Peugeot 3008 Active Diesel 2015 review

The well-priced French family bus abounds in cabin comforts but its age and weight are handicaps.

There's a last-minute call to CarsGuide for clemency this week just as we're deciding on the Peugeot 3008's standing in The Tick.

It comes in the form of a new drive-away deal on the 3008 as Peugeot aims for better value on a range of models. It means buyers of the petrol 3008 will be about $2500 better off, the diesel $3500.

The other models are the 208, 2008, 308, 4008 and 508. The Australian importer promises savings of up to $5500 by the time the cars hit the road.

The price push comes as the company works hard to reinvent itself in the face of increasingly tougher competition.

It has some good cars, especially the 308, but a lot of the line-up is ageing.

It will be a couple of years before a full-scale new-model turnover at PSA — the French parent company for Citroen, Peugeot and DS vehicles — comes on line.

A full family five-seater that works well as a people-mover in Europe

The 3008 is old and relatively expensive, although we need to adjust scoring to account for the $39,990 drive-away bottom line on the diesel Active that we drove.

It's quirky, a tag we usually reserve for Citroens, and one that's difficult to slot into a comfortable space.

A full family five-seater that works well as a people-mover in Europe, the 3008 does not do nearly as well against big SUVs in Australia.

The cabin is roomy and flexible, the seats are comfortable, it's easy to get in and out, there's underfloor stowage beneath the rear seat and and the clever boot has a three-tier layout for storage.

A clamshell-style fold-out seat provides a temporary perch for toddlers.

Even with a big load, the diesel version gets along well enough, thanks to its 340Nm of torque and six-speed automatic gearbox. It's not particularly perky but compensates with impressive economy for such a big bus.

The ride is not as good as I expect and in corners the car feels ponderous — it tips the scales at more than 1600kg after all. It's the complete opposite feel to the baby 308, which is sharp, smooth and responsive, and it's probably down to the age of the basic design and the families that constitute the target market.

The fitout is pretty good, including seven-inch multimedia screen, satnav, reversing cameras, impressive aircon, alloys and the rest. It also gets a five-star ANCAP safety score.

It's also easy to park, thanks to excellent all-round vision and a reasonable turning circle — but not as good as the Citroen C4 Picasso stablemate.

Capitalise on the ample space and the flexible seating and it's possible to fit all sorts of stuff inside, as we did during a house move.

Every time I look at the dashboard, however, I'm reminded that it's an old car that needs work. The plastics are hard, the layout of the switches is haphazard and the multimedia controls are confusing and counter-intuitive.

It's the same when driving. The 3008 is all right but no better than that.

That's not good enough when someone could be cross-shopping it against anything from a Hyundai ix35 or Mazda CX-5 to the Picasso or the latest Kia Sorento that's just gained a five-star ANCAP score.

In fact, there are so many rivals with impressive credentials, either for driving or family hauling, that the 3008 fades quickly into the background.