Peugeot 5008 1.6-litre THP 2010 Pictures 
gallery (6 photos)
specifications
Van-tastic
Not so long ago, if you happened to own a MPV the only time you would ever want to drive it was when it full to the gunnels with passengers and all their paraphernalia. Other than that, you’d look like some saddo or a cabbie on way to an airport pick-up.
Love them or hate them, we have to thank, in part, the French for taking what was essentially a van with windows and seats and turning it into something credible enough to turn-up at business meetings without Addison Lee decals plastered all over it.
And the new 5008 from Peugeot follows that same design ethos. It’ll never be able to disguise the fact it can carry seven, or it will spend the majority of its working life schlepping someone, or something, to one place or another, yet for the driver it doesn’t carry the same shame or embarrassment it once did of being behind the wheel of an MPV.
Actually, the 5008 looks quite funky in an MPVish sort of way. The headlights wrap themselves over the bonnet and along the flanks. Hmmm, nice touch moi chez Froggy. There’s plenty of glass to give an airy feel to the cabin and when the shade for the panoramic roof is completely retracted it allows daylight to stream in, even on the dullest of winter’s days.
As mentioned, there’s the ubiquitous seven seating arrangement, with the third row popping-out of cargo space with the ease of a magician producing a rabbit out of his hat. And as you would expect there is a lot of space, and not just in the front compartment. There’s a lot to like about this car. The driver is cocooned in a high-tech, game-station zone while the passengers are treated to big comfortable seats and the rear benches are positioned slightly higher so their field of vision isn’t impaired by the back of drivers’ head. Fold all the seats flat and 5008 doubles-up as small removal lorry.
#Realising this car has been built for practicality rather than speed or handling it comes as a rather pleasant surprise to be able to report that it doesn’t show the signs of body-roll so often associated with many other MPVs. Of course trashing the living daylights out of it will result in a huge amount of disappointment but for every day driving there isn’t too much to complain about.
As for the engines? Well, there’s two petrol and four diesels. Both the petrols have been bored-out to 1598cc with one producing 120bhp and the other boasting 156bhp of power. Both the 110 diesels are essentially the same unit – 1.6-litre with a choice of overboost and electronic controlled manual gearbox, or not. The larger 2.0-litre oil-burner is available with either 150bhp or 163bhp outputs. Bizarrely, for a frog-built car it is the petrol which is livelier and a more enjoyable drive than any of the diesels. The only let down is the wobbly gearbox which always seemed to become troublesome changing-up from the 2nd cog.
The pop-up head display on the higher trim spec model is a natty novelty – especially when the Perspex screen rises from the dashboard - but it really isn’t abracadabraish enough to sway a buying decision. What should be considered when buying this car is; is it better than others on the market? Hand on heart, I still prefer the Ford C-Max yet the 5008 ticks many boxes and would be a very close second choice.
Peugeot 5008 Technical Spec:
Engine: 1.6-litre THP
Top Speed: 121
0-60 mph: 9.7
Maximum Power: 156
Combined Driving Mpg: 39.7
C02: 167g/km
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