Two very different answers to the same question
One is a hybrid built around efficiency, the other a petrol crossover built around comfort. Both cost about the same.
The Honda HR-V e:HEV and the Peugeot 3008 land within a few thousand dollars of each other once COE is accounted for, which is where the similarity ends. Honda has built a compact crossover around a two-motor hybrid system that drives the wheels electrically almost all the time. Peugeot has built a larger, softer car around a turbocharged 1.2-litre petrol engine and a great deal of sound deadening.
We ran both for a week each over the same routes: a daily commute from Punggol to the CBD, a Saturday run up to Kranji, and a full load of luggage to Changi.
Efficiency
This is not close. The HR-V returned 5.1L/100km over the week, and the city leg alone dipped under 4.6. The 3008 managed 7.4L/100km on the same roads. Over 15,000km a year, that gap is worth roughly a thousand dollars in fuel.
Space and practicality
The 3008 is the larger car by every external measure, but the HR-V uses what it has far better thanks to the fuel tank sitting under the front seats.
- Honda’s Magic Seats fold flat or flip up, which no rival in this class can do.
- The 3008 has the bigger boot on paper, 520 litres against 319, and the wider load opening.
- Rear legroom is close, but the HR-V has the flatter floor and the better rear seat base.
- Only the 3008 offers a full-size spare, which matters if you drive north often.
On the road
The Peugeot is the more relaxing car at expressway speed, quieter and better damped over the joints. The Honda is the sharper thing in town, with better visibility and a drivetrain that never hesitates. Neither is enjoyable in the way a hot hatch is, and neither is trying to be.
Conclusion
The 3008 wins on comfort, boot space and the sense of occasion you get from the interior, which is still one of the most interesting in the class. If most of your driving is long and straight, it is the better car.
For everyone else, the HR-V takes it. It is the more efficient car by a wide margin, the more practical one for its size, and the easier one to place on a narrow HDB carpark ramp. Over five years of ownership, that combination is hard to argue with.
