Peugeot 2008 1.6 VTI ALLURE

I love bicycles as much as I love cars and thankfully my job allows me to combine both of these passions. My two previous long term cars as good as they were never complemented my cycling hobby as neither came fitted with towbars. So, I had no choice, but to use my wife’s car to travel from event to event. Apart from the faulty towbar wiring loom my Peugeot 2008 has been a real blessing over the past six months and is yet to let me down. Slipping back into its cabin after a lengthy spell behind the wheel of another test car, I’m always welcomed by a sense of familiarity and homeliness. Sure, it may not be as lavishly specced as a German saloon or as dynamic as a hot hatch but it’s this sense of humility that attracts me to the Peugeot lifestyle there’s nothing pretentious about it.

In last month’s update I mentioned my wife and I would be travelling up to Uniondale for the Karoo2Coast 100km MTB challenge. Well, the weekend went down pretty well and I’m happy to report that the 2008 performed superbly on the long road. The 1.6-litre 16-valve four cylinder is a real gem and feels more powerful than the 88 kW/160 Nm as listed in the spec sheet. It never felt starved of power even with three bicycles bolted to the rear and a full complement of passengers.

However, the most impressive attribute was the fuel consumption which allowed us to reach the Wilderness area with over 160 km of range in reserve. Another stand out attribute over the 580 km journey was the 2008’s stability at highway speeds and the hatchback-like pliancy of the suspension through sweeping corners a fact owed to its 208-derived platform.

Oh yes, the Karoo2Coast MTB challenge was a great success. My wife and I both managed to put in decent performances and finished in the top five per cent out of 3 100 riders. The drive back to Cape Town was just as good as the trip up but a faulty wiring harness meant our bike rack had no power. Thankfully the tail-lamps weren’t obscured by the bicycles and we managed to make it home before the 8pm Sunday movie again on a single tank. Great weekend, great race, great car.