When it comes to electric cars, some manufacturers design cars specifically with an electric drivetrain in mind. Other manufacturers...
take an electric drivetrain and put it in an already existing model. Take Peugeot for example. They've already done it with the 208,
and now they've electrified the 2008. So next to a diesel- and a petrol drivetrain, there's an electrical 2008 now. The e-2008.
And with that, Peugeot is walking the same path as Hyundai, who have petrol, diesel and electrical versions of the Kona.
They even have two electric versions, both with different power outputs. A 136 horsepower-version with a limited range and a...
204 horsepower-version with a much larger range. The lighter version has very similar specs as this Peugeot, but I've gone with the more...
powerful version, because the prices are almost the same. Both cars start at around €41.000. So the question is, what does Peugeot...
have to offer for its price to compensate for the lack of range compared to the Hyundai?
The interior of the 2008 looks incredibly good. Considering the used materials, Peugeot is clearly looking upmarket with this.
If we look at the functionality of the design, it becomes a matter of taste. The cockpit with the low steering wheel and high instrument cluster...
still is up for debate, but some people love it. Just like the multimedia system, which is very comprehensive, but that means you have to...
scroll through menu's for the simplest of things. Of course, there are some shortcuts, but it's still something that can be improved if you ask me.
What I like about this interior, is that it's very spacious for its segment. Especially in the front, there's not a lot to complain about. I'm...
2.00 m. tall myself, but I've got enough space to work with. It's a tad more cramped in the back, but what do you expect. It's a...
B-segment SUV. Lastly, there's a pretty spacious boot. Anyway, we're driving this car today because of the drivetrain.
And it's the exact same as found in the 208, which is quite a feisty drivetrain. It produces 136 horsepower and that is more than...
enough to go with the traffic flow for this car. However, if we compare it with the Hyundai, it's 'just' 136 horsepower.
There's a 50 kWh-battery pack in the car as well, which should take you around 320 km on a single charge. However, that's what Peugeot states.
In our test, we couldn't get it further than 240 km on a single charge. Not really groundbreaking. So when you release such a new car as this,
you're already late to the party and you only have this small range. That's a missed opportunity.
With the electrification, the car has increased in weight. Luckily, Peugeot was able to counter that in the chassis.
They've tuned the springs and dampers to be very comfortable. If you encounter an imperfection, you can feel the weight moving,
but other than that, there's a very nice balance to it. The steering is very distant though, almost no feel to it.
On the other hand, it's not a sports car. So why would you worry? It also comes with some driving aids.
This particular car is able to remain within the driving lanes and it's able to keep its distance to the car in front. Those are the first steps...
towards autonomous driving. Peugeot has done that very nicely. The car will remain nice and stable within the lines,
and if you're driving a tad towards the left, it will remain there. Vice versa for the right. That's handy if you need to let emergency...
services past in a traffic jam for example. So there's not a lot to complain about in here. Peugeot is clearly heading in the right direction.
Compared to the interior in the Peugeot, the interior in the Kona looks much more down-to-earth. No crazy features.
The used materials do seem to be very durable. If we look at the controls, there's a regular instrument cluster.
Nice and clear. The steering wheel grips nicely and the infotainments system is very good. A lot of other manufacturers should pay attention now.
It's incredibly clear and easy to use. The most important features are still operated by physical buttons.
You can easily adjust the temperature without making the satnav disappear. If we look at the cabin space however, the Kona isn't...
as spacious as the 2008. In the front, it's still alright, but in the back it's pretty cramped. Also, the boot is smaller than in the Peugeot.
Like I already mentioned, this car is available with two electrical power sources. One with 136 horsepower and one with 204 horsepower.
With that, this car can sprint off the line pretty quickly if you want it to, but the party piece in this car absolutely is the battery pack.
It has a 64 kWh-battery pack, which should be able to get it 484 km on a single charge. Theoretically speaking that is. However, we were...
able to reach 420 km on a single charge. That's very good in this segment.
The chassis feels sturdier in here than in the Peugeot, and that doesn't mean that it's not comfortable anymore. It's noteworthy...
that this car now comes with Michelin-tires as standard. That did help the handling a lot.
Having said that, the steering is still not very communicative. Just like the Peugeot.
Depending on the version, Hyundai supplies this car with lots of driving aids. Driving lane-assist, an active cruise control,
so it's semi-autonomous. Just like in the Peugeot. Maybe the systems in the Peugeot work a tad better, but it's very good in here as well.
Next to that, there's a tiredness-detection. So it's very close.
The Peugeot is a tad more spacious, looks a tad nicer and it uses nicer-looking materials. But does that beat a bigger range?
I don't think so.