Tag: drove
I drove Peugeot’s e-2008… the French car maker’s first fully electric SUV
THIS is Peugeot’s first fully electric SUV.
Most definitely, it will not be the last.
It wasn’t short of kit to start with – 7in touchscreen that talks to your phone, fancy LED lights, parking sensors and so on – but now you get even more free equipment[/caption]
The French firm has committed to electrifying everything by 2025.
But the popular e-2008 originally launched two years ago has duly qualified for an upgrade.
It now goes a bit farther – up eight miles to 214 – after tweaks by Peugeot’s IT department, a new heat pump and some ultra-sensible, low-resistance tyres.
There’s more good news.
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It wasn’t short of kit to start with – 7in touchscreen that talks to your phone, fancy LED lights, parking sensors and so on – but now you get even more free equipment.
Gloss-black roof rails and blacked-out rear windows now come as standard on the renamed entry-level Active Premium +.
The next level up, Allure Premium +, bags advanced 3D navigation and voice recognition, previously the preserve of top-of-the-range only.
When it first arrived on the scene, the e-2008 looked the part – if perhaps ever so slightly gawky compared to the smaller, cheaper and angrier e-208 supermini from which it is based – for a sensibly priced baby electric SUV.
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Two years later it’s still looking on the money, needing no aesthetic modifications having consistently sold in impressive numbers.
It’s super-modern inside, too, with a radical, if ultimately pointless, 3D driver display and a notably futuristic interior design approach which contrasts pleasantly with its down-to-earth pricing.
It also drives better than you’d think.
With all the heavy electric bits and bobs being stuffed in the floor, its centre of gravity is duly lowered, making this the pick of the 2008 range for handling, over the petrol and diesel alternatives.
Admittedly, they can do 450 miles before needing to stop to fill up – and are as much as £8,000 cheaper.
But they’re not as green.
Also worth noting – whichever flavour you choose, they all have the same 434 litre boot capacity.
The real-world range you can squeeze out of the e-2008 is not a one-size-fits-all figure. You’ll struggle to get over 160 miles on a single charge with mixed driving in all weathers.
But supporting up to 100kW charging, it will top up in just over half an hour at a fast-charging station, or overnight with a standard 7kW home wall box.
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Plush, comfy and slightly better than it was before, the popular e-2008 is not the electric SUV answer for everyone given its limited range and compact interior.
But as a second car it will surely schlep your kids and an ample bootfull of their belongings to school before the bell rings, with a quiet sense of neo-futuristic charm for you to appreciate on your return journey home.
KEY FACTS: PEUGEOT e-2008
Price: £28,150
Battery: 50kWh
Power: 134hp, 260Nm
0-62mph: 9 secs
Top speed: 93mph
Range: 214miles
CO2: 0g/km
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I drove the new Skoda Kodiaq – it’s still a superb family SUV but now has a face everyone can love
“IT doesn’t look like a Skoda.”
I’ve heard those words at least twice while driving this Kodiaq.
Since VW ownership, Skodas have become loved for their practicality, good road manners and solid economy[/caption]
Hard to work out if it’s an insult or compliment.
You’d have to be living in a cave playing poker with Lord Lucan and Shergar to not realise Skoda makes great cars these days.
But it’s true Skoda’s design game has been upped only recently.
Since VW ownership, Skodas have become loved for their practicality, good road manners and solid economy.
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But to be spontaneously complimented on their looks, even if it is a back-handed dig at how boring they used to look?
It’s the final piece of the jigsaw.
Here’s a sentence I wouldn’t have written five years ago. Based on looks alone I would have something like the Skoda Enyaq over the VW and Audi equivalents.
And I’d take a Kodiaq over a VW Tiguan.
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The version I’ve been driving looks especially slick.
Sportline models wear some extra make-up – black grille, discreet boot spoiler, 20in wheels.
Overall it still looks sensible, but it’s definitely attractive. A bit like that woman on Countdown who knows all about words.
Beyond the pretty face, there’s still everything we’ve come to love Skoda for.
There’s an extra row of seats in the back on most models, which are big enough to be bearable for adults on short hops and plenty roomy enough for kids.
The rest of the cabin is airy and comfortable too. You could survive as a family of six or seven with a Kodiaq alone, no need to go down the MPV route if you don’t want.
The scratchier, hard-wearing plastics are where they should be – in the line of fire from kids – but elsewhere the materials are soft and squishy enough to make you feel like you’re in something more premium.
The infotainment system causes no grumbles – it’s responsive to inputs and has a sensible number of menus to get your head around. I had a choice of test driving the 1.5-litre two-wheel-drive version or the 2-litre all-wheel-drive model.
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Seeing as petrol costs more per litre than Chanel No5 these days, I went for the former.
I would recommend it.
Volkswagen’s 1.5 TSI unit feels plenty peppy enough, even in a bigger car like this.
The slick DSG gearbox helps too. It’s a solid partnership.
Out on the road the Kodiaq behaves sweetly.
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It’s a comfortable ride, without being too wallowy in corners, and the cabin stays peaceful even at higher speeds.
Is a Kodiaq the ideal family car? It’s certainly up there, especially now it’s got a face everyone can love.
KEY FACTS: SKODA KODIAQ SPORTLINE
Price: £38,815
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo petrol
Power: 150hp
0-62mph: 9.8 secs
Top speed: 126mph
Economy: 39mpg
CO2: 164g/km
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