Today we're comparing the fastest and most powerful Peugeot ever and the fastest and most powerful Suzuki ever.
We're talking about 300 horsepower and 0-100-speeds as low as 6 seconds. And with those figures, you might not think of tame...
family SUV's, but they actually go with these cars. A while ago, Peugeot presented the plug-in hybrid versions...
of the 3008, in two flavours. This is the fastest of the two, the Hybrid4. Now however, it's got a rival in the shape of the Suzuki Across.
And let's be honest here, it's nothing more than a rebadged Toyota RAV4. However, Suzuki does get a first when it comes to the hybrid...
drivetrain, because the RAV4 isn't available as a plug-in hybrid. But the Across is. On the outside, you can recognize it as a Suzuki...
by looking at the nose. It has squeezed headlights and a remarkably big piece of mesh wiring in the grille. That stands out even more in a lighter color.
When we look at the Peugeot, we should talk about the front-end as well. The alert viewer will have seen this is still a pre-facelift 3008,
but if you order one now you get an entirely new nose. That comes with the LED-fangs we know from the 208 as well, but such a car wasn't available today.
It doesn't matter for the technology, and if it does, I'll be sure to explain the difference for you.
Technologically, this Across is exactly the same as the coming Toyota RAV4 PHEV we can expect in the near future.
That RAV4 PHEV shares a lot of parts with the regular four-wheel drive version of the hybrid RAV4. That also means this Across is powered by...
a 2.5-litre 4-cylinder engine, which runs according to the Atkinson-cycle. Additionally, it has two electric motors, one on each axle.
That means it has four-wheel drive. And the biggest difference between this and the regular four-wheel drive version, is the power gap.
This produces 306 horsepower, which is 84 horsepower more than the regular hybrid. Also, it has a bigger battery pack.
This is a plug-in hybrid, so you should be able to travel a certain distance electrically. And you can, because it has a 18,1 kWh battery pack.
Even in the country of plug-in hybrids, that's a lot. Suzuki states that it should be able to do 75 kilometres, whilst 50 km is about average.
In the real world, you really have to try to reach 75 kilometres on a single charge, but I was able to reach 65 kilometres. That's well...
above average. For a lot of people, that's enough to get to work and back again. And the great thing about a Toyota-hybrid,
because that's what it is really, is that if the battery runs out, it'll still be a Toyota-hybrid. That means that everything keeps...
working smoothly. Both the combustion engine and the electric motors. Also, it remains incredibly economical.
With a lot of other plug-in hybrids, the advantage runs out when the juice runs out. Especially compared to a lighter and simpler petrol version.
This will just remain an economical hybrid. You don't have to try to reach 16 kilometres per litre. That's very good for a car of this size.
Which weighs 1.900 kg as well, and that makes it a lot heavier than a regular RAV4 Hybrid. That's not crazy, considering the battery pack,
but you don't really notice the added weight. That has several reasons. For example, the battery pack is incorporated in the floor,
which is good for the centre of gravity. Second of all, it doesn't have a sporty personality, so don't get worked up by the numbers.
Sure, it's fun to say that you have a car which does 0-100 km/h in six seconds, but it's not a car which invites you to do that daily.
You'll be the quickest at the traffic lights, unless you've got a Tesla next to you, but if you do sprint away, it'll rev very high.
It just doesn't feel like it likes to do that.
The car is much more at home in rapid accelerations when you're already up to speed. Also, when you're moving through traffic.
You always have enough power, it's smooth, it's silent, and it's a very nice car to drive.
We already said that about the regular RAV4, and this plug-in hybrid doesn't diminish those words. If anything, it adds to our appreciation.
The comfortable personality is still present, the springs feel very smooth, but not too weak. Also, it stands out that the car feels...
very solid. There's no sounds coming from the chassis, it all feels like it's quality made. That adds to the comfort.
It feels quite big as well. That's something that differs a lot in this segment. It's different in the Peugeot, for example.
In here, you're pretty high up. Not low and sporty relative to the dashboard, which you see sometimes as well.
But because of that, you do get the feeling you're driving in a tough SUV. Maybe that's what buyers are looking for in a car.
That tough and immovable image is translated into the interior as well. And they've done that on purpose. Big, rubber buttons,
sturdy handles, and it's all the same as found in the RAV4. The only difference is the badge on the steering wheel.
But because of that, you do get a very solid impression that it's all quality made. The panels fit nicely, and it all feels like it will remain...
like this for thirty years. The only drawback is the fact that it isn't the best looking interior I've seen.
It's all a tad rough, and depending on your taste, you'll like it or not. You don't get the feeling the car is treating you to all of the comfort in the world.
But that does have some personality. It's nice, tough and sturdy.
At the same time, it does offer you all of the comfort in the world, because Suzuki only offers one trim-level for the Across.
That has a heated steering wheel, heated seats, electrically adjustable seats and lots of other things. However, that also means you can't...
choose anything. You can only choose the exterior color. You want a panoramic roof? Too bad, no options list available.
