Peugeot 5008 SUV (2017 - ) review

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The 5008 is a compact SUV that goes up against the likes of the Nissan X-Trail and Skoda Kodiaq. It has a rather busy front end and a squared-off rear, with large doors and a big tailgate for easy access. The headlights are either halogen or full LED, depending on the model you go for, while the rear LED headlights are designed to look like a claw. All models get alloy wheels, ranging in size from 17 to 19 inches. The exact specifications for each variant of 5008 hadn’t been announced at the time of writing, but there will be four versions, starting with the entry-level Active, and moving to Allure, GT Line and top-of-the-range GT.

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Peugeot has made a concerted effort to move upmarket in recent years, and there’s a premium feel to the 5008’s cabin both in terms of its styling and the quality of materials used. The driving position is raised, and the low dashboard and small steering wheel enhance that commanding feel and give a nice wide view of the road ahead. A fully digital dashboard shows the speed and revs as you’d expect, but also most aspects of the infotainment system, expanding the information found on the 8.0-inch touch-screen on the centre console. Usefully, there are physical buttons to jump between navigation, media and so on, without having to rely solely on the touch-screen; something that we’ve found fiddly in other cars.

Most of the 5008’s rivals offer a third row of seats as an option, or as standard only on higher-end variants, but all 5008s come with seven seats as standard. Sadly, though, these seats aren’t surrounded by enough space. Taller adults will really struggle for head-room in the second row (at least, they will on the sunroof-equipped models we tried), and they should forget about the third row entirely: it’s really only for children due to the seriously limited head- and leg-room. The seating arrangement is pretty flexible, however. All three second-row seats are the same size and individually adjust or fold down flat with a tug of a lever, while the third-row chairs fold away under the boot floor, or can be removed entirely for extra luggage space. With seven chairs in place, you’ll have enough room for a few shopping bags but not much else, but in five-seat mode, cargo space gets a lot more generous and compares well with other cars in the class. Space gets even more huge in two-seat mode, and should you want to transport a particularly long item, you also have the option to fold the front passenger seat flat.

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All the models we’ve tried handle remarkably well. The 5008 is not a small car, but it’s agile on twisty roads, with an impressive suppression of body roll and steering that feels reassuringly hefty in its weighting. The wheel’s small size makes steering inputs feel even more direct. The ride is excellent, with the suspension easily dealing with even serious road imperfections, although road noise is a bit intrusive, especially on cars with larger wheels. Although there’s no four-wheel drive option, we drove a 5008 over some modest dirt roads and it coped with ease. However, if you plan to venture far from asphalt, look towards rivals like the Kodiaq, X-Trail or Land Rover Discovery Sport.

The biggest selling engine is likely to be the 118bhp 1.6-litre BlueHDi diesel engine, which we haven’t yet had the chance to try. But with sales of petrol-powered cars rising, the 128bhp 1.2-litre three-cylinder PureTech engine is also likely to be popular. Despite its small size, it’s a punchy machine that’s more than capable of carrying two people around town, although we’ve yet to see how it deals with a fully loaded car. There’s also a more powerful 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol, which is fine in its own right, but the 1.2 will be enough for most buyers and will be cheaper to buy and run.

For those who tow or regularly travel loaded up with people and luggage, the more powerful 2.0 BlueHDI turbodiesel, with 178bhp, will be more appealing, because it pulls effortlessly from low in the rev range. However, it’s only available in the top-spec model, at a price where other premium rivals may prove attractive. Most of the time, the engines we’ve tried stay smooth and quiet, but press the Sport button – which also weights up the steering further and sharpens the throttle and (where fitted) the automatic gearbox – and the engine noise you hear increases. This is especially true of the diesel models, which can get irritating. All the cars we’ve tried so far have been fitted with automatic gearboxes, which occasionally dither over what gear to select. Manual gearboxes are available across most of the range, though.

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At the time of writing, prices for the 5008 hadn’t been confirmed, but we expect it to be slightly more expensive than its immediate rivals, while undercutting some premium alternatives. Resale values will play a significant part in long-term running costs for the 5008, and it’s still rather early to be sure what those will be, although Peugeots don’t historically hold their values all that well. However, economy and CO2 levels across the range compare very well to rival cars, which will make a difference to tax and fuel bills.

Peugeot’s reliability has been improving in recent years, and the brand now features firmly in the top half of Warranty Direct’s manufacturer standings. Obviously, there’s very little data on the latest 5008 as an individual model, but with the standard of its build quality and materials, we wouldn’t be surprised if it continued Peugeot’s upward trajectory.

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There hasn’t been a Euro NCAP crash test of the new 5008 yet, so we’ll have to wait to see how it fares. But the smaller 3008, which shares much of the same mechanical underpinnings, scored a maximum five stars, which bodes well. A good amount of safety equipment is included as standard across the 5008 range, most notably automatic emergency braking, which will take over the braking if the car detects you’re about to crash into something and you don’t respond. A speed sign recognition system is also standard, as is a driver attention warning system that watches driving behaviour to detect lapses in concentration.

There are four trim levels on the 5008, and while details of what’s included in each one has yet to be announced, we expect the list to be pretty generous. All cars will likely have a DAB radio and connectivity for a range of mobile phones, including Mirrorlink and Apple CarPlay. Cars from the second-tier Allure upwards will have sat-nav and GT Line vehicles will get full LED headlights. The top-end GT will only come with the more powerful 2.0 diesel engine and an automatic gearbox, and will include adaptive cruise control and leather seats that feature a massage function.

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The 5008 feels like a more premium alternative to the likes of the Nissan X-Trail and Hyundai Santa Fe, but it’s also a cheaper option than the Land Rover Discovery Sport. The standard seven seats will be a big draw to larger families, as will the range of efficient petrol and diesel engines. It drives well and comes with plenty of standard kit, but take the time to make sure your passengers fit in the back before you sign on the dotted line.