Peugeot 5008 1.2 Puretech 130 2022 review

With a small engine and a vast boot, is the Peugeot 5008 family nirvana?

What is it?

It’s the smallest engine in one of the biggest Peugeots – with a starting price of £32,995 in our second-level trim (or £31,145 in base Active Premium), the Peugeot 5008 offers an awful lot of space for not a lot of outlay.

The engine is Peugeot’s 1.2-litre three cylinder turbo’d petrol, here producing 129bhp and 170lb ft, tied to a six-speed manual. Those figures are behind rivals like the Skoda Kodiaq, but the Pug has to make do with 300cc less. And besides, both cars’ 0-62mph times are within a whisker of each other.

The headline acceleration figure will be helped by the 5008’s relatively svelte 1492kg kerbweight, an impressive figure given how much interior space is on offer. Fold flat rear seats mean that in five-seat mode, 952 litres is available back there, a handy amount extra than the Kodiaq. With everything folded, that figure rises to 2042 litres.

The 5008 was facelifted in 2020, bringing the styling into line with cars like the Peugeot 208 and 508. Like those siblings, it’s one of the more handsome cars in its class, although our test car’s poo brown paint colour doesn’t do it any favours.

The interior gets Peugeot’s new i-Cockpit layout, with a 10.0in infotainment touchscreen (mercifully, with some physical menu buttons underneath) and a customisable 12.3in digital dial cluster.

What's it like?

Mostly relaxing. The engine isn’t the most dynamic, but it slots into the background softly and purrs away, only occasionally emitting a little bit of three-cylinder thrum if you really rev it. It’s certainly far more refined than the lumpy four-cylinder that’s in the Kia Sorento PHEV.

With a 0-62 time that only just sneaks under 10 seconds, it’s not rapid but there’s enough torque on offer that you never have to feel like it needs thrashing to make decent progress. Motorway journeys are its more natural home, where the long sixth gear means the car cruises quietly.

It’s a bit more effort on a back road, thanks to that upper gear. 50mph is just under 2000rpm in sixth, which means you need to change down to fifth to keep the petrol spinning in its happy place. The ‘box isn’t notchy, so it’s hardly a chore, but it’s not quite the relaxing wafter you’d hope for.

Nor is the ride. It’s mostly quiet and composed, but patters a bit too much over sharper bumps. It’s not unsettling, but again, isn’t quite what you’d expect in a big French family wagon.

Technical specs

Model tested: Peugeot 5008 Allure 1.2 Puretech 130

Price: £32,995

Engine: 3cyls inline, 1199cc, turbocharged petrol

Transmission: 6-spd manual

Driveline layout: Front-wheel drive

Model tested: Peugeot 5008 Allure 1.2 Puretech 130

Price: £32,995

View all specs and rivals

Engine: 3cyls inline, 1199cc, turbocharged petrol

Transmission: 6-spd manual

Driveline layout: Front-wheel drive

Power: 129bhp at 5500rpm

Torque: 170lb ft at 1750rpm

0-62mph: 9.9sec

Top speed: 117mph

Kerb weight (DIN): 1429kg

Fuel economy: 39.3-48.0mpg

CO2: 145g/km

BIK tax band: 34%

Rivals: Skoda Kodiaq Nissan X-Trail

Rivals Skoda Kodiaq Nissan X-Trail