Peugeot does off-road is not the usual comment that you expect from the French lion brand and that is a claim I was apprehensive about when I took the Peugeot 2008 to the recent National Ploughing Championships. Peugeot has developed what is called a grip control system that allows its cars to have extra traction on the front wheels for difficult driving conditions.

Take a car to the Ploughing and you will test those conditions. Afterwards, I brought the Peugeot 2008 to a potato field and then across greening up stubbles to confirm its off-road ability. I was impressed with the small car’s ability to travel across ground that would be suspect for a normal car.

This small SUV comes with a unique ability to make it a worthwhile second car option for many farm families. It is compact and tidy on the road, with good ability to tackle the muddy road conditions and modest field ruts with some degree of confidence.

The 2008 is one of Peugeot’s best sellers and with the thrifty 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine, the performance is good. The test car was fitted with a six-speed automatic gearbox that was easy to use and worked well with the grip control system when called into duty.

Peugeot offers the option of a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel engine in the 2008 which has three different power ratings, depending on the specification level chosen. The top-of-the-range diesel version is rated at 120bhp versus 110bhp for the 1.2-litre petrol engine, and it comes with significantly more torque. Despite that, its towing rating is not much better.

There is a significant advantage of up to 30% in terms of fuel economy when you take the diesel option. So while the petrol version that I drove is a very lively and smooth car with its award-winning engine, the diesel version makes more sense in terms of running costs, even if it is priced a little higher.

The 1.2-litre petrol engine is a three-cylinder one and normally that’s noticeable from behind the wheel. They are rarely as smooth in terms of acceleration as this Peugeot engine is. This is the best three-cylinder petrol engine that I have driven and it adds to the driving enjoyment of the car when it is matched with the automatic gearbox.

Petrol running costs are more significant than diesel ones, especially for the higher use driver. The test car which I had was the GT version with more style and stronger look and a fuel economy rating of 20.8km/litre (4.8l/100km or 59mpg). My driving experience, which varied and was sometimes challenging, was about 40% poorer over a drive that took me across 1,100km.

The use of the grip control system off-road probably added to my fuel usage. The system is controlled by a dial located on the centre console. It allows you to choose from five driving modes. These are standard ESP, snow mode, mud mode, sand mode and ESP off mode.

Most of my driving was in standard mode and I switched on the move to mud mode once I crossed into field conditions. There was no clunk of a gear, just a new image on the dash to tell me that I was in mud mode and confident to tackle the Ploughing mud. The system adds to the car’s towing ability and it boosts traction in poor ground conditions. Peugeot claims that it uses electronic components that are already installed and with Goodyear 205/50R17 Vector 4Seasons tyres, it adds no extra weight and there is no excessive fuel consumption, unlike a traditional 4x4.

The GT version of the 2008 is also more attractive to look at than the base model and it’s also more expensive. There is a strong look to the car with some addition design features to make it look more like an SUV than you would expect with the softer car look.

Dash design

The dash design is new with Peugeot’s i-Cockpit and that included sat-nav on the test car. There is the option to plug in your phone and run Google Maps through the system that is touch-control and very easy to get a handle on. The steering wheel is small and sporty in design, with a good level of control. This SUV is considered compact and that translates into small.

The front driver space is good while the seat base may be a bit on the short side for larger adults.

Seat adjustment is good and the rear seats fold easily to give more load space. The boot opens high for clearance and there is a proper space wheel included.

The entry price for the face-lifted Peugeot 2008 is €19,400 for the base 1.2-litre petrol engine model, while the test car with its GT badging and automatic gearbox pushed that price to €26,435. What is interesting is that the diesel version, while not available with the automatic gearbox, is marginally cheaper.

Running costs of smaller cars such as the Peugeot 2008 are competitive with diesel costs for equivalent cars. That’s probably why almost 40% of Peugeot’s 2008 cars sold are petrol-powered. Our estimates are at €0.28/km and that low-cost motoring, based on reasonable depreciation costs, are helped by Peugeot’s five-year warranty.

For a small SUV that is great to drive, and delivers impressive off-road ability even in the Ploughing mud, the upgraded Peugeot 2008 is a useful choice. Add the GT specification and your car will look even better for the price.

