You don’t see the Peugeot 3008 tackling rough terrain often as the city-dwelling crossover is clearly engineered to stand out on a high street more than it would on a mud field. It’s also french and primarily front-driven, making for poorer off-road ability.
Only the 3008 Hybrid4 was capable of spinning all four wheels but even then the rears were driven by an electric motor independent of the THP165 petrol engine. That variant was not available in the Britian, however, which is where this rugged one-off hails from.
Created by Peugeot United Kingdom specifically for a new feature in Top Gear Magazine, the 3008 was modified to tackle the northern section of the Ho Chi Minh trail in Vietnam, requiring it to tackle a variety of surfaces.
Based on the 3008 GT Line, which is front-driven, the car has been fitted with grippier Cooper AT3 off-road tyres which are wrapped around more durable 17-inch steel wheels. There’s a front skid plate and certain vulnerable points as well as most of the underbody have received similar protection.
On its roof, the 3008 now has a powerful LED light bar installed on the front of the Rival aluminium roof rack. In addition to allowing for extra storage, this also doubles as the perfect mounting point for a top-mounted and fully retractable ARB Simpson roof tent.
There’s also a bicycle rack attached to the boot now, because naturally that’s the surest way to let everyone know you have an active lifestyle. Take that, Subaru owners.
David Peel, Managing Director of PEUGEOT UK said: “This one-off model exemplifies the practicality and off-road ability of our best-selling SUV.”
“With relatively minor modifications, the 3008 has tackled some tough terrain, proving the effectiveness of its Advanced Grip Control technology and demonstrating its true outdoor potential.”
There hasn’t been any mention of mechanical modifications to this off-road-centric 3008, so we assume the engine 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder THP165 remains untouched. If so, power and torque would respectively remain at 121kW and 240Nm, mated to an Aisin-sourced 6-speed automatic transmission.
For more on Peugeot cars, check out our Showroom.
