Peugeot 5008 review

Category: 7-seater

Stylish, practical and good to drive – one of the best seven-seat SUVs

Peugeot 5008 front cornering
  • Peugeot 5008 front cornering
  • Peugeot 5008 rear right driving
  • Peugeot 5008 interior dashboard
  • Peugeot 5008 interior back seats
  • Peugeot 5008 interior infotainment
  • Peugeot 5008 right driving
  • Peugeot 5008 front cornering
  • Peugeot 5008 rear left driving
  • Peugeot 5008 grille detail
  • Peugeot 5008 headlights detail
  • Peugeot 5008 alloy wheel detail
  • Peugeot 5008 rear lights detail
  • Peugeot 5008 interior front seats
  • Peugeot 5008 interior panoramic roof
  • Peugeot 5008 boot open
  • Peugeot 5008 boot open seats down
  • Peugeot 5008 front cornering
  • Peugeot 5008 rear right driving
  • Peugeot 5008 interior dashboard
  • Peugeot 5008 interior back seats
  • Peugeot 5008 interior infotainment
  • Peugeot 5008 right driving
  • Peugeot 5008 front cornering
  • Peugeot 5008 rear left driving
  • Peugeot 5008 grille detail
  • Peugeot 5008 headlights detail
  • Peugeot 5008 alloy wheel detail
  • Peugeot 5008 rear lights detail
  • Peugeot 5008 interior front seats
  • Peugeot 5008 interior panoramic roof
  • Peugeot 5008 boot open
  • Peugeot 5008 boot open seats down
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Introduction

What Car? says...

There are plenty of desirable seven-seat SUVs to choose from if you have a far-reaching budget, but the Peugeot 5008 proves that you don't necessarily need deep pockets to bag yourself a really good one.

The 5008 is roughly half the price of the luxury SUVs with seven seats and a posh badge you can buy – the Audi Q7 and the Volvo XC90 for example – yet offers many of the same virtues. You get a high-up driving position, a smart interior and lots of safety equipment.

It's not as imposing as those premium brand cars because its footprint is smaller, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Indeed, you'll appreciate it when it comes to finding a parking space – and it's still more than big enough to haul around seven adults in relative comfort.

The 5008 is essentially a roomier version of the excellent Peugeot 3008 so it's from good stock. The biggest difference is that Peugeot offers the smaller 3008 family SUV as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), while the 5008 is currently available with a diesel or a ‘self-charging’ petrol hybrid.

So, you know already that the model has its good points, but that still leaves some key questions. What's the performance like? Which trim is best, and is the interior smart? And how well does it square up against similarly priced rivals, including the Hyundai Santa Fe, the Kia Sorento, the Nissan X-Trail, the Seat Tarraco and the Skoda Kodiaq?

Read on and we'll tell you all you need to know about the Peugeot 5008, including the engine, the trim and the optional extras we recommend.

If you do decide to take the plunge on a new SUV or car, you can find big savings without any awkward haggling by searching our free What Car? New Car Deals pages. There are plenty of new large SUV deals.

Overview

The 5008 is stylish, practical, good to drive and one of our favourite large SUVs. It's relatively affordable to buy and run, especially if you go for the hybrid petrol engine. If you need even more space, the Kia Sorento is an even better bet, but a lot more money.

  • Loads of interior space for the money
  • Stylish and plush-feeling interior
  • Competitive fuel economy
  • Poor rear head room with the optional sunroof fitted
  • Rivals have more diverse engine lineups
  • Slow-witted infotainment system
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Performance & drive

What it’s like to drive, and how quiet it is

Engine, 0-60mph and gearbox

The Peugeot 5008's engine range consists of a 134bhp 1.2-litre petrol ‘self-charging’ hybrid and a 129bhp 1.5-litre diesel. Whichever one you choose, you get an automatic gearbox.

You might be suspicious that the 1.2-litre (badged Hybrid 136) will struggle to power a seven-seat SUV adequately given the small capacity turbocharged petrol engine. Well, you can relax – it packs enough punch for most people's performance needs. It takes 10.4sec to get from 0-62mph and has more than enough shove to feel confident for a burst of acceleration on to the motorway, for instance, even if the hybrid Kia Sorento is usefully quicker.

Peugeot 5008 image
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The 129bhp 1.5-litre diesel (BlueHDi 130) isn’t what you’d call fast (0-62mph takes 11.1sec), but it has solid mid-range pull. In the end, the Hybrid 136 is our pick of the range as it’s the quickest and the most efficient. An 'e-5008' electric car version could be added to the range in future.

