New Peugeot 5008 Review

Introduction

If you’re considering a Range Rover, you may not appreciate someone proposing a Peugeotinstead, but that’s what the French manufacturer is doing with the new 5008.

With gorgeous looks, an opulent interior and seven seats as standard, Peugeot hopes you’ll seriously consider whether it’s worth spending the extra money for the king of SUVs.

And why not?

After all, the 5008 offers a lot for the money - if bought outright, it costs just 35% at entry-level compared with the Range Rover and a little over 55% of an Audi Q7. That, of course, is reflected in its leasing price.

Even if it doesn’t lure customers away from JaguarLand Rover, it hopes to compete with German premium brands.

Peugeot has widened the 5008’s appeal by offering this new version as a full-hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and an all-electric version (BEV) known as the e-5008.

With a selection like this, what’s not to like?

What’s more, Peugeot promises generous equipment levels and lots of technology in this big, new SUV.

We got our hands on the HEV and the BEV.

At A Glance

Peugeot’s exterior design has improved dramatically in recent years – and the new 5008 takes another step forward.

The grille consists of flat, slanted rectangles which get smaller towards the centre, where a large Peugeot badge lives. Beneath that, the sculpted bodywork accommodates a chiselled slot on each side for air intakes, while a lower trapezoid-shaped grille sits at the bottom.

It looks menacing and athletic on the sides, with a sizeable crease and indentation at the base of the doors, plenty of cladding, and wheel arches that pop out from the bodywork.

At the rear, there’s lots of blank space, with LED taillights taking centre stage, connected by a black strip running from side to side.

The car looks imposing, modern and fashionable.

If you thought Peugeots were unattractive, those days of old are consigned to history.

Key Features

Both the 5008 and e-5008 get two trim levels – Allure and GT.

The Allure boasts 19-inch diamond-cut alloys and a 21-inch unit containing a Peugeot i-Connect Advance infotainment touchscreen. It also houses a virtual i-Toggle digital driver’s display with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, navigation with TomTom Live, a DAB radio, voice control, and wireless phone charger.

In addition, you get tri-zone climate control, power folding door mirrors, rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera, keyless entry, ambient lighting, embossed fabric with Quartz stitching and leather-effect trim, and aluminium pedals.

The GT acquires 20-inch alloys on the e-5008 (19-inch on the 5008 HEV model), pixel LED headlights, a black roof and spoiler, front parking sensors, heated seats and steering wheel (the latter in leather), a hands-free powered tailgate, rear window blinds, and eight-colour ambient lighting.

Also included are driver lumbar support, Alcantara upholstery with leather effect, luxury carpet mats and a central armrest in the middle row.

Power comes in three variants, although it’s a straight choice between HEV, PHEV and BEV.

The HEV gets a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine and a small electric motor, generating 136PS.

The PHEV obtains a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder petrol mill and a larger electric motor, producing 195PS.

Finally, the BEV e-5008 runs exclusively on an electric motor, delivering 210PS. However, a higher-powered 230PS version with a larger 98kWh battery and a dual-motor all-wheel-drive version outputting 310PS will soon follow.

Range & Batteries

Picking the BEV will get you a 73kWh battery, which offers an official range of 311 miles.

As for the other electric models that are yet to arrive, Peugeot claims the dual-motor all-wheel drive version will manage the same range with the same battery despite having 320PS.

What will become the middle electric model, the 230PS electric Long Range, will have a larger 98kWh battery, bumping the range up to 410 miles.

In reality, you won't achieve these numbers, but getting above 65-70% of the claimed figure is considered par for the course.

The plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version gets a 21kWh battery with an all-electric range of 48 miles.

Performance & Drive

We tested the 5008 HEV in Allure trim and the e-5008 BEV in GT trim.

On paper, the 5008 HEV's tiny 1.2-litre unit seems insufficient to power a vehicle of this size. Yet it still manages 0-62mph in 11.3 seconds - hardly brisk, but adequate for a large SUV and surprisingly low given the small engine.

It often feels like it’s punching above its weight, seeming quicker than it is. The Peugeot certainly provides capable if unspectacular performance from a standing start, or if you need a quick increase, say from 50 to 70mph, on a dual-carriageway or motorway.

Granted, the SUV sometimes feels lacking in oomph, and that will definitely be the case if you're transporting a car full of adults or a shedload of cargo.

Nevertheless, on a school run, a commute to work or a shopping trip into town, you'll be surprisingly satisfied with the level of performance.

Given the 0-62mph time, you might be disappointed that the e-5008 only shaves 1.6 seconds off despite enjoying 74PS extra (the plug-in hybrid is actually the quickest, managing the same in 8.3 seconds).

However, the e-5008 has a few advantages, offering quicker throttle response and a burst of acceleration when needed. It builds speed patiently rather than pinning you in your seat. It also feels less restrained than the HEV, giving you more confidence with motorway overtakes.

This variant is preferable overall, but whether the e-5008 is worth the extra outlay is questionable.

