2021 Peugeot 5008 1.2 PureTech EAT8 7 Seater Active Premium Review - Ace of space
2021 Peugeot 5008 1.2 PureTech EAT8 7 Seater Active Premium Review - Ace of space
Singapore - You know that SUVs have largely become the go-to vehicle, when even more brands begin to tell you that they have an off-road inspired people carrier. While there are now super-sized SUVs like the Hyundai Palisade, which could give a Land Rover Discovery a run for its money, the Mid-size segment on the other hand, is a competitive one.
So the 5008 is essentially an elongated 3008, complete with a third row of seats. Introduced in 2017, Peugeot has updated the car twice. Once with a transmission update (from 6 to 8 speeds), and more recently, they have reworked the front end, to align its styling with both the 508 sedan and 2008 SUV. Peugeot have also taken a leaf from their past, and again have their model designation above the grille. The rest of the car remains largely unchanged.
2021 Peugeot 5008 1.2 Puretech EAT8 7 Seater Active Premium - inside
The French have always been known to be bold and quirky, and their efforts have always resulted with a mixed bag of hits and misses. With the 5008, the dashboard is more hit than miss. Here, you get bold sculpting, punctuated with stylish metal inserts. The 5008 is available in two trims, the Allure, which gives you more kit, including a newly introduced 10-inch infotainment screen. The entry Active model retains the 8-inch touchscreen. However, both versions of the 5008 do not offer wireless Android Auto or Apple Carplay. The infotainment unit, while neat in presentation, can get laggy. Overall, it functions well, and navigation is made even easier with a row of piano key-style menu buttons located under the air-conditioning vents.
I appreciate that Peugeot has put some thought into the 12.3-inch i-Cockpit instrument cluster. There are a few layouts to choose from, and I prefer setting it in ‘Minimum’, which reduces the visual clutter and retains just the speed reading, together with a few other essentials.
Middle row passengers get individual adjustable seats, and both left and right passengers also get the use of a foldable tray, located behind the front seats. Compared to the 3008, the 5008 has longer rear doors to accommodate passengers in the third row. I would best describe the last row of seats as decent enough for short journeys; or if the short here is in the kind of David Khoo sort of short, you might just get by decently well.
The rear seats stow neatly when not in use, allowing you to accommodate 780 litres, and with the middle row folded, you get a flat loading area, good for 1940 litres. The third row seats can be pulled out for added stowage, or even for the reduction of weight. The latter makes more sense especially if you plan to take the car up north on a road trip.
2021 Peugeot 5008 1.2 Puretech EAT8 7 Seater Active Premium - the drive
There is just one engine option for the 5008, a Category A friendly 1.2 litre turbocharged 3-cylinder, which produces 129hp and 230Nm. This is the same engine found in both the Citroen C5 Aircross SUV and C4 crossover/hatchback/thing. Previously, there was a 1.6 litre 4-cylinder available, but with unfriendly COE prices, Peugeot here has dropped the engine for most of their range.
The 5008 has plenty of pep in both city and highway driving. The narrow torque band is managed well by the 8-speed automatic transmission. Interestingly, even with its additional length and added seats over the 3008, the Peugeot weighs in at 1430kg. In comparison, the Skoda Kodiaq and SEAT Tarraco weigh around 1500kg and 1600kg respectively, the only NA car here, the Mazda CX-8 at 1809kg, and the Hyundai Santa Fe, a whopping 1870kg; but has quite an excellent hybrid drivetrain (click on this blue stuff for the review). But all of these mentioned are Category B COE vehicles.
But there are some limitations. A long right foot travel to the floorboard, does reveal some inherent 3-cylinder roughness, and with the engine spinning out of its maximum torque band, it tends to fall a little flat. That said, lower overall weight and the transmission’s ability to hold the engine within its prime torque curve (when driven normally), would translate to a claimed 5.2l/100km. We managed 5.5l/100km, which is very good too (but I must say that this is with just a load of one person).
In most cases, I believe you would drive the 5008 in a more civilised manner, where the 5008’s simple torsion rear suspension would not show its limitations. That steering though, I find it rather vague, and the shape of the steering wheel can be unfriendly for keen drivers.
One of my biggest gripes though, and this applies to all of the group’s cars which use the same reverse camera system, the display is blurry, and there the faux stitched bird’s eye view is of very little help when parking the car.
Overall, the 5008 does quite a fine job of delivering the goods, whether the goods are another six in tow, or that nasty bicycle habit which we know you are breeding. It may come with less grunt than the competition, but it does have a lower starting price.
PHOTOS Clifford Chow & Jay Tee
2021 Peugeot 5008 1.2 PureTech EAT8 7 Seater Active Premium
Engine 1199cc, inline3, turbocharged
Power/rpm 129hp/5500rpm
Torque/rpm 230Nm/1750rpm
Transmission 8spd
EAT8 transmission
0-100km/h 11.8secs
Top Speed 188km/h
Fuel Consumption 5.2-5.9l/100km
CO2 121g/km