Suspension and ride comfort

The 5008's relatively softly sprung but still well-controlled ride is up there with the Kia Sorento making this one of the more comfortable large SUVs available. The 17in or 18in alloy wheels it comes with have plenty of give overall, only thumping if you encounter a particularly gargantuan pothole, and take the sting out of rough urban roads well.

It's far calmer at motorway speeds than the stiffly sprung Seat Tarraco and even has the edge over the generally comfy Skoda Kodiaq. If you’re after a very restful long-distance machine, only the Citroën C5 Aircross betters it for high-speed waft, unless you start looking at more expensive premium models with air suspension, such as the Audi Q5.

One word of warning for anyone thinking of opting for a 5008 with Grip Control is that it will come with all-weather tyres, which introduce a harder edge to the ride compared with the standard tyres.

Peugeot 5008 rear right driving

Handling

The tiny steering wheel you can see in the pictures comes courtesy of the Peugeot i-Cockpit design. It gives the 5008 accurate but rather quick steering, which takes a bit of getting used to when placing the car in corners but is a real boon when you're parking and want to add lots of lock quickly.

Ultimately, the VW Tiguan Allspace steers a little more fluently and, like the Tarraco and Kodiaq, offers better body control and grip than the 5008. Buyers of large SUVs tend not to be especially concerned about having amazing handling, and if that's you fear not: the 5008 is easy to drive, capable and surefooted.

If you live in the countryside or need to go off road, it's worth noting that the 5008 is front-wheel-drive only with no four-wheel-drive option. You can add Grip Control, which is an electronic traction control system with hill-descent control that works with mud and snow tyres. That lends a hand in slippery conditions, but won't match the extra traction of four-wheel drive, which is available on the Sorento, the Nissan X-Trail and the Kodiaq.

Noise and vibration

At motorway speeds, the 5008 is enjoyably quiet. It produces less wind noise than the Kodiaq and less road roar than the Sorento. Only when you hit a really worn, coarse section of asphalt do the tyres emit a noticeable drone.

The 1.2 Hybrid 136 petrol is very quiet and smooth when it trickles along at low speeds on electric power, but you do notice a bit of hesitation and vibration as the engine kicks in from pure electric running at low speeds. The petrol engine does stay nice and quiet, though, provided you don’t accelerate hard. The 1.5 BlueHDi diesel is perfectly acceptable for noise too, producing just a bit of grumble when cold and the odd vibration through the controls.

On all versions, the brakes are a bit grabby in stop-start traffic. The auto gearbox is pretty good, changing smoothly most of the time, but can be a little abrupt at parking speeds, especially with the diesel engine. None of those weaknesses make the 5008 unpleasant to drive – it's just not as well-mannered as the Kodiaq.

Interior

The interior layout, fit and finish

Driving position and dashboard

All versions of the Peugeot 5008 come with a height-adjustable driver’s seat, and a reach and rake adjustable steering wheel. That provides enough tailoring to get comfortable, and from Allure Premium+ trim up you get manually adjustable lumbar support too. An electrically adjustable seat with memory presets and a massaging function is available as an option on GT trim.

The 5008's tiny steering wheel is designed so you view the high-set instruments above the steering wheel, rather than looking at them through it, which potentially obscures them. Does it work? Well, in the 5008 (as opposed to some other Peugeots with a similar setup) it does, but it takes a while to get used to. There's little wrong with the more conventional driving positions of the Kia Sorento, the Seat Tarraco and the Skoda Kodiaq.

The driver display is digital as standard, and is very clear and can be arranged in multiple ways, with the option of showing your navigation route across the entire 12.3in screen. Elsewhere, the physical knobs and buttons are positioned well, but it's a shame there aren't more of them. The climate controls are on the touchscreen, so you have to swap to the climate menu every time you want to change the temperature. That's just silly – and distracting.

Visibility, parking sensors and cameras

Seeing out of the 5008 is about as easy as it gets in a modern SUV. The front pillars are not as wide as they are in some rivals, so you get a great view forwards. Looking behind, the over-the-shoulder vision is relatively good thanks to its large rear side windows.

If you fear that a car of this size will prove a headache to park, you needn't: all versions come with a reversing camera as standard. Rear parking sensors are standard, while front parking sensors are added to Allure Premium+. A 360-degree camera system is available as an option on the top two trims and shows you a bird’s eye view of the car as you’re manoeuvring.

That’s not all the electronic trickery the 5008 has to offer. All versions come with dusk-sensing lights, rain-sensing wipers, LED dipped headlights and an automatically dimming rear-view mirror. GT trim upgrades you to full LED headlights with a Fog Mode that reduces their intensity (and the glare) when you activate the rear fog lights.

