Peugeot 5008

MODEL TESTED: Peugeot 5008 1.6 Bluehdi EAT6 Allure PRICE: £27,030 ENGINE: 1.6-litre 4cyl, 118bhp

PEUGEOT updated its 5008 MPV not long after the pre-facelift Grand C4 Picasso was launched, and although Peugeot’s seven-seater is based on an older design, the car we’re testing here uses the same 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine and six-speed automatic gearbox. The 5008 also has price on its side, as in top-of-the-range Allure trim to rival the Citroen it’s £1,130 cheaper at £27,030.

Styling 2.9/5

A ROUND of revisions for the 5008 in late 2013 didn’t exactly constitute a major update for Peugeot’s seven-seater, so nearly three years on – and especially next to newer competitors like the Citroen and the VW – the 5008 is showing its age.

The Touran isn’t exactly a style icon, but even it has a minimalist attraction compared with the bland 5008. A few very gentle creases on the bonnet and some chrome around the grille and foglamps are the biggest highlights at the front, while the side profile has a little more visual charm in the form of a swooping roof rail and high tail-lights that wrap around on to the rear wings.

Some extra chrome underneath the windows helps brighten up the otherwise dull bodywork, along with a heavy crease along the rear of the doors. Climb aboard and the 5008’s status as an ageing MPV is confirmed, as the interior feels more cramped and less logical than either of its rivals’. The bright chrome rings around the dials are a signature styling feature of last-generation Peugeots, while the centre console that drops down from the instrument binnacle puts the emphasis on the driver.

However, it takes up a lot of room, while the sat-nav screen is perched high on top of the dash and quite far away from the driver. The infotainment system’s controls are separated and a little fiddly, and the small buttons also mean it’s sometimes difficult to pick which function you want at a glance.

On the whole, material quality is good, but there is a mix of textures that, together with the questionable ergonomics, makes the cabin feel cheaper and less practical than either the funky Grand C4 Picasso’s or the sedate but solid Touran’s.

Even though it doesn’t look modern and sharp like its rivals, you do get a lot of equipment as standard. Allure trim sits at the top of the 5008 range and gets a colour reversing camera, parking sensors, cruise control, sat-nav, Bluetooth and a head-up display. Yet DAB radio is a £115 extra – again highlighting the car’s age. You can opt for £1,570 leather if you want to make the cabin feel that bit more upmarket.

Driving 3.6/5

ALTHOUGH the 5008 and Grand C4 Picasso share the same engines, there was quite a difference between their performance at the track. The Peugeot’s 118bhp 1.6-litre diesel had to work harder due to the car’s heavier 1,510kg kerbweight, and it was half a second slower than the Citroen from 50 to 70mph in top gear, taking 12.8 seconds, but still roughly half a second faster than the Touran. Yet the 5008 was the slowest car from 0-60mph, trailing the Touran by one full second and the Picasso by 1.5 seconds with its 12.5-second time.

For buyers of seven-seaters, ultimate performance probably isn’t as important as long-distance comfort. But the 5008 loses out to the Grand C4 Picasso here, too. While it has more grip and feels more composed through quicker corners, at regular speeds the 5008’s firmer suspension isn’t as absorbent as the Citroen’s, while the composed Touran better isolates you from the road surface despite its taut body control.

In fact, on our test car this set-up exacerbated a loud trim rattle coming from the rear of the 5008’s cabin, which impacted refinement. Although wind noise is well suppressed, there was more road noise, with the vibrations rattling the harder materials inside. At speed on the motorway the Peugeot feels more settled, as when there are fewer bumps the chassis’s drawbacks aren’t quite as noticeable.

Like the Citroen, there’s enough power to pull out into the third lane for an overtake, while if you’re not too sharp on the throttle, the transmission manages to change up through the gears smoothly.

Ownership 3.6/5

OWNERS rated Peugeot the best brand of these three in our Driver Power 2016 survey, placing it in 17th. The company’s dealers scored highly in 10th spot, but while customer service is good, the 5008 is based on an old design, so a lack of technology and convenience features mean that it might not be as easy to live with as its rivals. Still, the positive is that as it’s been on sale for a while, any problems with the car should have been ironed out by now.

The 5008’s older design also means safety isn’t as extensive as on more modern MPVS. A speed limiter is standard, as are six airbags, while collision alert is a £200 option – although this extra doesn’t bring autonomous braking. The Peugeot’s five-star Euro NCAP rating was achieved back in 2008, and the test has been made much tougher since. A pedestrian protection rating of 37 per cent was poor eight years ago and lags way behind the class average now.

Running costs 3.8/5

THE 5008 will lose the most money in depreciation over three years/36,000 miles. Our experts predict the Peugeot will only hold on to 35.7 per cent of its value, compared with 36.8 per cent for the Citroen and 40.4 per cent for the VW. It means although the 5008 is cheaper than the Picasso, it’ll lose nearly as much money, with depreciation of £17,372 compared with £17,811 for the Citroen. However, the Touran is only predicted to lose £15,945.

But the VW wasn’t as efficient as its rivals on test. While it returned a respectable 45.1mpg, it was edged by the 5008, with 46.1mpg economy. And both cars were left trailing at the pumps by the 53.5mpg Citroen.

Practicality 4.4/5

IT isn’t as roomy inside as the Picasso, but the Peugeot offers plenty of boot space. In five-seat configuration there’s a useful 823 litres on offer, while this rises to 2,506 litres with the second and third rows folded flat, making it the most spacious car here if you need to maximise load volume.

However, seven seats might be more useful more of the time, and although the middle seats slide and fold, the Peugeot’s lower roofline and smaller doors make it harder to climb right into the back. Room is roughly on par with the Touran, but it feels more claustrophobic, despite the panoramic roof letting in lots of light.