The 5008 HEV’s suspension is absorbing, offering a smooth, cushioned ride despite the car now coming with larger 19-inch alloys as standard. It is adept at smoothing out lumps and bumps.

The e-5008 isn’t quite as comfortable. It feels firmer, partly due to the 20-inch wheels in the GT version we tested, but at higher speeds, it seemed settled and assured.

Both models are easy to drive, with light steering. However, the Peugeot doesn't weight up much in the bends, and there's lots of body roll around quick corners, which causes the tyres to screech if you overdo it.

In truth, this is what we expected.

No large, seven-seater handles brilliantly, although the Range Rover and Audi Q7 have managed to improve their cars' agility to impressive levels.

Besides, nobody wants a 5008 to drive around twisty rural B-roads - it's fine for what most will need.

If you opt for the e-5008, then the regenerative braking has three settings but, even set to maximum, it doesn’t offer one-pedal driving.

The brakes feel a little harsh and take some adapting to, whereas they’re more naturally intuitive in the 5008 HEV.

If you want to go off-roading, you'd be best waiting for the dual-motor BEV with an all-wheel drive version, which is coming soon.

Charging

The e-5008 charges at a maximum rate of 160kW, taking half an hour to achieve a 20-80% battery top-up.

The e-5008 supports home charging up to 11kW and, at this speed, takes around seven hours to achieve a 0-100% top-up.

More common 7kW home wall boxes will take ten-and-a-half hours.

Running Costs & Emissions

We have already covered the battery and range for the e-5008, and of course, there are no miles-per-gallon or CO2 figures to worry about.

The 136PS HEV we’ve also tested returns 44-52mpg and 122-143g/km of CO2 depending on spec, compared with 212-356mpg and 18-30g/km of CO2 in the PHEV.

The PHEV 5008 or BEV e-5008 are the obvious choices for company cars, given that low and zero-emission vehicles offer far lower rates for Benefit-in-Kind tax.

Peugeot doesn't fare too well in terms of reliability, although it tends to beat Volkswagen in many league tables nowadays.

Interior & Technology

If you enjoy a cockpit-like environment while driving, you’ll love the interior, which looks like something from a sci-fi movie.

The steering wheel is flat-bottomed and flat-topped, almost hexagonal, while air vents and large ‘i-Toggle’ infotainment shortcuts - not to mention the touchscreen and digital driver's display - are bathed in gloss piano black.

The centre console is so high that you could almost call it a cab – and its high position offers easy access to more buttons with piano black surfaces.

What’s more, the dashboard extends inwards towards the front seat occupants, sprawling out around the entire front end of the car, contributing to the enclosed feel.

The touchscreen and driver’s display are housed in one trapezoid-shaped unit behind the wheel, perched on top of the dashboard, although it doesn’t affect your visibility.

The infotainment system looks lovely, with modern graphics, while the screen is crisply clear. However, the menu system is complicated and feels laggy at times.

In addition, air conditioning controls are operated from the touchscreen, which is frustrating given there are plenty of physical buttons in the cabin. Thankfully, big shortcut buttons help you get to the climate control menu, but it's still not that convenient.

The digital driver’s display is also clear, with modern graphics. It shows a full-screen SatNav map when in use, and there are various layout options.

There are yet more piano black features around the buttons on the steering wheel, and it looks lovely.

If you choose a dark interior, there are, perhaps unsurprisingly, fewer brighter elements, and the only noticeable bit of silver surrounds the circular engine start/stop button.

Nevertheless, it’s a stunning design – and ambient interior lighting cheers things up, especially in the GT model, where it glows across the entire dashboard.

The build quality feels good. There are no loose parts, everything feels solid, and there are plenty of plush surfaces. Cheaper materials are largely hidden from view.

In terms of grandeur, you’ll pay a lot more money to get anything else close to this.

Practicality & Boot Space

Finding a decent driving position is easy enough, although no models offer front seat electric adjustment as standard, and it’s only available as an optional extra on GT models.

Manual lumbar adjustment is standard on the GT but isn’t even an option for the entry-level Allure. This is disappointing, given that some rivals offer these features as standard on all trims - and Peugeot knows it needs to offer more to win over customers who can afford the premium brands.

Still, the driving position is commandingly high, allowing excellent forward visibility, and the pillars on either side of the windscreen aren't incredibly thick. They are wider at the rear, but although this hampers your view, the back windows are large, meaning rearward visibility is better than expected.

Furthermore, rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera on both models mitigate any problems. The GT trim also adds sensors at the front, while a 360-degree camera is offered as an option on both grades.

The steering wheel takes some adapting to – it’s small and designed to sit in your lap, with you viewing the instruments above it rather than through it. This is typical of most Peugeots and a controversial design philosophy. It is one you can get used to - but it feels like a solution to a problem that didn't need to exist.

Legroom and headroom in the front aren’t an issue – and you’re so separated from the front-seat passenger that you don’t need to worry about banging shoulders.

