Peugeot 5008 review

• What is it?
• But now it’s an SUV, right?
• But now it looks different?
• What engines can I have?
• Is there a hybrid option?
• How much does it cost?
• Our choice from the range
• What's the verdict?
• What is it like to drive?
• What about the 1.6-litre petrol?
• And the diesels?
• What else do I need to know?
• Is it efficient?
• What is it like on the inside?
• What should I be paying?

Overview

What is it?

Remember the first-generation Peugeot 5008? Unless you owned one you probably don’t, because it was an extremely forgettable seven-seat MPV that lasted from its launch in 2009 until it was finally pulled from sale in 2016.

But now it’s an SUV, right?

Correct. Also in 2016, Peugeot unveiled the second generation 5008 – a three-row crossover SUV that competed with the excellent Skoda Kodiaq, the Seat Tarraco, the VW Tiguan Allspace and the Land Rover Discovery Sport, rather than the likes of the Renault Scenic or Ford S-Max.

But now it looks different?

Correct again. Well done you. In late 2020 Peugeot treated the 5008 to a facelift with a fancier grille, sharper front lights (with those fang-like LEDs), smarter phone connectivity and a load more tech inside. That’s the car you see in the images above.

The facelifted version was unveiled in September 2020, just days after the similarly facelifted 3008 broke cover. That’s no surprise when you learn that the five-seat 3008 and seven-seat 5008 are essentially the same car underneath. The only real differences come as you move towards the rear of the 5008 where you’ll find a longer, more upright tail designed not only to accommodate more luggage, but also the two occasional seats that spring up from the boot floor. Oh, and the rear doors are longer, for better access therein.

What engines can I have?

As of August 2022 you can only have an eight-speed automatic gearbox in your 5008, with the previous six-speed manual option removed. Peugeot said the majority of 3008 and 5008 buyers went for autos anyway, and the ‘box can be paired with either a 1.2 or 1.6-litre petrol engine or a 1.5 or 2.0-litre diesel.

Is there a hybrid option?

Nope. While the 3008 gets two different plug-in hybrid options, the larger 5008 needs the space for extra seating so can’t squeeze in any batteries. It’s internal combustion only for now.

How much does it cost?

Trim levels now start with the Active Premium+, with prices kicking off at £33,500. The step above that is Allure Premium+ at £35,900, while top spec is the GT trim with a £37,400 base price. Good value, then.

Our choice from the range

Peugeot

1.2 PureTech GT 5dr

Ј33,635

The 5008 in its current SUV form is a massive improvement on the old MPV iteration, as much as it pains TG to say it. It’s nothing special to drive, but it is comfortable, quiet, and possessing of one of the most interesting interiors available in a mainstream production car. Providing you can actually see the dials, it’s a big selling-point that’ll see people signing as soon as they switch on the ignition and see the screens light up. It could use AWD to legitimise it as an SUV, and parked next to a 3008 it certainly looks like the lardy seven-seater it is, but other than that this is a good effort from Peugeot.

Driving

What is it like to drive?

You might think it impossible that 1.2 litres and three cylinders could provide enough motive force to propel something as heavy and bulbous as the 5008 at anything more than walking pace. You would be wrong, however, because so equipped with Peugeot’s quiet, refined and tractable turbo petrol the 5008 performs perfectly adequately.

Granted, we didn’t fill it up – if you regularly carry many people and things, a torquier engine would make for a less strained and therefore more efficient drive –  but if it’s just a couple of kids and a bootload of shopping, you’ll manage just fine and this base spec engine would be our pick of the bunch. Peugeot claims 129bhp and 170lb ft of torque, with a 0-62mph time of 10.2 seconds.

What about the 1.6-litre petrol?

Well, that ups power to 179bhp but torque only climbs to 184lb ft, so best look towards the diesels if you’ll often be fully-loaded and travelling long distances. The 1.6 is a four-cylinder turbo engine so it’s less characterful than the triple too.

And the diesels?

We haven’t driven a facelifted 5008 that fills up from the black pump yet, but we did drive the pre-facelift car with the larger 2.0-litre diesel when it was originally launched. The numbers look promising with 175bhp and 295lb ft of torque, but it was noisy and the auto gearbox wasn’t up to much. And it’s expensive, so skip it. Oh, and 0-62mph takes 9.2 seconds, whereas the four-cylinder petrol beats that by almost a full second.

