Road test: Peugeot 5008 comes with the option of an electric scooter, and clever back-row seats

FRENCH car maker Peugeot is late to the seven-seat SUV class, but it has made up for lost time with some clever ideas.

COMING to a private school near you, Peugeot has joined the seven-seat SUV brigade with the new 5008.

In an attempt to stand out from the uniform crowd, the French car maker has added a suite of technology unique to the class.

The headline act is an optional electric scooter, designed to save your feet if you can’t park close enough to your destination, but will probably be commandeered by the kids.

The lightweight 8.5kg fold up electric scooter charges via a docking station or the 12V power supply in the boot, has up to 12km of scooting range, a top speed of 25km/h, and can be recharged in an hour.

The Peugeot 5008 is all-new from the ground up. Picture: Supplied.

The car industry has been toying with electric scooters as the answer to mega cities of the future, usually displaying them in the boot of electric car concepts. Peugeot has jumped the field and realised there is no reason to wait.

Other points of viva le difference: Peugeot has revolutionised the owner’s manual with a virtual reality app that means all you need to do is point your phone’s camera at a particular part of the car, and it will open the online handbook to the correct page.

Couldn’t be bothered trying to figure out how to work the VR app? Just touch on an illustration of the car in a simpler version of the app for the same result.

However, Peugeot has saved its cleverest moment for the back seats.

Each of the second row seats slide forward or backward — to prioritise leg room or cargo space — individually.

And each of the second and third row seats can be folded separately, making it easier to squeeze in the kids with cargo of odd shapes.

Each of the Peugeot 5008’s back five seats can be adjusted individually. Picture: Supplied.

Each of the second row seats have Isofix child seat mounting points; most cars have only two.

All five back seats can be folded to create a flat load area, and the two seats in the third row can be removed altogether in about 15 seconds, and reinstalled in the same amount of time.

Genius in their simplicity, the back row pews weigh just 11kg each, so you won’t do your back in when creating a deeper load area.

On the safety side there are six airbags, including curtain airbags all the way to the third row.

Other mod cons include a futuristic dashboard design, a fancy wide-screen digital instrument display that was once exclusive to luxury cars, and a 360-degree-view camera on all models.

However, here’s where some of the Peugeot’s quirkiness starts to lose its lustre.

The camera images are blurry like an impressionist painting, rather than crystal clear as they are on other cars, and the central touchscreen, although nice to look at, is chronically flawed in its design.

The 5008 has Peugeot’s signature small steering wheel; it’s great around town but makes the car feel too nervous and direct at highway speeds. Picture: Supplied.

To adjust the brightness of the screen takes several annoying steps, taking your eyes off the road. And the brightness of the instrument panel and the display screen can’t be done separately.

If you change radio stations or adjust the volume the screen comes on again even after the “black out” button is pressed. It then requires another press to switch it off again. Very distracting.

On the road

There are three models in the range and a choice of two engines.

The Allure and GT are powered by a 1.6-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engine. The flagship GT-Line comes with a 2.0-litre turbo diesel. All three are matched to a six-speed auto that drives the front wheels. “Terrain response” software that aims to give the 5008 some modest off-road ability is a $200 option.

For now, you can’t mix and match model grades, however the petrol variants are the sweet spots in the range given their relative affordability, driveability and real world fuel efficiency.

The diesel really only makes sense for those doing a lot of highway driving. Perversely it’s matched to a noisier 19-inch wheel and tyre combination, which also make you feel the bumps more than you do in the petrol powered variants on 18s.

Peugeot’s signature small steering wheel is an advantage in tight city streets but can feel too direct on a winding back road, especially given the size and weight of the car.

Verdict 3.5 stars

The Peugeot 5008 deserves a test drive around the block for anyone shopping for a cleverly thought out seven-seat SUV. However, while you’re daring to be different, be sure to sample a Skoda Kodiaq, a Kia Sorrento or a run-out Hyundai SantaFe, all of which have sharper prices.

The Peugeot 5008 is an impressive first effort, but test drive and compare it against other seven-seat SUVs before you sign the deal. Picture: Supplied.

What’s new?

This car is new from the ground up and has no resemblance to its predecessor, a people mover with the same badge.

The 5008 is a stretched version of the five-seat 3008 SUV, so the rear doors are bigger, there’s more leg room for second-row seats and a bigger boot.

PRICE

There are three models in the range, starting with the $47,200 drive-away Allure, the $51,400 drive-away GT — both of which are petrol powered — and the flagship $57,900 drive-away GT-Line, powered by diesel. Peugeot Australia says it has trimmed the price of metallic paint but it’s still an eye-watering $690 to $1050, depending on the colour.

TECH

Standard fare includes speed sign recognition, a digital wide-screen instrument display and automatic emergency braking. Dearer models gain more safety tech such as lane keeping assistance, and a foot-swipe-operated tailgate.

PERFORMANCE

The 1.6-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder is zippy for its size and a better choice than the 2.0-litre turbo diesel, given the petrol’s perkiness and relative fuel efficiency and affordability. Both engines are matched to Japanese Aisin six-speed autos that drive the front wheels.

DRIVING

The Allure and GT ride on 18-inch wheels while the GT-Line comes standard on 19s (although 18s can be optioned if you plan on hitting a dirt trail). The small steering wheel makes light work of tight city manoeuvres but makes the car feel a bit unwieldy on the open road.

DESIGN

The interior is a fresh look with fresh materials but the build quality on some of the cars at the media preview drive was a bit suspect. The door panels didn’t line up with the dashboard on the passenger’s side of two examples and some of the roof trim was out of alignment. The touchscreen looks fancy but isn’t user friendly.

The interior styling is a fresh take for SUVs, but quality was patchy in parts. Picture: Supplied.

AT A GLANCE

PRICE $47,200 to $57,900 drive-away (expensive)

WARRANTY/SERVICE Five years/unlimited km (good), 12 month/20,000km intervals (good), $1722 (petrol) and $1649 (diesel) service cost over three years (expensive)

ENGINE 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo petrol (121kW/240Nm), 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo diesel (133kW/400Nm)

SAFETY Six airbags, 360-degree camera, speed sign recognition, automatic emergency braking (good)

THIRST 7.0L/100km petrol, 4.8L/100km diesel (fair)

SPARE Space saver (petrol), inflator kit (diesel) (not ideal)

BOOT 780L (big)