All-New Peugeot 5008 SUV Car Review

It seems like every five minutes or so that a brand-new SUV is born into this motoring world. Peugeot is the latest marque to come out with a new SUV and it’s called it the 5008. Wait just one second, didn’t Peugeot already have a 5008? Ah, you clever so-and-so! They did indeed. The old 5008 was a people carrier – or MPV as it was more fashionably known. Peugeot has decided that this ugly duckling had to be put down, and so it has transformed the 5008 into a super-fashionable seven-seat SUV instead. Just pretend the old one never happened.

Exterior/Interior

The old 5008 was one unattractive beast, looking a bit like the motoring equivalent of a bison painted by Picasso. It was not good, and we’re delighted that Peugeot has moved away from that to turn the 5008 into an SUV, because the new 5008 looks great. Peugeot is really on a roll with its SUVs – the Peugeot 3008 is European Car of the Year – and this car looks the business. Angular, sharp, stylish, and available in a variety of attractive paints, the new 5008 is bound to get some hearts racing.

Inside, the impressive styling continues with an interior heavily inspired by the future. It looks like a concept car, and that really sets it apart from a lot of modern SUVs that are all similar. The new 5008 certainly isn’t, and is easily one of the most modern-looking motors out on the road right now. Bravo, Peugeot!

On the Road

Peugeot is offering an unusually large number of engines with the 5008, and they can be had with a manual or an automatic gearbox depending on what your preference is. Ours is for the 120ps or 150ps diesel engines, as the low-down grunt an oil-burner provides gets the large SUV moving along. Petrol – unless high powered – never really feels quite at home in such a machine.

Unusually for an SUV – often called 4x4s – there is no four-wheel drive option, which means off-roading is going to be limited to sedate conditions. Peugeot does have something it calls ‘Grip-Control’ a system, whereby the car uses computer technology to help it calculate what to do to get the most grip on low-grip surfaces. We’d advise staying out of tricky situations though.

Like all SUVs, the 5008 drives in a way that is uninvolving. The steering lacks feel, it isn’t happy going around corners quickly, and it isn’t particularly quick. However, it is very comfortable, and the modern looks more than make up for the fact it isn’t all that exciting to drive. It’s an SUV after all, it isn’t meant to be anyway.

Practicality

It’s a seven-seat SUV, so practicality is the name of the game here. The second-row of seating is packaged as three individual seats, which is handy, but for ultimate passenger comfort we’d avoid the panoramic sunroof option, as they eat into head-room a little bit. They look cool, but they aren’t all that useful if you’ve got lots of people to transport.

The rearmost seats of the seven are for children only – as usual with this sort of car. They can be folded away though and this opens up a great deal of space in the boot area, which you could probably fill with a small tank or perhaps more sensibly, the world’s largest shopping trip. Basically, what we’re trying to say is you won’t be lacking for space here.

Equipment

Strong equipment levels are the norm for most modern cars now, and with the new Peugeot 5008 there’s plenty of kit to keep you occupied or make your life easier, depending on what your objectives are in life. Active cruise control is a real delight on longer journeys, and blind-spot monitoring is always helpful on the motorway. More normal bits of kit include the usual electric windows, cruise control, climate control, and a large touchscreen which controls all the car’s functions.

‘Allure’ spec models and above get Peugeot’s SOS system, which will tag the location of the car and call the emergency services, should you be in an accident. This works by detecting that the airbags have been deployed. Crucial modern safety-tech that, for our book, delivers a nice peace of mind.

Verdict from Carsnip’s Editorial Chief, Tim Barnes-Clay:

In a sector where looks and style count for a lot, the Peugeot 5008 gets off to the perfect start with one of the most attractive designs on the market. It’s practical, it drives well enough, and it has good equipment and space for people. That’s pretty much all a seven-seat SUV can do, isn’t it? Good car.