In Europe, for more than 10 years, two SUVs have been vying for the sceptre of queen of the sales charts: the Peugeot 3008 and the Volkswagen Tiguan. This is confirmed by the consistently high numbers they record every month and the fact that they are now both in their third generation, with completely new styling, a lot more technology and engines that are always efficient.
Despite the fact that they are a far cry from their initial design philosophy, both in terms of size and shape, they still maintain their historic objective: to win over mums, dads and many workers, who have always chosen them as company cars. So let's start a new comparison on paper.
- Peugeot 3008 VS Volkswagen Tiguan: the exterior
- Peugeot 3008 VS Volkswagen Tiguan: the interior
- Peugeot 3008 VS Volkswagen Tiguan: engines
- Peugeot 3008 VS Volkswagen Tiguan: history
Peugeot 3008 VS Volkswagen Tiguan: the exterior
As always in these cases, we start with the exterior. The two new generations of both cars, which debuted in recent weeks and which you can see in the photos, are the third.
In terms of design, both have been designed to evolve the style inaugurated by the two manufacturers in recent times and with other cars, taking it to the next level and inaugurating new guidelines.
In the case of the new Peugeot 3008, for example, the new front grille features the company's new logo, flanked in turn by newly developed vertical LED daytime running lights, which are topped by the actual high and low beams.
The result is a very distinctive optical effect, intended to enhance the car especially during the daytime hours, with a rather 'powerful' light signature.
La nuova Peugeot 3008
La nuova Volkswagen Tiguan
The Volkswagen Tiguan, on the other hand, has been designed taking as its inspiration many of Wolfsburg's latest productions, both petrol and electric. In its lines, in fact, several stylistic traits can be found in the Golf 8, but also in the various IDs presented in recent years, such as the ID.4 and ID.5.
In general, both new SUVs do not differ much from the previous generations, true best-sellers of the last seven years (just look around the streets of any Old Continent city), although with one substantial difference as far as the French crossover is concerned: it has now become an SUV-Coupé.
La nuova Peugeot 3008
La nuova Volkswagen Tiguan
In fact, looking at the profile and rear of the two new cars, it is clear that while the German designers have chosen to keep the shapes of the Tiguan unchanged, the French designers have instead opted for the path of revolution, completely changing the rear of the 3008 and opting for a much more sloping tailgate than in the past and a decidedly angular third window.
The result, in the latter case, is a crossover with a sporty and aerodynamic shape, designed with a double objective: first of all to capture even more the favour of the global public, by now a fan of high-wheel coupés, then to succeed in decreasing the amount of air displaced during movement, consequently reducing the aerodynamic Cx and thus consumption (also of electrons).
| Model | Length (metres) | Width (metres) | Height (metres) | Wheelbase (metres) | Weight (kg) |
| Peugeot 3008 2024 | 4.54 | 1.90 | 1.64 | 2.73 | na |
| Volkswagen Tiguan 2024 | 4.54 | 1.84 | 1.64 | 2.68 | from 1,502 kg |
Peugeot 3008 VS Volkswagen Tiguan: the interior
If on the outside the new Peugeot 3008 and the new Volkswagen Tiguan have taken a step forward compared to their respective previous generations (both born in 2016), thus coming closer to the other models in the range, inside they have ushered in a genuine new family feeling, with totally revised layouts and new on-board electronics.
La nuova Peugeot 3008, gli interni
Starting in alphabetical order, so once again with the French car, the new 3008 was chosen by the company to present the world with the innovative Peugeot Panoramic i-Cockpit, equipped with a 21-inch curved HD panoramic screen that seems to float on the dashboard and the traditional small steering wheel that has equipped the Lion's cars for years.
It is a way of 'living' that has always been appreciated by customers, with a very particular layout that involves adjusting the steering wheel (flat above and below) very low down, so that the instruments can be clearly seen above (and not inside as usual).
But that's not all. At the launch of the 3008, the company also removed the veils from the new dashboard, now covered in a special grey fabric and equipped with the new by-wire automatic gear selector, positioned behind the windscreen wiper lever.
Finally, the seats are also new, now upholstered in a choice of leather or microfibre and equipped with a new interior foam designed to better support the body during long journeys: a key feature that has earned it AGR approval, something that will be well appreciated by the many workers and fleet managers who for years have chosen the Sochaux crossover to travel hundreds of thousands of kilometres on the motorway.
