Peugeot E-5008 review: third-generation SUV impresses in electric and hybrid form
The all-new Peugeot E-5008 GT
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PEUGEOT E-5008 |
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★★★★☆ |
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both models are priced at €50,995 for the entry level Allure version €54,995 for the GT version tested |
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One is a pure EV with 207bhp 1.2ltr petrol hybrid with 136bhp |
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Electric option delivers just over 500km |
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in GT spec as tested, the kit levels are truly impressive |
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a family car sans pareil, as they might say in France |
It would be wrong to say that the Peugeot 5008 has always been a favourite here at Examiner Motoring — primarily because it has not always been.
The first generation of the model appeared in 2009 and, to be honest, it never really lit our afterburner; originally it was a decent MPV — classified as ‘Compact’ in size – that was very family oriented, practical and comfortable. But it was not really anything to write home about.
Its introduction just happened to coincide with the appointment of Gilles Vidal as Peugeot’s design director and a buoyant new era of styling for the brand. But, just as the company was heading into a design renaissance, the original 5008 seemed clunky and old school, especially as the exterior look was very conservative and dull.
A 2013 facelift did brighten things up a little, but not much and even though the car did win awards, largely because of its vast interior space and an ability to cope with anything a modern family could throw at it, the car was still somewhat unwieldy looking.
Vidal’s influence came seriously into play when the second-generation 5008 was unveiled in 2017 and saw it transformed into a seven-seater SUV. That it was essentially a larger version of the hugely successful 3008 was of little concern because, all of a sudden, it was a startlingly good-looking beast as well as still being all things to all families.
It was now still very practical and comfortable, but it also had a pizzaz about it that made it stand out wherever it went. What’s more than that, it was as good-looking and innovative on the inside as it was on the outside.
In 2018, when it eventually reached Ireland, it found great support from the buying public and also attracted much critical acclaim, particularly so in these columns, where it won the much sought-after Examiner Motoring Car of the Year award.
Seven years on and the third generation is now with us and, without doubt the level of visual and engineering improvement seen on Mark II has been accelerated and intensified. It is still a seven-seat SUV, still wildly comfortable and still very much – in the words of Terry Molloy (played by Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront) — “a contendah.”
We’ve actually tried two of the three models on offer — the electric and the hybrid — and both see, unsurprisingly, Peugeot close to being at the top of its game. There is also a plug-in hybrid on offer and maybe we will get to try that in the not too distant, but for traditionalists there is no longer a diesel option.
It was the EV version that we got to drive first and while this is a car that is very much of the current zeitgeist when it comes to electrics — the claimed range is 545 km (although unless you have a top-line fast charger that figure will fall to a smidge over 500) and that’s about par for the course from most of the opposition.
Thing is, though, that Peugeot has promised the arrival of an ‘extended range’ model which adds some 122km to the car’s potential. I could be wrong here, but that has not arrived in Ireland yet to the best of my knowledge, but the very fact of its existence would pause many potential buyers from investing in the ‘lesser’ version.
But, a 500km range is about average for an electric this size at this very point in time (although BMW is about to explode that capability with the launch of its ‘Neue Klasse’ range of electrics, the first of which will be made public in September and is said to boast an 800 km range) and quite acceptable as such.
The 9.7 second 0-100 km/h time and the 170 km/h capability are pretty stock too, compared with the opposition. It is not a terribly quick car — even for one producing 207 bhp — but there is enough grunt there for snappy passing manoeuvres and getting up to motorway speeds from a slip road.
Handling and ride are good — Peugeot, unlike some other manufacturers, has got the weight distribution balance right — and the e-5008 corners like it’s on rails while showing little evidence of understeer or torque steer, especially so for a front wheel drive machine.
The mild-hybrid, on the other hand, is slower 0-100 km/h (11.3 seconds), but has a faster top speed (197 km/h). It relies on a 1.2 litre petrol engine and a 0.9 kWh battery and a 16 kW electric motor with the 136 bhp of power once more going to the front wheels, this time via an automatic six-speed gearbox.
Once again the on-road performance is on the money and this is a very stable and solid prospect, even for those who like to press on a bit.
Somewhat unusually, there is very little visual difference between the electric and the ICE versions; Peugeot’s new ‘Lion’ logo sits in the middle of a complex geometric grille which is very eye-catching and is flanked by a squinty-looking headlight arrangement and the now characteristic ‘three talon’ daytime running LED lights.
At the rear end there is a similar light signature and, above that, there is a flat roof aimed at maximizing interior passenger and cargo space. None of your fancy-dan coupe or fastback styling here, thankfully.
Interesting design touches (although the fantastic ‘piano key’ switchgear has been ditched for a less interesting set of buttons) include a massive new ‘floating’ 21” screen which is mounted on the dashboard of the uniquely Peugeot i-Cockpit and which contains all the instrumentation (which is variable depending on your preference), as well as all the infotainment functions.
You can use the ‘i-Toggle’ function that houses all your shortcuts and beneath that those physical buttons for all the key functions which, these days, is both unusual and welcome.
Rather than utilising some form of plastic, the designers have chosen a cloth finish for much of the dashboard — something that’s now getting aped all over the place. They were aiming for a high-end lounge look and they achieved it.
The seating is very French and therefore terribly comfortable and the middle row passengers benefit from deep grooves cut into the back of the front ones to maximise knee-room, while the third row is easily accessible but, as is ever the case with such things, only really suitable for smallies over longer distances.
Boot space is a mere 348 litres with the third row in use, but this expands to an impressive 916 litres when they’re folded down.
While I’m not sure the 5008 still holds the level of impressive innovation that the second generation of the car displayed — mainly because so many others stole so many of tis good ideas, it is still an impressive beast and one that fulfils pretty much every demand a family could place on it.
It might just be that it may not figure on our top COTY prize this year, but it is certainly going to be close to the top of the class in the family SUV segment and that’s simply because it is so good at what it does — in either EV or ICE modes.