Anyway, there's nothing to complain about when it comes to the available trim though.
Except when it comes to the infotainment system, because it doesn't have a satnav system. That's probably a dispute about copyrights with Toyota.
If you want to navigate, you will have to connect your phone. Luckily, it has Android Auto or Apple CarPlay as standard,
but it's something to take into consideration. Not everybody wants to connect their phone to their car.
What you don't get in the Toyota but what you do get in the Suzuki as standard, is a spare wheel. Something that shows that Suzuki started...
out as a builder of terrain cars. That means the Suzuki has slightly less luggage space than the RAV4, because the spare wheel lies over here,
which in turn means the floor is a tad higher. For this comparison however, that doesn't really matter, because it's still a lot more spacious than...
the 3008. In here you can fit 490 litres with the seats up, which increases to 1.600 litres with the seats folded down.
In the Peugeot, you've got 395 litres of luggage space with the seats up, whilst it can fit 1.350 litres with the seats down.
Peugeot also offers a 5008, but that's not available as a plug-in hybrid.
The seating in the back of the Suzuki is better than the seating in the back of the Peugeot as well.
There's more leg- and headroom, and the front seat in the 3008 has a weird shape. So as an adult, you'll be more comfortable back here.
What I like as well in the Suzuki, is the fact that you can adjust the backrest.
With the facelift, the Peugeot 3008 gets a bigger infotainment screen in the middle over here, but other than that, pretty much nothing changes.
And it isn't necessary either, because it's one of the strong suits of this car. It looked special and futuristic when it first came out, and it still does.
And that's remarkable, because special interiors get very outdated very quickly. It's cozier than the Suzuki as well.
That's partly because of the fabric they've used here, which creates a homely mood. Also, it's because of the way you're surrounded by...
the components in here. The high instrument cluster, the bridge in the middle, you really get a cockpit-feeling in here.
The seating position is a tad lower than in the Suzuki as well. However, with special designs, shape usually comes before function.
And this car is no exception. Take the climate control for example. First, you have to push a button, which makes the menu appear...
and only then you're able to adjust the settings. If you want to access more options, you have to dive deeper into the menu's. And it's not...
the most user-friendly interface. There are four different menu's which all have different functions, whilst there are similar features in the menu's too.
That means you'll be spending more time looking for functions than you actually want to.
I do have to say, the 3008 does have satnav as standard. Also, it comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
So it's very modern. When it comes to the drivetrain, there are very big differences and very big similarities with the Suzuki.
So let's start with the similarities. First of all, there's the power. This car has 300 horsepower, which is only six horsepower less than the Suzuki.
However, it's lighter as well. The acceleration-times are pretty much the same, and this Peugeot is even quicker on certain bits.
Secondly, the way the drivetrain works is very similar. The 3008 has a 4-cylinder petrol engine in the front and one electric motor per axle.
The difference in the drivetrain lies in the fact that Toyota has developed a drivetrain especially for the hybrid.
That goes for the 2.5-litre engine, but for the transmission as well. Peugeot however, has opted to use a lot of parts they already had.
The 1.6-litre petrol engine for example, that's used for other Peugeot-cars as well. Or this 8-speed automatic gearbox.
That has both advantages as disadvantages. It still drives like a petrol-Peugeot, up to a certain level. Of course, you have much...
more power and the engine switches off sometimes, but it still changes gear. That gives you a whole other impression than a...
gearless transmission. Especially when you put your foot down, it feels a tad more spectacular in here. It also feels more natural,
but that's a matter of getting used to. The disadvantage is that it doesn't work as smoothly as in the Suzuki.
I already mentioned it, the Suzuki really profits from Toyota's technology. In here, when you suddenly put your foot down, it seems like it...
doesn't really know what to do with all of the power sources. It's all a bit shocky and raw-edged. Not as refined as you'd like.
Another drawback is that whenever the battery runs out, it's much harder to retain a decent fuel economy.
It'll be similar to a regular petrol 3008, which is a lot lighter. Another drawback is that the battery pack is smaller, or more average really.
It's only 13 kWh big, which should get you 50 km on a single charge. That's much more average, but the Suzuki does a better job.
Other than that, a 3008 is a very nice car. This plug-in hybrid version is heavier than the regular 3008, as I said, but that doesn't mean...
that the chassis is very hard. This version feels very well-balanced, with very nice steering. So there isn't a whole lot to complain about.
I do have to say that as a whole, the car doesn't feel as solid as the Suzuki. And it's very hard to explain why that is,
because it's partly because of the noises. Both from the chassis as from closing the doors for example.
But the way certain components fit in each other. It's not bad, but the Suzuki qualitatively feels better.
Suzuki initially asked €65.000 for the Across, which is way too expensive. Luckily, they've downscaled the entry price to €55.900.
That would make it cheaper than this specific 3008, because this is around €60.000, but we don't know the prices of the facelifted version yet.
In theory, the Peugeot could prove to be the better deal, but the Suzuki clearly is the better car.