Peugeot 2008 interior, tech and comfort
- The 2008’s best feature
- Latest version of Peugeot’s i-Cockpit
- Large screens and 3D dials impress
How is the quality and layout?
Peugeot’s interiors have improved hugely with the most recent models, and the 2008 continues this trend. Quality is lifted thanks to more use of soft-feel plastics, while the trim materials include (depending on the model) suede-like Alcantara, while Nappa leather is offered as an option on GT cars, and 508-like carbonfibre-style trim is found elsewhere. Very modern. Very Peugeot.
The good news is even the less-plush trims still come with some interesting fabrics that remain comfortable, so you shouldn’t feel too short-changed lower down the line-up. Inside the dashboard is adorned with high-quality carbon-effect concave trim, for example.
Infotainment and tech
The 2008 features an all-digital i-Cockpit – an upgrade to the 3D spec unit in the Peugeot 208. This system replaces traditional dials with a laptop-style TFT screen, giving the driver a choice of displays. It’s a system that’s popular in larger Peugeots, and its use in the 2008 will bring this technology to more drivers. The main instruments are in a cluster viewed above the small steering wheel, and work in tandem with the large (up-to 10-inch) central touchscreen.
It’s a development over the existing i-Cockpit, which introduces more animation, and displays information more prominently depending on its importance. Peugeot says that this system improves driver reaction times by up to half a second.
There are six different displays, cycling through point-of-view navigation to digital dials to driver aids, for example. The key USP is to bring crucial info into the binnacle’s foreground and relegate lesser details to the back. For example, speed information looks closer to the driver, while sat-nav directions and remaining fuel levels are situated a little further back.
It also means a dinky steering wheel you have to drop into your lap so as not to obscure the digital 3D instrument binnacle (from the Allure trim level up). Thankfully you can adjust the driver’s seat through a pronounced arc and move the wheel in and out, to get a decent position.
While some drivers will find no problem, others may find it fiddly and not quite as natural as more traditional interiors. In fact, the steering wheel gives a slight feeling of being in the way of the bottom of the instrument cluster, when in fact it isn’t blocking anything at all.
It gets all the other tech expected from buyers. So it’s fully Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible. You get four USB sockets to keep passengers happy, and an integrated sat-nav system that’s connected and gives real-time traffic updates. The high-quality Focal audio system also has 10 speakers and up to 515 Watts of power.
Comfort
- Comfort depends on i-Cockpit setup
- Few complaints about the seats
- Ride is okay, but spec-sensitive
Interior comfort for the Peugeot 2008 is impressive. If it works for you, then the i-Cockpit setup (where the dials are positioned high on the dash and you look at them over the rim of the small steering wheel) offers plenty of adjustment. The seats on most models are comfortable and supportive without feeling like you’re being squeezed in too much, as well, although those on GT cars feature an annoying leather panel down the middle that you can feel a lot of the time.
Thankfully, the seat base is deep to support your legs, making longer journeys more comfortable. The raised centre console also means the gear lever is in a natural position, and the armrest is in just the right place so you don’t have to lean too much.
It’s generally very civilised in terms of interior noise. Expansion joint thumps sound so muted they appear to be coming from other cars, and the three-cylinder petrol engine’s charismatic fluttering is equally down in the mix. Only some wind whistle around the chunky side mirrors penetrates the 2008’s air of mature sophistication.