What else do I need to know?

The petrol handles better than the diesel too, because there’s so much less weight over the nose. Though there is a Sport button (which only really firms up the steering and tells the gearbox to hang onto ratios for longer) but this is a car that’s been set up to deliver comfort above all else. It’s quiet and refined almost everywhere, but start to drive it a bit quickly, and the mass starts to feel at odds with the quick steering.

In our most recent test of a 1.6-litre petrol, we did find the eight-speed auto gearbox to be a bit clunky and reluctant to change too. There’s a manual mode to overcome this, but do you really want to be pulling paddles in a seven-seat family SUV?

Is it efficient?

Peugeot claims between 38 and 46mpg for the smallest petrol engine with its auto gearbox and just a couple of mpg less for the larger 1.6 engine. The 1.5-litre diesel claims the best figures if that’s what you’re after, with a combined mpg of between 50.2 and 60.8. Worth noting that on petrol versions at least the stop/start system is very active and perhaps cuts in too frequently – locking the steering as it does.

Interior

What is it like on the inside?

The dash houses two configurable screens, one for the driver’s instruments and the other for nav and entertainment. Their operation is smooth and logical, and their graphics clean. Under the main info screen (which is 8-inches in the base spec Active Premium+ trim and 10-inches on all other trim levels) are a pair of air vents and a row of buttons – luckily Peugeot didn’t dispense with these completely during the facelift.

Peugeot calls the system, which debuted on the last 3008, i-Cockpit, and, sure enough, the way the screens and surfaces are canted toward the driver make it feel more cocooning than we’re used to in cars like this. Above all else, it’s very modern and very cool. The quality of both materials and build is on-point for the class, while the front seats are supremely comfortable.

And thankfully the design does not impinge on space. The two rearmost seats aren’t really for adults – more so small children up to early teens – but that’s OK. Erecting, stowing and accessing them is straightforward enough, but remember when they’re up and in use, the boot shrinks from massive (a full 952 litres) to tiny (just 166 litres). The middle row gets three individual seats that all slide fore/aft and recline. Slid all the way back and reclined a bit, it’s pretty comfy back there. Top spec GT trim adds two USB charging sockets for rear passengers too.

One thing that still irks us a bit is the driving position. You have to sit differently in Peugeots than other cars, because the dials are designed to be read over the top of the (incredibly tiny) steering wheel, not through it. If you’re of a certain height, the wheel rim blocks the bottom half of the dials, and that’s annoying. Plus, in a car as large as the 5008 it can seem strange using such a small steering wheel.

Buying

What should I be paying?

Unlike the 3008 which now has a four-wheel drive option thanks to the most-powerful plug-in hybrid variant, the 5008 is still front-wheel drive only. That does make the range easier to understand though, with just three trim levels and four engines to choose from.

The trim levels are now Active Premium+, Allure Premium+ and GT, with the former kicking off the range at £33,500 when paired with the little three-cylinder petrol and the eight-speed auto gearbox. If you want to go for that base trim your only other engine option is the lesser 1.5-litre diesel, starting at £35,460. Active Premium+ is pretty well equipped as standard, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, cloth trim, a reversing camera, 17-inch wheels (great for the ride quality) and LED headlights.

Above that is Allure Premium+ at an entry price of £35,900. Again your only other option is the 1.5-litre diesel (go for the small turbo petrol) at £37,750. This trim adds the larger 10-inch infotainment screen, 3D connected navigation with TomTom live updates and voice recognition. It also ups the wheels to 18-inches, adds tables to the back of the front seats and turns the trim into half-leather.

Top spec GT trim opens up access to the full engine range with prices starting at £37,400 and going all the way up to £40,710 for the 2.0-litre diesel. For the money you get an improved and adaptive cruise control system, plus extended driver assistance systems, more chrome trim and many premium trims inside.

At the time of writing Peugeot has monthly PCP deals starting at £378 per month on a 47 month deal with a near-as-makes-no-difference £5,000 deposit. That’ll get you in an Active Premium+ iteration, whereas the same deposit and contract length will see you paying £454 for GT trim.

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