Peugeot 5008 interior dashboard

Sat nav and infotainment

Let's start with the features. The entry-level trim comes with a DAB radio, Bluetooth and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring. You get an 8.0in touchscreen, unless you upgrade to Allure Premium+ trim, which gets you a bigger and sharper 10.0in one with built-in sat-nav and live TomTom traffic updates as standard.

The touchscreen is positioned sensibly high up on the dashboard so it's easy to reach, but we prefer the systems you get in the Kia Sorento, the Seat Tarraco and the Skoda Kodiaq. Why? Well, it's the 5008's software. There are far too many sub-menus, so it's not intuitive to navigate around the levels, and a lot of the icons are too small. Then you have to deal with the system's sluggish reactions. When you press an icon, there’s usually a noticeable delay while it mulls over your request. Most rivals have systems that are considerably less frustrating.

The standard audio system is fine, and on GT trim you can opt for a Focal sound system with a 515W amplifier and extra speakers if you wanting something punchier. Wireless phone-charging isn’t available at the moment.

Quality

While certain large SUVs – such as the Sorento and Kodiaq – are slightly more robust in places, the 5008 is solid enough. Only rivals with premium badges (and the price tags to match) can deliver the same sense of occasion.

Most of the interior surfaces are soft to the touch, and those that aren’t tend to be hidden lower down. There’s an eclectic mix of materials that work harmoniously to enhance the ambience, giving it a really upmarket feel. They include the chrome highlights around the centre console and, depending on which trim you opt for, attractive cloth or wood inserts across the dashboard and on the doors.

At night, the interior of the mid-range Allure Premium+ version is bathed in the subtle glow of ambient lighting. It looks truly special and makes the 5008 a thoroughly enjoyable place to while away the miles.

Passenger & boot space

How it copes with people and clutter

Front space

There’s plenty of leg room in the front of the Peugeot 5008, and although there’s not as much head room as there is in the Hyundai Santa Fe, the Kia Sorento and the Skoda Kodiaq there's still plenty for taller folks. That changes if you order the panoramic sunroof available with GT trim because it limits head room (we advise trying one before you buy). The interior is wide enough to put a comfortable distance between you and your front passenger.

While you'll struggle to fit even gloves into the glovebox, the rest of the storage options are plentiful and varied. There's a vast cavern beneath the front central armrest, and it's air-conditioned to keep your packed lunch chilled. You'll also find a couple of cupholders and a large tray for your mobile phone in the centre console. The door bins are massive and it's a nice touch that they’re carpeted inside so any loose items won’t rattle around.

Rear space

Head room in the middle row is fine for most adults, if not the best in class. If you have a panoramic sunroof, it really reduces headroom for passengers. Yes, it makes the interior light and airy if you’re a kid staring wistfully up at a blue sky above, but any 6ft-plus adult with their head wedged against the roof will be turning the air blue with frustration. Think carefully before ordering it.

Leg room in the middle row is fine too. The Santa Fe, the Sorento and the Kodiaq have a bit more to spare, but the 5008 still has plenty of space for long legs, even when the front seats are slid way back. It's also one of the best large SUVs for seating three adults abreast in its middle row. Each person gets a comfortable individual chair that slides and reclines, and there’s a good amount of shoulder room for all. It also has a flat floor, so there's no awkward hump for the middle passenger to straddle, as there is in the Sorento, the Kodiaq and the Seat Tarraco.

Some large SUVs (the Citroën C5 Aircross and the Mazda CX-5 for example) are strictly five-seaters, but the 5008 has two fold-out seats at the very back to make it a seven-seater. They’re better suited to children than adults, but 6ft passengers could possibly stomach them for a short trip. The Kodiaq and the Nissan X-Trail have less room for adults in their rearmost seats, while the third rows in the Santa Fe and the  Sorento will take adults more easily.

Peugeot 5008 interior back seats

Seat folding and flexibility

Front passengers get height adjustment as standard, but there's no option to add adjustable lumbar support or full electric adjustment to the passenger seat. Similarly, only the driver gets to enjoy the massage function on higher trim levels.

Allure Premium trim and above add versatility with a front passenger seat that folds flat, freeing up the full length of the car – from boot to dashboard – if you need to carry a particularly long load. The middle-row seats fold down in three equal parts, rather than in a 60/40 split, so you have lots of flexibility for mixing longer loads with passengers.

The third-row seats pull out manually. They’re very easy to erect or stow as and when required.

