Peugeot 5008 review ~ station of gear

For:

Excellent interior, comfortable, efficient engines

Our Rating:

Against:

Divisive looks, not enough buttons, high seating

2017

The Peugeot 5008 is back and better than ever, with new SUV looks and a practical interior

Thanks to a complete overhaul, the Peugeot 5008 is almost unrecognisable from what came before. That’s no bad thing, though, as the new model is better than ever thanks to a fantastic interior and a composed feel on the road.

The 5008 shares much with the new 3008, as you might expect from the similar styling, but of course the larger SUV has a third row of seats in the back. These can be folded down to free up extra boot space should you need it, so while the 5008 doesn’t match the 3008 for economy or looks, it makes up for that with the added practicality.

We’ll have to wait until Peugeot announces prices for the UK market to give a final verdict, but things are looking very good for the new model if the brand can get the numbers right.

11 May, 2017

Where the old 5008 was more of an MPV than a crossover SUV, despite the marketing implying otherwise, this new model actually has the upright stance, ride height and chunky looks of an SUV - even if there’s no 4x4 option yet.

Image 20 of 21

Image 20 of 21

The upright grille, detailed headlights and taillights, the steep windscreen, raised ride height and hidden C-pillar all give the 5008 a distinctive look, and it’s a similar design to the closely-related 3008. We prefer a Skoda Kodiaq’s more traditional looks, but the 5008 certainly has a distinctive style.

On the inside it’s all good news, though, as the 5008 has the same top-quality interior as the 3008, making it one of the best cars in its class to sit in. It wraps around the driver, incorporating Peugeot’s infotainment system on an 8-inch touchscreen in the centre.

The small steering wheel and high-mounted instrument cluster remain as well, and you get Peugeot’s new i-Cockpit display in there, with a 12.3-inch screen behind the wheel. Like Audi’s Virtual Cockpit, it means you can change the layout of the dials, choose what is displayed and how or show the sat-nav instructions in front of you.

Put aside some lower-quality materials lower down in the cabin, and the fiddly touchscreen controls for the air-con, and the 5008’s interior is one of the best in its class. It’s great-looking, high quality and functional - what more could you ask for in a seven-seater car?

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

Instead of dials, you get a customisable 12.3-inch i-Cockpit in every 5008 model, plus an eight-inch tablet-style touchscreen on top of the dashboard. Through this you can control the stereo, car preferences, climate control and, on Allure models and above, the sat-nav.

Image 14 of 21

It’s a slick system and can be set up to display right in front of you on the iCockpit display, so following directions is easy. The screen on the dash is a bit fiddly to use on the move, as all touchscreens are, but there are enough buttons to find each feature ensuring it’s not the worst of its type. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available, and it’s pretty simple to link to your smartphone.

As it’s now a crossover SUV rather than an MPV, the 5008 has raised-up suspension that contributes to the striking new look. We found that the car felt smooth and composed on our first drive in Portugal, but the closely-related 3008’s set-up tends to crash into potholes here in the UK, so we’ll reserve final judgement for now.

Image 3 of 21

Image 3 of 21

The 5008 does drive well for a big seven-seater, feeling much more agile than the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso but not as comfortable. The Skoda Kodiaq is better to drive overall, with less body roll and better control weights, but the 5008 puts up a good fight. The small steering wheel is supposed to make it feel more responsive, but we found that it’s an odd choice in such a large car as this and doesn’t feel natural.

At least the seating position is good, as you can see the dials over the top of the steering wheel, unlike in some Peugeot models. It’s comfortable to sit in thanks to the quality seats, and forward visibility is good - though rear visibility is limited and you’ll need to rely on the camera systems to park easily.

There are manual and automatic gearboxes available, and both are fine options - the manual is much smoother than the one found in the Grand C4 Picasso, and the EAT6 automatic shifts nicely as well. There’s no four-wheel drive model, but some version get some off-roading tech that can take control of the driven wheels individually to maximise grip - and those models get Mud & Snow tyres as well.

Engines

Final engine details are still not available for the 5008, but by looking at the 3008 range it’s easy to get a good idea of what to expect. A 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol will kick off the line-up, with 128bhp and 230Nm of torque. It doesn’t sound like a three-cylinder should really work in a big seven-seater, but the engine is certainly strong enough. It sounds good too, and is nice and quiet at speed.

There’s also a 1.6-litre petrol engine with 163bhp, but it’s not as economical as the smaller 1.2, so probably won’t be a good fit for most buyers.

