy arrival brought the Cornish contrasts with my latest fleet car into sharp focus. The Peugeot certainly isn’t the most cutting-edge car on sale, but it felt like a spaceship in this company.

The 2008 did us proud over the course of a week and 700-odd miles. It’s on the smaller end of the family-car scale, and at times, the 154bhp front-mounted motor did feel a bit laboured with two adults, a toddler, and all our luggage on board. But we were never in a hurry, so easing off and letting the world go by became the priority.

I’ve averaged a respectable 4.0 miles/kWh over the first 1,800 miles, although a lot of that has been longer motorway stints. 

I’ve seen as much as 5.5mi/kWh around town using the ‘B’ mode to ramp up the regenerative braking and feed power back into the battery. It’s not strong enough for one-pedal driving, but it’s pretty well judged and feels progressive in its application, even when you need a bit more stopping power.

Our car is the range-topping E-2008 GT, which looks relatively expensive in a market dominated by models like the Hyundai Kona, MG4, and even our newly announced Car of the Year – the Citroen e-C3. As such, you’d be mad to buy the Peugeot outright; but find an affordable PCP or lease deal, and there is plenty to pique the interest.

As standard, you get all-round LED lights, 17-inch alloy wheels, climate control, a 10-inch HD touchscreen with 180-degree reversing camera, and Peugeot’s polarising i-Cockpit instrument cluster. This forces you to look over the steering wheel (rather than through it) to see your speed and trip info, and while I don’t find it too much of a challenge, a couple of colleagues say they’ve found it hard to get truly comfortable.

It’s a shame, because the 2008 strikes a good balance in this regard. It’s darty enough to be fun on a twisty back road, small enough to navigate easily around town, and soft enough to soak up the lumps and bumps on the motorway. The seats could do with a little more support, but I’ve recently discovered the massage function that’s fitted to my car, which seems to keep the blood circulating in my back after a couple of hours at the wheel.

Seems there’s plenty to unpick in the coming months, then. The biggest question, though, will be how private buyers could (or should) justify the Peugeot when more affordable – and often more modern – alternatives are already flooding the new-car market. More on that in a future report.

*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.