Boot space

In five-seat mode, the 5008's boot is very big at 952 litres, and we managed to fit in 10 carry-on suitcases with little effort. That beats many of the nearest price rivals, such as the CX-5 and the Kodiaq, and is a match for the Sorento and the Audi Q5.

Its ability to swallow such big loads isn't just down to the sizeable floor area, but also its useful shape. The whole boot is square with no wheel-arch intrusion, and it's really tall from floor to load cover. That doesn't mean it's high from the ground, though: the boot floor is relatively low set and ends flush with the tailgate opening, making it as easy as reasonably possible to get heavy loads in and out.

The rear seats slide forwards, so you can extend the boot space while maintaining three seats in the middle row. Or, if you don't need to carry passengers, they fold flat to give you a long load bay with the carrying capacity of a small van. An electric tailgate is available as an optional extra on the top two trims.

Buying & owning

Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is

Costs, insurance groups, MPG and CO2

For cash buyers, the Peugeot 5008 is similarly priced to an equivalent Skoda Kodiaq and costs much less than any version of the Hyundai Santa Fe or Kia Sorento but the Citroën C5 Aircross is cheaper. The Ford Kuga and the Sorento have better resale values, but the 5008 still holds its value pretty well. Servicing and insurance costs are higher than average, but only by a few hundred pounds over a three-year ownership period.

If you drive a company car and are looking for a regular petrol or diesel, the hybrid 5008 makes sense, costing you a lot less in benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax than the Sorento or Santa Fe. 

We haven’t yet carried out a real-world fuel economy test on the 1.2 Hybrid 136, but its official economy and CO2 figures are usefully lower than those of the Kodiaq, and even the hybrid Sorento and Santa Fe. The BlueHDi 130 diesel will happily return 45-50mpg in the real world if driven with care.

Equipment, options and extras

The 5008 is well equipped as standard, with an infotainment touchscreen, auto lights and wipers, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, LED dipped headlights and a rear-view camera. Entry-level Active Premium+ has 17in alloy wheels, keyless start, two-zone climate control and power-folding door mirrors.

We think mid-spec Allure Premium+ trim is worth paying extra for, though. It gets you a bigger infotainment screen, keyless entry and a slightly posher interior with ambient lighting, a foldable passenger seat, rear picnic tables and rear blinds.

Range-topping GT trim adds adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assistance, which effectively means the 5008 can help with most of the hard work on long motorway journeys. It's the only useful upgrade you get with GT trim (pretty much everything else is cosmetic), but it’s not a big step up in price from Allure Premium+ so it's worth considering.

Peugeot 5008 interior infotainment

Reliability

Peugeot came 28th out of 32 car brands featured in the 2022 What Car? Reliability Survey (only Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Land Rover and Jeep did worse).

The 5008 comes with a two-year manufacturer warranty, followed by a one-year dealer warranty. That’s par for the course, but some brands offer longer warranties as standard, including Hyundai, Kia and Toyota.

Safety and security

Euro NCAP awarded the Peugeot 3008 five stars in its crash tests, and applied the same score to the larger 5008 because of how much the models have in common. A glance at the scores for each category tested show good results across the board. They're not the best in the class though. For example, the Toyota RAV4 does a better job of protecting the driver’s chest and looking after kids in the back seats.

All models come with active safety gizmos to hopefully prevent you from having an accident, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assistance, e-Call emergency assistance and speed-limit recognition. Allure Premium+ trim adds automatic high beam and a driver attention alert system (to warn when the driver is tired) as well as a blind-spot monitoring system.

The security experts at Thatcham Research gave the 5008 five stars out of five for its ability to resist theft and four out of five for holding out against someone trying to break in.

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FAQs

  • There is a hybrid 5008 but there isn't an electric car version.

  • We recommend the 1.2-litre hybrid petrol engine (called Hybrid 136), which is pleasingly frugal, with the mid-range trim – Allure Premium+ – because that gives you a good blend of value and standard equipment.

  • The 5008 scored a full five-star rating in official Euro NCAP safety testing, with high scores for adult and child protection. Standard safety equipment includes automatic emergency braking (AEB) with lane-departure warning.

At a glance
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Target Price from £33,516
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From £26,500
RRP price range £36,795 - £42,835
Number of trims (see all)3
Number of engines (see all)3
Available fuel types (which is best for you?)petrol, diesel
MPG range across all versions 46.4 - 54.1
Available doors options 5
Warranty 3 years / 60000 miles
Company car tax at 20% (min/max) £2,122 / £2,637
Company car tax at 40% (min/max) £4,244 / £5,273
Available colours