Image 4 of 21

Image 4 of 21

A 1.6-litre diesel with 118bhp and 300Nm of torque will likely be the top choice, offering the highest economy figures, but so far it’s only the 2.0-litre diesel we’ve tried. There are two versions, a 148bhp version with a manual gearbox or a 178bhp model with the EAT6 auto. We tried the 148bhp variant and found it to have plenty of grunt, although it does sound gruff when you push a bit harder.

At the moment the Peugeot 5008 is too new to place in our Driver Power customer satisfaction survey. However in 2016 Peugeot finished in 13th place overall, beating manufacturers such as SEAT and Volvo.

It feels well built and robust on first impressions, but that’s not enough to go on - we’ll have to wait and see if the Peugeot is a particularly reliable or unreliable car. There’s no reason to think it would develop a bad reputation at this point, though.

Safety is technically unproven as well, although the closely-related 3008 did manage a five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP in 2016. The old 5008 scored five stars in 2009 as well, so it’s looking likely the new model will be a top scorer.

Safety equipment including blind spot detection, lane keep assist, driver attention alert and adaptive cruise control will help it score highly in the tech category too.

Warranty

Firm details aren’t ready for the 5008 in the UK yet, but an industry-standard three-year warranty is available on all new Peugeots, so we don’t expect a difference for the new 5008. It’s only really beaten by Hyundai and Toyota’s five-year warranties and Kia’s seven-year one.

The Peugeot 5008 is a seven seater (if you only need five seats, go for the cheaper 3008) and just about matches up with its main rivals for space. It’s easier to get in the back seats than in a Renault Grand Scenic, but there’s a bit less space in the third row.

It’s not the best for visibility, as the exterior design has caused a lot of rearward blind spots. The rear window is small and feels far away, so the 5008 isn’t the easiest car of its type to drive. A Citroen Grand C4 Picasso is much better in that regard.

Size

The Peugeot 5008 is just over 4.64m long and 1.84m wide, which means it’s a little smaller than the Skoda Kodiaq - it’s slightly shorter too, at 1.65m high. The Peugeot’s wheelbase is longer than the Skoda’s, at 2.84m, although legroom in both is plentiful. One advantage the Skoda has is more headroom in the back.

Leg room, head room & passenger space

There’s a decent amount of head and legroom even for taller passengers in the back seats, but the panoramic sunroof option cuts into that significantly. In the third row of seats there’s less space than in a Citroen Grand C4 Picasso or Renault Grand Scenic, two dedicated MPVs, but it’s enough for kids and it’s fairly easy to get in and out.

Image 7 of 21

Boot

Peugeot hasn’t supplied a figure for boot space with all seven seats in place yet, but just like most people carriers it’s not a huge amount of space with the third row up. Fold the seats down and you’ll find 952 litres of space, which is much more than the Skoda Kodiaq’s 720 litres. You can also take the rear seats out completely - they are pretty light - and that means you’ve got 1,060 litres of space.

Fold the second row of seats down and the 5008 has a total of 2,150 litres of space, which also beats the Kodiaq’s 2,065-litre capacity. It’s impressive, and means the 5008 is one of the roomiest cars in its class.

While Peugeot hasn’t worked out the figures for the 118bhp 1.6-litre diesel model yet, we’re expecting it to be the to choice for economy. In the 3008 the engine manages 70.6mpg and 104g/km of CO2, but expect those figures to drop in the bigger, heavier 5008.

The other diesel option is a 2.0-litre BlueHDi unit, with either 148bhp or 178bhp. The former has a manual gearbox and returns 61.4mpg and 118g/km of CO2, and the latter is auto-only and manages 58.8mpg and 124g/km of CO2.

If you go for petrol power, the 1.2 PureTech option is a decent pick, managing 54.3mpg and 120g/km of CO2. It’s not as economical as the diesels, but those figures mean it’s not out of the question to go for the petrol. It’s a refined and punchy choice, too.

Insurance groups

There’s no data for the 5008’s insurance groups yet, but Peugeot tells us to look at the 3008 for guidance. That car starts in group 11 for a 1.2 model in entry-level trim, but we’d expect the more expensive 5008 to start somewhere a bit higher than that. Go for a 1.6-litre diesel and that starts to go up past group 20, and the 3008 GT is in group 24.

Thank you for reading the article about Peugeot 5008 review in blog station of gear If this article was helpful please bookmark this page in your web browser by pressing Ctrl + D on your keyboard keys.