Peugeot 5008 (2018) review: Gallic flair in SUV-form
Peugeot 5008: the interior
The interior design is not radical, but for the most part it works really well.All seven seats are independently adjustable, and the front five are very comfortable. The seats in the third row are not accompanied by much leg room, but they’re fine for ...
What if you’re the least important occupant - the driver?
You sit agreeably high up - not as tall as a Transit, but looking down on estate cars - in a roomy, conventionally laid out space.The electronic parking brake is annoyingly slow to engage and disengage, which can make for awkwardness at junctions and in st...
Go steady on the 5008 spec
The basic spec of the 5008 is pretty good. There are four trim levels - Active, Allure, GT Line and GT - and you don’t miss out on much (aside from the reversing camera) if you go no higher than the smart, versatile Active.Questionable additions as you go up the spec ladder include a fiddly and slow sat-nav system, a very aggressive active lane-keeping system, the least soothing massage seats this side of the Spanish Inquisition, wood, bigger wheels and all manner of ambience configurability.Various options, mostly cosmetic, are also available. Our test car came with more than £4000 worth, of which the £590 audio upgrade and £870 panoramic opening sunroof seemed to be unreservedly worth it; without that sunroof, the cabin could seem oppressively dark.
Verdict
The marketing chat may have shifted from MPV to SUV, but the heart of the 5008’s appeal remains the neat, adaptable, accommodating, seven-seat interior. Don’t get fooled into thinking that this is some sort of off-roader and just take it for what it is.Whatever shape of body they have, seven-seaters are in heavy demand. It’s a pity that driving pleasure isn’t a bigger part of the 5008 package, but when its practical virtues are so prominent it’s hard to argue.Is this the right engine/gearbox combo? The 1.2 doesn’t make a compelling case. The lightness of the triple has got to be a good thing, and the economy is decent for a petrol, but it really could do with some more power.Check out Phil McNamara’s initial thoughts of the 5008 when we drove it in Europe…Here’s a sign of the times: the Peugeot 5008 has been reincarnated as an SUV, having spent its previous life as an MPV collecting dust in showroom corners.Rest in peace seven-seat people carrier, welcome seven-seat 4×4 (not that four-wheel drive will be available) with epic space for people and packages, and a range of competitive engines.The 5008 is basically a 190mm-stretched version of the 3008, Peugeot’s distinctive and thoroughly decent five-seat SUV, but big brother will cost a couple of grand more model-for-model. Expect the entry price around £23,795, and UK deliveries beginning in September.
Big brother! Does that mean a leaden drive?
CAR drove the flagship model first, a 2.0-litre BlueHDI diesel with 180bhp, mated to the six-speed automatic transmission.On Portuguese roads so potholed as to banish any longing for home, the taut 5008 HDI serves up a busy, uncomfortable ride, often triggering an unsettling aftershock of pitch. And the 3008’s most engaging dynamic attribute, its responsive, sweetly weighted steering, feels like it’s been filled with concrete. Sacre bleu!The diesel engine remains smooth and adequately hushed, with sufficient acceleration: it’s the quickest 5008 - just - with 0-62mph in 9.1secs. The automatic transmission intuitively hangs onto second and third gear on coastal roads more up and down than Arsenal’s form, but throttle response could be snappier, particularly upon kickdown. There’s a sport button to remedy that, mind you.For the record, combined fuel consumption is 58.8mpg, and this 5008 emits 124g/km of carbon dioxide.
Shame. Does a petrol engine redeem the 5008?
Oh yes, it feels like a different animal. The top spec diesel in plush GT trim (wonderfully quilted leather/polished steel/appealing pale wood) weighs a hefty 220 kilos more than the base 1.2-litre manual turbo, and the HDI has a distinct, firmer set of springs and dampers, to go with its 19in rims.Jump into the 1.2 Puretech petrol using the same auto ‘box, and the difference is instantly apparent. Turn the wheel (the shape of a fifty pence piece and not much bigger), and the nose responds more eagerly, with a lighter touch and less springy resistance. The ride, on 18-inch rims, is also far more settled, fluidly absorbing the crevices and crests, and with superior body control. The 1.2 just feels so much more nimble, for which you can partly credit the commendably light, 1317kg kerbweight.And that means the three-cylinder turbocharged engine can cope with the longer SUV’s demands, almost all of the time. Two up, the mid-range feels a bit wheezy on the hills (note to Snowdonia dwellers) but otherwise the engine retains the spritely, propulsive urge familiar from the Citroën C3, though its goading three-cylinder soundtrack is down in the mix. Throttle response is a bit woolly (resort to the sport button), while manual shifts from the hollow plastic paddles aren’t the snappiest.Where the 5008 excels is in its refinement. Wind noise is extremely well suppressed, and tyre grumble is made as welcome as Romanian caterers at a Brexiteer’s birthday party. Impressive stuff.
What’s it like inside?
That sense of civility is enhanced by a cockpit that lavishes space on its occupants. The second row of seats, usefully of identical size so you can get three child seats abreast, has more legroom than a business class flight.A pull of the handle at squab ...
Verdict
Having been a late developer in the SUV field - 26 million sold in the world last year, French execs note while trying not to rub their hands together with glee - Peugeot will have small, mid-size and seven-seat SUVs on sale by the autumn. The 5008 will be the smallest in volume, but it’s competing in a much less crowded market.If you discount (good luck) the more expensive Land Rover Discovery Sport and the older Nissan X-Trail, it’s a fight to the death between the polished Skoda and the 5008. The pragmatic Skoda Kodiaq is the default choice if you need four-wheel drive, but the Peugeot has more flair, a marginally better package and the edge on refinement. And with an extended VW Tiguan coming this year, ‘compact’ seven-seat SUV buyers have never had it so good.Read all of our Peugeot reviews here
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