Peugeot's E-5008 offers seven proper seats to customers wanting a mid-sized electric SUV. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Review

Peugeot's E-5008 offers a pretty unique proposition to those in search of a relatively affordable seven-seat EV. This, the first 5008 to be fully battery-powered, also offers a versatile, sophisticated cabin. It ought to find a ready market.

Background

You might reasonably think that finding a gap in the volume part of the over-crowded SUV market would be almost impossible. Not so. That one rather obvious opportunity still exists is highlighted by this car, the Peugeot E-5008. What other mid-sized model that isn't a converted van can offer you a full-EV drivetrain and seven proper seats for under £60,000? With that kind of unique selling point, you'd think this car might have a ready market. This is the third generation design in the 5008 model line, but the first to be offered with the option of the full-electric drivetrain that's created the E-5008 variant we look at here. This third generation 5008 (like its two predecessors) is essentially just a stretched version of the 3008 (or in this case the E-3008). Which means that in MK3 form, this electrified 5008 is based on the latest, more sophisticated Stellantis Group STLA platform (which also underpins the latest Vauxhall Grandland). Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experience

A family-sized seven-seat SUV isn't meant to be thrown about. But it should be capable of safe, high speed handling, should circumstances demand that. If you want us to get right to it, that's what's been delivered here. Don't expect to particularly enjoy the back doubles on your way home from the school run. But if necessary, the 5008 will get you through them surprisingly quickly if your kids have made you late for your first appointment of the day. At the wheel, the unusual driving position of the 'i-Cockpit' design takes some getting used to, but does encourage wrist-flick direction changes from the little tiller. In terms of EV powertrain, all you really need here is the 210hp 73kWh single motor E-5008 model that most customers will choose - the version we tried. It's not particularly fast for an EV, making 62mph in 9.7 seconds, but there's plenty of pulling power that makes the performance quite enough for family duties and eager enough for a 2.2-tonne family car. EV range is up to 339 miles. If you want to go further, there's a Long Range Single Motor model available with 231hp and a larger 97kWh battery that can take you up to 414 miles. At the top of the line-up is the '320 Dual Motor AWD' model, which produces 315hp from its twin motors and also uses the larger 97kWh battery pack. Driving range with that variant is quoted at 310 miles. On all E-5008s, there are three stages of selectable regenerative braking (Low, Moderate and Enhanced) and three main driving modes - 'Eco', 'Normal' and 'Sport', with an extra '4WD' setting available on the dual motor model. Peugeot claims the underfloor battery pack gives the car greater stiffness than its combustion predecessor, which should help handling. A multi-link rear axle bolted to this MK3 5008's new STLA Medium platform features on the E-5008 and ought to help clump all that weight over speed humps and poor surfaces.

Design and Build

You wouldn't call this third generation 5008 pretty, but it looks quite futuristic - perhaps more the kind of car the current 3008 would have been if Peugeot hadn't decided to make that model a coupe-style SUV. As you'd expect given the need to fit in three seating rows, this 5008 is much boxier than its stablemate - and pretty large, the new STLA platform facilitating a length increase of around 150mm over its predecessor, which means it's now slightly longer than a rival Skoda Kodiaq. Overall, it's 4.79m long, 1.69m tall and 2.1m wide (including the mirrors). So not quite Kia EV9 territory, but not far off. Inside, it certainly feels like a car designed in the new electric era, the up-front cabin space replicating the 3008 design. Which means it's unusual and different, with a high dual-level centre console and an upper 'floating' 21-inch panoramic screen pod. This houses the infotainment system and, to the right of it, the driving information display, which as usual in a Peugeot you view over the top of the wheel rather than through the spokes. There's a small squared-off steering wheel, while swathes of grey fabric on the doors and the 'spine' that connects the dash to the centre console create cool Scandinavian-style vibe. But practicality will be a key requirement for 5008 customers - who may be disappointed to find that the three individual second row seats of the previous generation model have been replaced by a different configuration. This one lacks the old individual ISOFIX points but offers two larger more comfortable outer seats, flanking a narrow one in the middle that does without the child seat mount. The bench base slides by up to 150mm and the backrest reclines: even before you start fiddling with this, there's plenty of head and legroom. The third row isn't too difficult to get to and, thanks to this MK3 model's extra 60mm of wheelbase length, is now a little more spacious - though it's still clearly primarily intended for kids. Let's consider boot space. With the third row in place, there's 348-litres of boot capacity. There's a light on the left and a deep stowage well beneath the luggage board. Pull the lower black tabs to fold the rear-most seats down and the revealed completely flat area is 916-litres in size. There's 2,232-litres of space with the second row folded too.

