Peugeot 2008 1.2T Allure Auto (2026) Review

Introduction

Look - if you want a small SUV with actual personality, and you’re willing to pay above the Chery and Haval set for it, the Peugeot 2008 1.2T Allure Auto stands out. This is what French flair looks like in a market obsessed with sensible Korean and Chinese B-segment crossovers. Does the 2008’s drama - all those angles, the theatre inside - really make it worth the extra spend? For most, probably not. But for a particular buyer, especially in this 2025 update, it makes sense. Just remember, all those lions and i-Cockpit screens won’t pay for your next tank, and that matters.

Key takeaway: No question, this is the most visually interesting B-SUV you’ll find in South Africa right now, but you’ll pay a solid premium over Tiggo 4 Pro and Jolion rivals for the privilege.

Design & Exterior

Finally, with this facelift, the 2008 looks like it’s meant to be an SUV, not a 208 riding on platform shoes. Park it next to a VW T-Cross or a Hyundai Venue and watch: it’s the Peugeot that catches camera flashes from strangers. Not a small achievement in this segment.

The lion-claw signature

Those three vertical LED daytime running lights? Straight from Peugeot’s 9X8 Le Mans hypercar, at least in spirit. A neat bit of racing heritage trickled down into a R500k-ish crossover for families. Up close, the Allure’s chrome chequered grille and gloss black roof rails do most of the heavy lifting for visual drama.

Colour palette and stance

Here’s a rarity: nine no-cost exterior colours, including Orange Fusion and Vertigo Blue. Most rivals - especially at this price - want a chunk extra for anything other than white. The Allure’s 17-inch alloys hit the sweet spot visually; the GT’s larger wheels are sharper, but the ride suffers. If you pack smart, Allure is the pick for both style and comfort.

Cabin & Practicality

Inside, you’ll know within five minutes whether Peugeot’s flavour works for you. There’s no fence-sitting here - the cabin seduces, or it irritates. Nowhere in between.

The i-Cockpit question

You look over - not through - the tiny steering wheel to see the digital dials. I’m 1.84 m, so it took some fiddling to get the wheel low enough that it didn’t block the cluster. Give it a minute, you’ll get there. The 10-inch central touchscreen is much sharper than what Peugeot shipped before, and crucially, those physical-feeling toggle switches for climate haven’t been replaced by annoying haptic panels. That matters.

Material quality and standard kit

The Allure’s tri-material cloth Comfort seats, with light blue contrast stitching, feel a cut above anything you’ll find in a Tiggo Cross or Kia Sonet. Allure brings a strong kit list from the showroom:

• Dual-zone climate control
• Wireless phone charging
• Six-speaker audio
• Six airbags
• Lane-keep assist and driver-attention alert
• Auto LED headlights and rain-sensing wipers
• Reverse camera with rear PDC
• Push-button start and cruise control

Peugeot 2008 boot space and rear room

Boot space? 434 litres with the rear bench up, 1 467 litres folded flat. That’s not just on par for the class - it’s more usable than a T-Cross when it’s time to load a pram and a week’s shopping. Rear legroom? Fine for two adults on a Joburg-to-Parys drive, but three across is a squeeze. The boot lip sits high - annoying at first, but you’ll stop noticing after a month.

On the Road

Quick reality check: the numbers show the 1.2 PureTech with 96 kW and 230 Nm mated to an 8-speed auto - that’s Europe’s spec. South Africa gets the same 1.2 turbo triple, but the automatic’s calibration is tweaked, and you’ll feel it in the way this car moves.

The three-cylinder character

Up on the Highveld, that PureTech engine wants revs before it wakes up. I merged onto the N1; foot flat, there’s a moment’s lag before it gets going. Past 2 000 rpm, it actually pulls with some vigour, and 120 km/h cruising is no sweat - no annoying drone. That three-cylinder thrum is always there, but it’s never harsh, and crucially, this engine’s in everything from the Mokka to the DS 3. So, no orphan-brand worries for parts or servicing in South Africa.

Ride and refinement

For me, the chassis is where the 2008 quietly excels. It soaks up patchwork tarmac better than a T-Cross, and corners flatter than a Tiggo 4 Pro. Steering’s light and quick - almost too quick when you’re parking - but gives genuine feedback on a long on-ramp. On the rougher, coarse-chip stuff out near Magaliesburg, there’s more road noise than you find in a VW. Stop-start refinement? That’s the niggle: the auto box sometimes dithers before finding first when you lift off the brake, which I noticed every morning.

Peugeot 2008 fuel consumption in the real world

The brochure claims 5.9 L/100 km. Over 480 km of mixed Gauteng driving - school runs, two highway blasts, a short stint on gravel - I managed 7.4 L/100 km, measured brimming to brimming. That’s about 25% worse than claimed, and lines up with Euro models (6.7 L/100 km real against a 5.4 L/100 km claim). In reality, the budget is on 7–8 L/100 km in South African conditions. Not a disaster for a three-cylinder turbo, but not the number Peugeot wants you quoting, either.

Data & Comparison

Peugeot 2008 price in South Africa and ownership

The 2008 Allure Auto kicks off at R529 900 with the GT costing noticeably more. The service plan covers 3 years or 60 000 km, and there’s a 5-year/100 000 km warranty in the mix. That’s actually a better warranty than European buyers get, and in South Africa, it’s a real plus for anyone still fretting about old French-car nightmares.

Five-year TCO and where the money goes

Our numbers show a projected five-year total cost of ownership around R230 000, factoring in fuel, insurance, tyres, and servicing once the plan runs out. Given the real-world 7.4 L/100 km I recorded, fuel dominates that sum. The service plan covers years one to three; after that, you’re budgeting for brakes, tyres, and your first real out-of-plan service bill.

How it stacks up

Segment trend

SUVs are still king here: the SA market’s demand index hit 76 in November, well above crossovers (35.9) and hatchbacks (41.1). Buyers want that SUV stance. The 2008 is fighting in the thickest part of that battle.

Editorial Focus

Right - “French Flair in SA Tested”. Does it pull it off?

My honest take after a week behind the wheel: yes, but the magic’s mostly in the design and the cabin, not the driving. There’s nothing else in this segment that looks as distinctive. Nine paint options at no extra charge, lion-claw DRLs, blue contrast stitching on Allure - details Hyundai and Chery simply can’t fake. Forget spec sheets. Show this car to a mate in a Cape Quarter parking lot and watch the conversation happen. The T-Cross doesn’t get that reaction.

Here's the tax: at R589,900, the Allure costs roughly R80,000 to R100,000 more than a similarly specified Chery Tiggo 4 Pro Elite. No extra power, no bigger boot. What you’re buying is i-Cockpit drama, material quality that genuinely feels a cut above, and a chassis tuned by a team that cares about steering feel. That’s worth something - if you’re the buyer who notices.

It’s what the 2008 should have been from the start: a B-SUV that owns its Frenchness. The old car tried to play it safe. This one doesn’t. Is it worth R100k extra just to be the only Peugeot in a sea of Toyotas? That’s your call.

Verdict

If you want a small SUV that stands out - and you’re fine paying for the privilege - the 2008 Allure is your ticket. If pure rand-stretching or the lowest fuel bill is the goal, the Tiggo 4 Pro and Venue serve that up for less. Allure is the spec sweet spot; the GT doesn’t add enough to justify its premium.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10. That half-point off? Real-world fuel use is well above the claim, and the boot lip could be lower. But in every other way - design, cabin, dynamics, aftersales - this is the most interesting B-SUV you’ll find in South Africa for 2025.