Peugeot's biggest People Carrier, the E-Traveller, has usefully improved its proposition. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Review

You'd be surprised just how many options there are for a business or a family seeking full-electric power in a really large MPV. Here's Peugeot's take on this concept, the E-Traveller. This improved version now gets a larger 75kWh battery, so it'll go a bit further on a single charge. And it'll seat up to nine, help you move house or function as an executive minibus. All without using a drop of fuel.

Background

Peugeot is building up a useful portfolio of full-electric models. Here's the marque's biggest EV, the E-Traveller, in this guise usefully improved. It's based on Peugeot's Expert van and it goes up against two identically-engineered design stablemates, the Vauxhall Vivaro Life Electric and the Citroen e-SpaceTourer All three of these Stellantis Group models have been enhanced and can now match the driving range of the segment leader, the Mercedes EQV. But this Peugeot costs a lot less than that Stuttgart model and offers a useful choice of body styles. Both these things might be of interest to business users and suburban family customers. Let's check this green-minded MPV out.

Driving Experience

Probably the biggest issue with the original E-Traveller was its restricted 143 mile range. Well there's been a big improvement there thanks to the installation of a new 75kWh battery pack that boosts range to 217 miles. A useful improvement, but we're a little disappointed that Peugeot hasn't also installed the even bigger 110kWh pack that's now available with its larger Boxer LCV (which gives an even better range of up to 260 miles). Perhaps the thinking was that a battery of that weighty size might have rather over-whelmed the 134bhp (260Nm) electric motor which is carried over from the original model. Three driving modes are available, but you'll need the most frugal of them - 'Eco' - to get anywhere near the claimed range figure - and that restricts power output significantly. The other two settings are 'Normal' and 'Power'. There's also a new regenerative braking system with three different levels, using paddles located behind the steering wheel. Through the corners, as you would expect, there's plenty of body roll if, rather unwisely, you start throwing the thing about. If you can ignore both that and the slightly vague steering and find yourself absolutely having to push on, you'll find that there's reasonable grip and traction. For outdoor activities, the E-Traveller can come with an Advanced Grip Control system, incorporating Hill Assist Descent Control and adjustable traction control. This set-up's ideal for use on low grip surfaces, with modes for sand, mud and snow.

Design and Build

As before, E-Traveller customers get a choice of two lengths - Standard (4.9m) and Long (5.3m). Either way, this Peugeot is a reasonable 1.90m wide and will fit under car park height restrictors. This improved version gets a new grille design featuring the brand's latest emblem at its centre, as well as smarter full-LED headlights incorporating the brand's usual three-claw signature - and a restyled bumper. Inside, there's a new 10-inch digital colour instrument cluster which provides an optimised and customisable display of the essential information, including that of the navigation system and information relating to energy flow and recharging. Peugeot has also revised the dashboard to incorporate a larger 10-inch HD central touchscreen for controlling the multimedia system and connected navigation. This includes the 'OK Peugeot' voice assistant which allows drivers to control the main infotainment functions without taking their eyes off the road. Various cabin seating formats are available, in theory with between five and nine seats, depending on the version, but usually with either eight or nine seats. The top 'Business VIP' trim level offers a lounge configuration with four independent rear seats facing each other. The battery installation hasn't compromised passenger or cargo space in any way. All the rear seats can be removed to reveal a van-like cargo area, but they've heavy and awkward to lift and you'd need a big garage to store them in. Depending on the configuration, the E-Traveller can carry up to nine people with a boot volume of 1,500 litres, or five people and 3,000 litres, or even offer up to 4,900 litres of load volume with two or three people on board.

Market and Model

The E-Traveller is available in 'Business' and 'Business VIP' trim levels, with prices starting at around £43,000 for 'Business'-spec or around £49,500 for plusher 'Business VIP' spec. There's a premium of £840 to move from the 'Standard' to the 'Long' body shape. 'Business'-spec models are 9-seaters, while 'Business VIP' variants are 8-seaters. 'Business' models feature 17-inch wheels, Rear Parking Sensors, Cruise Control and Twin Sliding Rear Doors as standard. Inside, a 10-inch capacitive colour touchscreen integrates the Mirror Screen function enabling wireless 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto' smartphone applications and 'OK Peugeot' voice control. Users also have an easy to read 10-inch instrument display, plus climate control and the usual executive niceties. All versions offer plenty of modularity and flexibility, with the second and third row seats fully adjustable and removable. Plusher 'Business VIP' trim adds front and rear parking sensors with a 180-degree rear camera, 'Peugeot Open and Go' keyless entry and start, electric sliding doors, Peugeot Connected 3D Navigation and a Head Up Display. Driver fatigue warning, traffic sign recognition, lane keeping assist, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, and speed limiter are all available on the E-Traveller. It also benefits from a wide range of driver assistance systems which have been further enhanced on this model with adaptive cruise control.

Cost of Ownership

Because the E-Traveller supports up to 100kW rapid charging technology, an 80 per cent charge will take 45 minutes. This EV People Carrier also features a 7.4kW on-board charger. A full charge from a 7.4kW domestic wallbox takes 11 hours 20 minutes. With the alternative 11kW wallbox, you can reduce that to seven and a half hours. For peace of mind, the lithium-ion battery pack in this model comes with an eight year/100,000 mile warranty, for up to 70% of the initial battery capacity. To get close to the quoted 217 mile range figure, you'll need to engage 'Eco' mode frequently - which reduces power output to 80hp. To maximise range, you'll also need to regularly engage the fiercest of the regenerative braking settings, activated by steering wheel paddles. Owners can set up deferred charging or to pre-condition the vehicle via a MyPeugeot mobile app on their smartphone. This app also allows drivers to initiate or schedule thermal preconditioning and view, schedule, start or deferred charging remotely.

Summary

We can see why plenty of families might like an E-Traveller, now that it can offer a decently sized battery with a reasonable driving range between charges. We like the way that the battery powertrain has been built into this People Carrier without any compromise to interior space. It's quiet and well built, looks contemporary and is well equipped. If you can live with the range on offer - as some city based families and business users might be able to - there's potentially a lot to like here. The styling changes and cabin updates are well judged and media provision has been bought properly up to date. Space, they say, is the ultimate luxury. If you subscribe to that view and want to switch your big People Carrier to an EV, you might well find this one well worth a look.