The front two rows of seats in the car can slide and recline, while even the third row can slide forwards and backwards, freeing up even more room.

In the middle row, you’re also well catered for in terms of space to sprawl out, even if there are three of you next to each other, as all three seats are full-size.

The optional panoramic sunroof reduces headroom somewhat, so we'd recommend testing it out first if you're over six feet tall.

The third row is less generous. Headroom is less plentiful if you're a grown-up, while legroom may be limited if you slide the middle row all the way back.

The boot space is still a reasonable 348 litres with seven seats in place, including some underfloor storage, and expands to 916 litres with the rear seats down.

If you need a van for a day, folding the middle row of seats increases the capacity to an enormous 2,232 litres. What’s more, all seats fold individually in a 40:20:40 configuration in the middle row (although curiously, the middle row only slides in a 60:40 split).

So, if you need to transport long and thin cargo, you could fold down just the central seat in the middle row.

Unlike in some electric cars, no 'frunk' offers additional storage underneath the bonnet, but with so much space, you'll unlikely need it.

There is a good amount of storage in the cabin, too, with two cubbies in the centre console and generously sized door bins, although the glove compartment is small.

Safety

The new Peugeot has yet to be crash-tested by safety experts Euro NCAP.

However, the old model earned a five-star rating in 2016, so the French automaker will hope this one does, too.

The Peugeot 2008 also earned a five-star rating in 2019, but this was only four stars unless it had an optional safety pack fitted. The last two Peugeots tested - the 308 and 408 - earned four-star ratings in 2022.

There is a trend with Peugeots that the bigger they are, the better they do, which is likely logical. But many manufacturers are able to score consistent five-star ratings across most, if not all, of their range.

The new 5008 comes with many safety features, including automatic emergency braking, post-collision safety brake, hill start assist, cruise control, driver attention alert, lane keeping assist, speed limit and traffic sign recognition, and tyre pressure monitoring.

You also get rear parking sensors and a reversing camera, while the GT gets adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go.

Options

There are several body colours, with Ingaro Blue - a greyish blue - being the default option.

For an additional cost, a brighter blue, black, very light grey, dark grey, or a blue-ish white are also available.

Additionally, you can pay to have mistral black Nappa leather upholstery with quartz stitching and perforated seats.

The e-5008 also has a heat pump, which pre-heats the cabin, so it's ready for you. This means the battery will start from a higher temperature on a cold day, which will be more efficient and improve your range.

A 360-degree camera with a drive assist pack is offered, along with advanced grip control, a tow bar and a panoramic split-opening sunroof with rear door window blinds.

Rival Cars

Seven-seater SUVs are rare, but there are still competitors.

The Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Nissan X-Trail, and Skoda Kodiaq are just a handful – and that’s before you’ve considered premium brands like the BMW X5 and X7, Audi Q7, Volvo XC90 and Mercedes-Benz EQB or EQS SUV.

Only the last two on the above list are electric – and they’re both more expensive, the EQS vastly so.

Kia also offers the EV9, but it's pricier. Volvo's new EX90, its electric equivalent of the XC90, is also more costly.

Apart from that, you’re looking at van-derived vehicles, such as the Vauxhall Combo Life Electric, the Peugeot e-Rifter, or the larger Mercedes-Benz EQV and Citroen e-SpaceTourer.

There is also the Volkswagen ID Buzz, which looks like a modern-day take on the classic Type 2 Transporter, better known to most as the iconic VW Camper Van.

Verdict & Next Steps

Overall, the Peugeot 5008 and e-5008 are real contenders.

They are superbly practical, good-looking, and offer an incredibly opulent interior. The 5008 HEV is reasonably economical for a large seven-seater SUV.

Although we like the electric version a lot, it’s significantly pricier. Given that the HEV is so economical, we question whether you’d recoup the additional expense, although the e-5008 is a no-brainer as a company car.

The GT trim offers several upgrades you might want, but nothing you really need.

There are downsides, notably the fiddly infotainment system despite its high levels of visual appeal, and the e-5008’s ride is much firmer.

The key takeaway here is that if you don't need seven seats, you're best off looking elsewhere (maybe Peugeot's smaller e-3008).

But if you need a seven-seater – especially if you want an electric one – this is a mightily impressive SUV.

Quite simply, you won’t get a better one for less than this.

Where to next?

View latest Peugeot 5008 lease - from just £288.62 per month inc VAT**.

Call us on 0118 3048 688 or hit the green 'Enquire' button for more details.

Looking for a great leasing deal? Check out our incredible range of Special Offers and Lease Deals. 

New Estate? Read our latest Reviews and find the right model for you.

Want to know more about leasing? Take a look at our comprehensive Leasing Guides.

Interested in everything motoring? Why not catch up on all the latest Car Leasing News.

**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Peugeot 5008.

**Correct as of 30/10/2024. Based on 9 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 24 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 9 monthly payments, or £2,597.58 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.