New Isuzu D-Max on the way

The new Isuzu D-Max was launched at the Paris Motor Show last week, with a more fuel-efficient 2.5-litre turbo-diesel engine and enhanced safety features. The new engine is rated at 163bhp and 400Nm of torque, to put the D-Max into competition with the new Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi L200.

The new, lighter 2.5-litre turbo-diesel engine claims to deliver reduced consumption and CO2 emissions. It has an automatic belt tensioner system and automatic valve clearance adjustment for additional reliability, according to Isuzu.

This new D-Max is equipped with electronic stability control. It has a hill start assist system that uses a form of traction control system to keep the brakes engaged for two seconds in case of stalling during an uphill climb. The new D-Max comes with a hill descent Control function for more secure low speed hill descents without requiring the driver to use the brakes.

The new D-Max claims to integrate security and sportiness combined with a new front grille design. The D-Max will be available as single, space and crew design, but it is uncertain what options will be available for the Irish market.

All the models of the new Isuzu D-Max will come with new LED headlights, while the new front fog lamps and two new types of 16in and 18in alloy wheels will be available on selected models.

1978 Ford Fiesta is Ireland’s oldest version

Following a nationwide search, Ford Ireland has crowned a 1978 Ford Fiesta owned by John Egan from Tuam, Co Galway, as the oldest driving Fiesta in Ireland. John, who is a truck driver for Maguire Haulage has owned, restored and maintained the 1978 Fiesta for the past eight years.

The search for the oldest Fiesta was part of Ford’s celebration activities to mark 40 years since the 1976 launch of the Ford Fiesta in Europe. The unveiling of Ireland’s oldest Fiesta took place at a celebration of 40 years of the Ford Fiesta, which was held at Weston Airport near Lucan in Dublin. The event also brought together 40 Fiesta enthusiasts from across Ireland who drove in a range of old and new models in a convoy of 40 Fiestas along the M4.

The Ford Fiesta has sold more than 17m units around the world since its launch in 1976. Ford claims that 180,000 Fiestas have been sold in Ireland since its launch, giving it a claim to be the country’s longest-standing and favourite small car.

The event featured The (former) Stig from Top Gear, Ben Collins, who demonstrated the handling and capabilities of the new 200bhp Fiesta ST200. This was a far cry from the performance of John Egan’s 1978 version.

New Peugeot Expert van now in Ireland

Peugeot has introduced the new generation Expert van and Ploughing visitors had a chance to see it up close in Tullamore. The new Expert has a new front-end grille design to give it a stronger, more robust and attractive look.

The new van is rated to carry from 1,000kg up to 1,400kg. It is available with a reduced height of 1.90m and in three lengths – compact, standard and long. There are two trim levels, active and professional.

The new Expert van is available in panel van and special-order crew cab or platform cab variants. It claims to have the highest safety level in its category, achieving a five-star rating in Euro NCAP tests.

It retails from €21,520 plus delivery, (from €17,553 ex-VAT), for the entry level Compact Active 1.6 BlueHDi 95bhp 1,000kg version.

The standard equipment on the new Expert Active range includes twin-side sliding doors, twin panel rear doors, full steel bulkhead, 16in wheels, ESP, central locking with deadlocks, driver and passenger airbags, driver’s seat height and rake and reach adjustment, lumbar adjustment and armrest, dual passenger seat with under seat storage, cruise control with variable speed limiter, front electric windows, electrically adjustable heated door mirrors, full size spare wheel, DAB radio, Bluetooth, USB and audio jack, LED daytime running lights, and three 12V sockets between the cabin and the load area.

Kia launches new Rio

Kia launched the new Rio at the recent Paris Motor Show and it’s an important car for the Korean car maker as it accounts for 16% of Kia’s annual sales.

This fourth-generation Rio aims to build on the outgoing model’s strengths, which include design, low running costs and a practical nature.

Kia claims to have increased the interior space in the car, as well as give more boot space to make the car a practical option. The new Rio will be the most technologically-advanced Rio ever produced. It will be equipped with new cabin technologies, safety systems, and connectivity features. It will offer both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration, and will be the first car in its class to offer autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian recognition.

This new Rio will be offered with a range of petrol and diesel engines. The Rio features Kia’s latest three-cylinder 1.0-litre T-GDI (turbo petrol direct injection) engines, which are claimed to offer high efficiency and low emissions.