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

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

All you really need here is the 210hp 73kWh single motor E-5008 model that most customers will choose. 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 311 miles. If you do want to go faster, there's a dual motor drivetrain available, offered either with the 73kWh powerpack or with a larger 98kWh battery, which needs a gutsier 230hp motor, gets to 62mph in under 7.0s and claims a range of 415 miles. On all E-5008s, there are three stages of selectable regenerative braking and three main driving modes - 'Eco', 'Normal' and 'Sport', with an extra '4WD' setting available on the dual motor models. Peugeot claims the underfloor battery pack gives the car greater stiffness than its combustion predecessor, which should help handling. An independent multi-link rear axle ought to help clump all that weight over speed humps and poor surfaces; combustion 5008s make do with a cruder twist beam set-up. Those include both Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid options, despite the fact that the new platform here was primarily developed for this full-electric model.

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. A version without third row seating may in future be offered. With the third row in place, there's 259-litres of boot space. Fold the rear-most seats down and the revealed completely flat area is 748-litres in size. There's 1,815-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

We gave you the driving range figures earlier: 311 miles for the 73kWh models and 415 miles for the 98kWh version. To get near to these, you'll have to make frequent use of the provided 'Eco' drive mode and the various settings (low, medium and high) of the regenerative braking system. Peugeot claims an efficiency figure of 3.6 miles per kWh for the entry-level variant. This is aided by eco tyres, friction-reducing bearings, a slippery drag coefficient of 0.28Cd and a heat pump which will preserve range in cold weather. As for charging, well 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 charge at up to 160kW, which 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. The 230 Long Range bigger-battery 98kWh version needs 27 minutes to go from 20-80% and adds 93 miles every 10 minutes. Via the 'MyPeugeot' smartphone app or by using the vehicle's touchscreen, owners can schedule a wake-up time for the 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. Owners can opt to purchase a single service plan to cover all essential maintenance. Service intervals are every year or 20,000 miles. And with this E-5008 EV, you'll be given a certificate of battery capacity after each service; both batteries come with an eight year / 100,000 warranty for 70% of their capacity. And that warranty covers the whole car too.

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.