Peugeot 5008 2017 review

The 5008 is essentially a longer version of the 3008, which launched in Europe in early 2016. It’s 190mm longer, in fact, but the net yield in interior space far outweighs the seemingly minor increase.

Its design mimics the 3008 in every way, save for that extra length and longer wheelbase. For mine, it gives the 5008 a genuine presence the 3008 perhaps lacks.

Its design mimics the 3008 in every way, save for that extra length and longer wheelbase.

That tiny rear overhang and the way the 19-inch rims fill the guards of our top spec GT tester make it look even cooler.

Absolutely zero specs on the 5008 have been released for Australia, as it’s not expected to land until early in 2018.

If we were to hazard a guess, though, we’d suggest the 5008 would go pretty close to echoing the trim levels of the 3008, though it may not be offered in base Active form.

This leaves the Allure and GT-Line, which would be powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine, and the range-topping GT, which uses a punchy little 2.0-litre turbo-diesel.

We expect a long list of inclusions, like a 12.3-inch digital dash with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

As for content, expect the 5008 to echo the high base content level of the 3008, with a long list of standard inclusions like AEB, inductive phone charging, a 12.3-inch digital dash, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio, and more.

We sampled a 5008 GT over a 500km trip in France, and we came away incredibly impressed by the sheer flexibility of the interior.

We came away incredibly impressed by the sheer flexibility of the interior.

As mentioned, it’s a five-door, seven-seat SUV that sits in the medium SUV category, and it’ll rival other seven-seaters like the Mitsubishi Outlander and Skoda Kodiaq.

The key to the 5008’s flexibility is the way the second row is set up. Instead of two nice outside seats and a lumpy centre naughty stool, the 5008 has three individual chairs mounted to their own sliding rails, allowing for people to arrange themselves with maximum legroom if there’s no luggage.

The second row features three individual seats.

Seriously, with the second row slid all the way back, it’s like a Gold Coast Hummer limo back there.

The third row consists of two fold-flat jump seats, sized to suit pre-teens or ballerinas, and requiring co-operation from the second row to make them at all comfortable. 

The third row seats are quite small.

A single espresso-sized cupholder is provided for jump seaters, but there are no vents. The second row gets three ISOFIX points (at least in European spec), vents and USB ports, but misses out on cupholders.

A pair of cupholders resides up front, while bottles can be stowed in all four doors.

Slide the second row forward, and there’s 952 litres of boot space to play with, and a van-like 2150 litres when all seats are stashed.

Slide the second row forward, and there’s 952 litres of boot space to play with.

Up front, a huge centre console bin is large enough to keep small animals in, while an inductive charger bay serves to hide phones easily.

The joystick-style shifter is nice, and annoying, in equal measure. Turn the car off with the on/off button, and the car instantly engages Park and the handbrake without being asked, but it requires a retraining of the brain to depress a thumb-activated lock switch to engage forward or reverse.

With no specs on offer, we can only speculate that the 5008 will share the 3008’s pair of engines.

Peugeot’s 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, which makes 121kW/240Nm.

Peugeot’s 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, which makes 121kW/240Nm, is a likely starter, along with a 133kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel. 

A traditional six-speed auto transmission is likely for the entire range, and front-wheel drive will be the only driveline on offer.

After a 500km run over freeways, B-roads and city centres, we saw a dash-indicated figure of 6.9 litres per 100km. No official figures are being offered for Australia yet, but Peugeot's combined fuel economy claim for Europe is 6.4L/100km.

Despite the 5008’s similarity to the 3008, the two have slightly different characteristics.

The 12.3-inch digital dash is very easy to use, and its flat finish makes it easy to read.

Peugeot says it tweaks its suspension to suit the heavier diesel driveline, and we reckon it’s probably a nicer tune than the occasionally brittle ride coming from the petrol-powered 3008 we tested at the same time.

The longer wheelbase, too, helps to settle the car over irregular bumps, and even the brake feel is more progressive.

Otherwise, it’s all but indiscernible from its smaller sibling on the road, with excellent noise suppression and good visibility all around, despite a slightly small rear window.

Still too early to determine what will be coming to Australia in final spec, but curtain airbags and AEB are a safe bet, as well as front and rear parking sensors, and a reversing camera across the line-up.

Still too early to predict what the costs of fixed price servicing will be, and what warranties will apply.

We suspect Peugeot’s new distributors in Australia will introduce fresh measures to try and re-instill confidence in its brand – the last few years haven’t been kind to Peugeot owners, and there is a lot of work to do to convince buyers that the iconic brand is worth a shot.

Other Peugeots in the range have three year/100,000km warranties, combined with free roadside assistance, while the diesel 308 costs on average $740 per fixed price service for five services.