Compact Crossover

The 2008 has succeeded in merging worlds and cultures to offer a style which goes beyond customer expectations”. So said Peugeot Style Director, Gilles Vidal, back in 2013 and despite all the talk of ‘dynamic curves’ and sculpted surfaces’ what Peugeot had done was join the growing ranks of manufacturers offering a B-segment crossover/SUV.

Revealed as the 2008 Concept at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, the production model made its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show the following year, going on sale in the UK that summer along with the larger 3008 and 5008. Built in both France and elsewhere, the new model had aimed for a sleek, sophisticated look and to our eyes it broadly succeeded. There were certainly some interesting styling details, providing the faux-off-roader look that many buyers wanted, while the compact dimensions and useful amounts of space and practicality were a further draw.

Indeed, plenty of people were tempted – by 2016 around 500,000 had been made with