2017 Peugeot 5008 reviewed

This is the Peugeot 5008 and it has some big boots to fill. You see the 5008 is essentially a stretched seven seater version of the Peugeot 3008.

When it comes to the 5008 though, is it as revolutionary as the 3008 or does it just feel like a jacked up MPV that just happens to look like an SUV? Inside is just like the Peugeot 3008 and it feels just like a concept car inside. I love the way the dashboard wraps around you and the design details inside are just fantastic. You have the new small style Peugeot steering wheel which looks great and some piano shortcut keys which look really really good indeed. The use of plastics inside is fantastic, there’s not style over substance at all because there’s some real quality. The plastics all feel very good indeed, so does the leather and I love the use of material across the dashboard - it makes it feel really inviting inside. However storage wise it’s a bit hit and miss really. The door bins easily pass the big bottle of water test. They are also flocked lined which means your keys and other items stored in there don’t rattle around. The glovebox however is tiny – I’ve never seen something so small in my life, you can’t fit anything in there. Happily there is a large storage space under the arm rest which is easily large enough for a large packet of crisps but I can overlook the little problems of storage really because it’s the level of technology and standard kit on this car that really does amaze me. On some models you can have fragranced air that is pumped through the air vents and some models also have massaging seats. All cars come as standard with Peugeot’s i cockpit which is exactly the same as Audi’s virtual cockpit. It’s home to your navigation, your dials, your phone and all sorts of other information. The best thing about it is it’s standard on every single 5008.

Trim levels are split into Active, Allure, GT line and top spec GT and all cars come with seven seats. Active Trim gets a digital dashboard, an infotainment touchscreen complete with Apple carplay and Android Auto as well as 17 inch alloy wheels, autonomous emergency breaking and reversing sensors. Allure brings all round parking sensors, a reversing camera, sat nav and some extra safety kit while the GT line model adds sport seats, 18 inch alloy wheels and LED headlights. Top spec GT models come with keyless entry and go, adaptive cruise control, soft leather upholstery, massaging front seats and a panoramic sunroof.

In the back there is a tonne of room for middle seat passengers. Unlike the Peugeot 3008 you get three individual back seats. There is tonnes and tonnes of knee room and nice little touches in the back as well such as roller blinds for the children and there are little pull down tables as well on the back of the front seats. They don’t feel particularly strong but they are a nice touch. You can fit two small water bottles in the door bins and there’s extra storage hidden in the car as well. Under the completely flat floor, if you peel back the carpet there is also a hidden compartment which will also store two small water bottles nicely.

Now you do get three individual seats in the back which is quite nice and you can just about fit three child car seats across them too. Because they are all individual they all slide forward, they all decline as well which is quite a nice touch. However there is one bad thing, despite all of these good things - headroom is an issue. There is virtually no head room whatsoever. Now if you are 5ft 10, your head will almost be brushing the roof and even though there is a glass panoramic sun roof there is still no space whatsoever. Weirdly there is less headroom in the back than there is in the 3008 and I don’t quite know how Peugeot have done it, perhaps it’s due to the individual seats and they are positioned a little bit higher up, but that really isn’t good enough.

There are two little individual seats right at the back and they are easy enough to get into. They are both positioned in board so you can see straight down the middle and you’ve got a good view out. Knee room is not too bad at all and it’s perfectly fine for adults on a short journey and perfectly fine for kids on longer ones. The amazing thing back here though is that there is more head room here than there is in the middle row which is really quite odd.

The boot has an electric tailgate and when you are in 7 seater mode there is not a lot of boot room as you’d expect. There is enough room for a small cabin sized suitcase and that’s it really. There is a two height mode for the parcel shelf which is quite nice. If you want extra storage you can remove the two rear seats which is very straight forward. It’s only really useful if you want to add some extra storage to the car, but you can have a vast cargo area if you need it.

Under the bonnet there is a large engine range, the cheapest is the 128bhp, 1.2 litre turbo petrol and you can have that with a manual or automatic gearbox. There’s also 163bhp, 1.6 litre turbo petrol which is auto only. The diesel range consists of a manual only 99bhp 1.6 or 118bhp 1.6 with manual or automatic gearbox which later in 2017 will be replaced by 128bhp 1.5. There’s also a 2 litre diesel with 148bhp or 178bhp. Also there’s no four wheel drive although you can spec your 5008 with advance grip control which does clever things to the traction control system to help you in slippery conditions.

We’ve drove the 1.2 3 cylinder turbo charge petrol engine and it’s a very decent engine. It’s revvy, it’s punchy and if you are carrying two or three people it’s going to be absolutely fine. However if you are going to be carrying lots of people, seven people for example or lots of luggage I think you are going to have one of the 1.6 petrols or diesels because the car fully loaded starts to struggle just a little bit. Economy officially stands between 49-55mpg for petrol engines and 59-69mpg for the diesels. Obviously the more power you go for the less economy you will see. As for performance well 0-62mph ranges from a ponderous 13.6 seconds at a basic 99bhp to 9.1 seconds at 178bhp diesel.

Handling wise, well for most part the 5008 is absolutely fine. Now because it is a little bit bigger than the 3008 it actually rides better than that car. The 3008 tends to hop and skip over bumps whereas the 5008 levels bumps out a little more. It’s almost on par with a Skoda Kodiaq for outright comfort. However and this is a big however as it concerns the small steering wheel now this little wheel is absolutely fine on something small like a Peugeot 208 or a Peugeot 308 where it adds to the general fun of the car but on something like this it makes the car feel very nervous and restless especially as the steering is quite sharp. The 5008 also does feel like a big car. At the front it does feel like a Peugeot 3008 but look over your shoulder and it feels like a big old MPV. So should you buy a 5008 should you need an SUV and is it as good as the 3008? Well if you want a practical, comfortable and funky seven seater then yes but it doesn’t feel as well resolved as the Skoda Kodiaq being a seven seater SUV. The 5008 just feels like an MPV with a higher driving position. If you’re on the hunt for a new or used Peugeot 5008 then we should have the right one for you on DesperateSeller.co.uk.