Market and Model

For this E-5008, expect to need a price premium of around £2,500 over an equivalent E-3008. That means a starting price of around £48,000 for the base 'Allure' version, or around £52,000 for the top 'GT' model you'd probably rather have. To give you some perspective, an equivalent 48V Hybrid combustion 5008 would cost around £37,000. The E-5008 Long Range model costs from around £51,000. 'Allure' trim includes 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, cruise control, body-coloured accents for the front grille and keyless entry. Plus ambient lighting linked to the drive modes, a wireless smartphone charging pad and wireless 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto' smartphone-mirroring built into the panoramic 21 inch HD curves display. There's keyless entry, tri-zone automatic climate control and an HD reversing camera with a wash system and rear parking assistance. 'GT' spec upgrades you to 20-inch wheels and adds a contrasting black roof and rear spoiler, as well as a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, pixel LED headlights with adaptive high beams, adaptive cruise control with stop and go functions, a hands-free opening tailgate and front parking sensors. You also get a hands-free electric tailgate and Alcantara upholstery. Each spec level can be specified with a choice of various different options packs. There's lots of camera safety kit too, including autonomous braking and Lane keep assist. And there are six different paint colours.

Cost of Ownership

As we told you in our 'Driving' section, this 73kWh E-5008 has an EV range of 310 miles - which extends to 414 miles for the 97kWh Single Motor version. To get near to these figures, you'll have to make frequent use of the provided 'Eco' drive mode and the various settings (low, moderate and enhanced) of the regenerative braking system. Peugeot claims an efficiency figure of 3.6 miles per kWh for this 73kWh entry-level E-5008 variant. This is aided by eco tyres, friction-reducing bearings, a slippery drag coefficient of 0.28Cd and (if you pay extra for it) a heat pump which will preserve range in cold weather. A little surprisingly, the STLA Medium platform hasn't been engineered with the 800V architecture that would enable use of the latest breed of ultra-rapid DC public chargers. But with its 400V system, the E-5008 can DC charge at up to 160kW, which for the 73kWh standard model allows for 20-80% charge in 30 minutes, with a charging rate of 2.4kWh per minute at its peak, at which point 62 miles of range are added every 10 minutes. It'd be 27 minutes for a 20-80% DC charge of the Long Range model's 97kWh battery. As for AC charging from home, well for the standard 73kWh model, Peugeot quotes battery replenishment time of 4 hours 30 minutes for a 20-80% charge with a 3-phase 11kW supply. For a full charge using a single-phase supply and 7.4kW wallbox, you're looking at 11 hours 45 minutes. That rises to 14 hours and 45 minutes for a full 7.4kW charge of the 97kWh Long Range model - with an hour longer needed for the Dual Motor AWD version. Via the 'MyPeugeot' smartphone app or by using the vehicle's touchscreen, owners can schedule a wake-up time for the E-5008's battery. This means that the cells can be at the optimal temperature for efficiency from the time you start up, plus of course the interior can also be pre-cooled or pre-heated too. An 'Energy' section of the centre screen gives you a 'History' section offering a graphical chart of energy consumption in mi/kWh over the last 30 miles. You can also select a 'Usage' screen showing usage of energy by the E-Motor, the climate system and other ancillaries. The E-5008 gets its own 'Peugeot Allure Care' warranty, which covers the vehicle's motor, charging and electrical systems and is in addition to the eight year/100,000 mile battery warranty that all EV makers are these days mandated to provide. What 'Allure Care' does is extend the standard three year warranty by two years and 15,000 miles every time the vehicle is serviced at a franchised Peugeot dealer - up to a total of eight years or 100,000 miles.

Summary

Given that this E-5008 rather has the SUV side of the sub-£60,000 seven-seat market to itself, it doesn't have to be as good as it is. The battery stats look competitive and it feels avant-garde, both inside and out. Don't expect a particularly engaging driving experience, but few customers will be seeking that. Some might not like the divisive 'i-Cockpit' driving position though. And we'd hoped this car might be slightly more affordable than is. We think though, that you're getting a lot more for your money here than you would be with an identically-engineered Peugeot E-3008. Or indeed just about any other mid-sized SUV full-electric crossover you could name. That third seating row gives this Peugeot a real advantage and you get it without the frumpiness that would come with a van-based electric MPV. All good.