There’s a new compact SUV player in Thailand and that is the all-new 2022 Peugeot 2008. The Malaysia-assembled B-segment SUV goes on sale in the land of smiles for THB 1.189 million (~RM 148,608) and will go up against rivals like the Honda HR-V and Toyota Corolla Cross.

Reminiscent of its Peugeot siblings, the 2008 also heavily bears the family resemblance of vertical DRLs designed to imitate a lion’s fangs. The DRLs extend from the LED headlights to further accentuate the fang-like look.

The 2008 also features the new frameless grille that now graces the front-end of all Peugeot SUVs. But unlike the Peugeot 3008 and Peugeot 5008, the 2008’s grille is designed to look like a cat’s nose, accentuating the impression of a cat.

Also read: Review: CKD 2021 Peugeot 5008 facelift – The French mistress your family would approve

From the side, the visuals are dominated by grey fenders while a chrome panel is added to liven up the side profile. At the rear, smoked taillights stretch across the entire rear-end while a piece of matching chrome panel on the bumper finishes off the sophisticated new look.

For your information, the 2008’s design won the design accolade at the 2020 Red Dot Design Award.

Also read: Review: CKD 2021 Peugeot 3008 facelift – New face enough to tempt you from CR-V?

Head inside and you will be greeted with a grey interior interspersed with metallic surfaces. Like its older siblings, the 2008 also comes with quite a number of buttons designed to resemble that of an air-plane cockpit.

A 7-inch touchscreen infotainment that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto takes centre stage. There are also six speakers to blast music from.

On the safety front, the 2008 comes with six airbags, blind-spot warning, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and speed limit sign recognition.

Power comes from a 1.2-litre PureTech 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that churns out 130 PS and 230 Nm. The engine is paired to a 6-speed automatic gearbox that sends drive to the front wheels only.

Thailand is the first market in ASEAN to launch the all-new 2022 Peugeot 2008. Although Bermaz Auto Alliance, the new distributor for Peugeot vehicles in Malaysia, has slated the SUV to be launched in our country this month, but plans might have been pushed back due to the pandemic. We can only say, watch this space for updates! 

Also read: All-new 2021 Peugeot 2008 CKD set for Malaysia launch in December