We at Motoring are well versed in the intricacies of Peugeot’s 3008 station wagon thanks to an extended road test duration. Over the past few months we’ve noted likeable features such as its classy chrome trimmed interior, deep storage nooks, spacious cargo area and convenient bakkie-style split tailgate system. But we’ve also noticed that for its size there’s a serious lack of rear passenger legroom.
This car though, takes care of that problem in one fell, minivan-sized swoop. Meet the 5008. Just as you’d expect from a model designation that’s only slightly altered from its smaller sibling, the new 5008 is very much the same flavour as the 3008, only bigger. It’s wider, longer, taller and with an increased wheelbase, second row passengers can now stretch their legs a little.
In top Allure models there are even standard DVD screens in both front-seat head restraints, complete with wireless Bluetooth earphones meaning that rear passengers now get the best seats in the house.
The 5008 also gets a third row of folding seats which Peugeot claims are full size but in reality only applicable to small children or emergency situations.
Both the second and third rows can fold flat, along with the front passenger seat, for times when loading of extra-long items is required. But because there are so many hinges, levers and pull straps to configure seating and storage arrangements in all different ways, the rear area can become quite noisy with jiggles and rattles if no cargo or passengers are there to weigh it all down.
From the driver’s seat you’ll recognise a dashboard that’s almost identical to the 3008’s, with easy-to-use controls and an easy-to-read instrument cluster with conventional needle indicated speedo and rev counter - unlike its platform-sharing Citroën sister, the Grand Picasso, with a huge centrally-located colour display.
Strangely, the centre console is smaller than the one in the 3008, but my five-year-old nephew reckons it’s still big enough to store kiddie things like juice bottles, play-dough and Apple iPads (how times have changed). There’s also a handy concave mirror positioned just above the normal rear-view so mom can keep a safe eye on what’s going on behind her while driving. Another neat feature is a seatbelt monitor for all seven seats, so that if kids in the back unbuckle you’ll know about it before said play-dough reaches driver’s hair.
More market research conducted with my nephew Sam’s assistance involved the back doors. In the 5008 they open just as they would in any four-door sedan but Sam said he prefers the electronic sliding type in his mother’s Mazda5.
Seems clambering in and out of the rear-seat aperature is easier in sliding door-type minivans, and mom agrees, saying that innocent cars adjacently parked in spots alongside could fall prey to door dings when lighties make wild bids to escape at shopping centres. My second, even younger, nephew also managed to pinch his tiny hand in one of the van’s many rear seat hinges. Something to watch out for, moms and dads.
This big Pug comes with either turbodiesel or turbopetrol power, and if getting a busload of rugrats to soccer practice on time is your kind of vibe then the 5008’s your winner. Each engine choice offers more than enough torque, and our test unit, a 1.6-litre petrol turbo with 115kW and 240Nm felt energetic at all times. I must admit that I never carried more than one full and two half-pint sized passengers, but I’ll bet that even with half your Snotty Nosed United football club on board it’ll still pull strong.
VERDICT
Once upon a time, seven-seater vehicle options were limited to a handful of ugly vans and expensive SUVs. Today, however, choices range from almost limitless shapes, sizes and pricing brackets. Size-wise Peugeot’s 5008 is convenient and still borders on normal passenger-car dimensions. From the wheel it also feels manageable in tight places, so fear not, all you easily-panicked-in-parking-lot parents.
Our test unit, with its range-topping Allure spec, isn’t the cheapest at R314 300, but I think the price is reasonable considering all the leather upholstery, electronics and handy driving aids included as standard fare. As far as minivans go it’s fairly sexy too. - Star Motoring