La nuova Volkswagen Tiguan, gli interni
Comfort is also the watchword for the new interior of the third generation Volkswagen Tiguan. Just like the French car, the German Tiguan was chosen by the company (along with the Passat) to present to the public the interiors of the company's future cars, which are very similar in terms of ergonomics and layout to the latest electrics.
Here, too, the new MIB4 infotainment system makes its global debut, a true generation leap from the previous MIB3. Another great innovation in the interior of the new Tiguan is the rotor, positioned on the central tunnel and designed to provide a 'short cut' to everyday use settings, avoiding entering awkward submenus from the central screen.
This is a generational leap compared to the cars currently on sale, made together with the new control for managing the automatic gearbox, now positioned on the steering column and no longer at the bottom as, once again, on the Golf 8 or its cousin the Audi A3.
Since the Tiguan is also a car intended for families but also for fleets, the engineers have also entirely redesigned the seats, which can now be chosen with different new covers and, just like the previous generation, also in a 100% electric ergoActive version and approved (as for the French car) by the German AGR body.
Peugeot 3008 VS Volkswagen Tiguan: the engines
But let's get down to business: the mechanics. As far as the engines of these best-sellers are concerned, the two manufacturers have chosen two totally opposite philosophies.
While Peugeot has decided to present the new 3008 first and foremost in a 100% electric version (please read the news article for the technical characteristics), to which combustion versions will be added in the coming months - probably equipped with completely different engines compared to the previous generation - Volkswagen has chosen to unveil the entire range of its powertrains during the unveiling phase, albeit with a few new features compared to the past.
In fact, the French on a mechanical level alternates with the German, which confirms its historic engine 'catalogue', made up of acronyms that over the years have proved champions of fuel consumption and reliability. All this with one exception: the plug-in hybrid versions, now equipped at the petrol level with the new 1.5 TSI in place of the old 1.4 TSI, a novelty announced some time ago.
Peugeot 3008
Volkswagen Tiguan 2024, il motore ibrido
Peugeot 3008 VS Volkswagen Tiguan: the story
Have you ever wondered how these two cars have climbed the European sales charts in the last 10 years? Their story begins, for both of them, in late 2007, when they were presented as a 'middle ground' between the two manufacturers' compact cars and larger family cars.
They make their debut in a segment that is still unknown to most, at a time (now long gone) when estates or large MPVs still hold sway. In some ways, in fact, Volkswagen's ambition in recent years has been to move away from the MPV concept altogether, presenting a car with a totally different shape, albeit with a rather boxy interior and high in the rear.
In contrast, Peugeot designs the 3008 as a true crossover with a large interior, with some completely innovative technologies for the time, such as Grip Control, an electronic device capable of simulating the presence of a front limited-slip differential and guaranteeing correct traction even on slippery terrain (the Tiguan, on the other hand, is equipped with 4motion all-wheel drive with Haldex differential).
Le Peugeot 3008 di prima generazione
La Volkswagen Tiguan di prima generazione
In 2016, in parallel, both manufacturers presented their second generations of C-segment SUVs. The new 3008 presents itself as a mid-size crossover with rounded lines, evolving the concept inaugurated with the first generation to a higher level, thanks in part to a decidedly more refined interior and new hybrid engines (also with all-wheel drive).
The then-new Tiguan, on the other hand, has a decidedly more angular shape, especially at the front, with squared-off headlights and a large horizontal bonnet. But that's not all. Thanks to the design based on the new MQB floorpan, just like on the French car, among the equipment are the company's new ADAS and the new infotainment system, later also available with virtual cockpit.
La Peugeot 3008 di seconda generazione
La Volkswagen Tiguan di seconda generazione
In short, two best sellers that over the years have always been on par in terms of technology, price and mechanics, chosen by customers all over the world according to their personal taste in aesthetics and practicality of use.
Will they be able to continue the fortunes achieved and proven by the previous generations, conquering more and more customers, fleet managers and workers around the world? We will find out in the coming years. Which one would you choose? Let us know in the comments on social media.
Versus:
Gallery: Peugeot 3008 vs Volkswagen Tiguan, the eternal medium SUV challenge
