Peugeot 5008 - Engines, performance & drive

Family buyers will be pleased, and not at all surprised, to hear the Peugeot 5008 continues to prioritise comfort and refinement over driving thrills. The suspension does a decent job absorbing the bumps and various other imperfections on UK roads, and relatively low amounts of wind and road noise make their way into the cabin at higher speeds. 

That said, during our test route, we noticed the 5008 never quite settles, and is particularly fidgety on the motorway. We suspect this is because the car has been set up to cope with a cabin full of passengers and luggage rather than partially loaded with just two adults onboard as we had.

Despite measuring nearly 4.8 metres long and 1.9 metres wide, the 5008 is a relatively easy car to drive around town, helped by its incredibly light steering and tall driving position – which provides a clear view of your surroundings – plus a very clear rear-view camera (something not always guaranteed, even in 2024).

The 5008 Hybrid allows for very small bursts of pure-electric driving at low speeds, and can coast along with the engine off once you’re up to speed, which adds to the level of refinement when gliding through town or cruising on the motorway. We found the hybrid system falters when moving away from a standstill, as its 21bhp e-motor lacks the grunt to propel the big Peugeot, so the petrol engine has to take charge instead. 

Peugeot is sticking to its guns regarding its unconventional and often divisive ‘i-Cockpit’ cabin design, which, if you’ve not experienced before, requires drivers to look over a small, slightly squared-off steering wheel in order to read the instrument display. This can make for an awkward and uncomfortable driving position, but this latest evolution of i-Cockpit feels far more natural. We recommend taking the 5008 for a test drive to make sure you can get along with it before signing on the dotted line. 

What is the Peugeot 5008 like to drive? 

In town

The tall driving position provides a clear view of your surroundings, and incredibly light steering helps when manoeuvring around town. 

On A- and B-roads

It shouldn't come as a surprise to hear that the Peugeot 5008 isn’t a particularly exciting or fun car to drive on a twisty road. It feels stable through corners, however, and body lean is kept in check.

On the motorway

Road and wind noise are fairly well suppressed, and the engine is quiet once you’re at cruising speed. We noticed the ride of the Peugeot 5008 constantly fidgets on the motorway, but not too severely.

0-62mph acceleration and top speed

The entry-level 5008 Hybrid features a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox that has a 21bhp electric motor built-in. It’s the same set-up now being offered in numerous Stellantis group models, including the Vauxhall Corsa and Peugeot 208 superminis. 

In the 5008 Hybrid, the combination produces 134bhp and 230Nm of torque, which is enough for surprisingly brisk acceleration; it certainly doesn’t feel as slow as the official 11.3-second 0-62mph time might have you think, anyway. That could change when the car is fully loaded with seven people and all their luggage, however.

The engine sounds a little strained when you put your foot to the floor, and we’d prefer it if the transmission would upshift more quickly once we lift off the accelerator, but once you do, everything settles down.

The 5008 Plug-in Hybrid pairs a 1.6-litre petrol engine with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and a more powerful electric motor that’s fed by a much larger 21kWh battery. The combined power output is 192bhp and there’s 350Nm of torque; enough for 0-62mph in 8.3 seconds. We’ve not tested this version yet, but we’ll update this section once we have.

We have spent time in the electric Peugeot E-5008, specifically the base ‘210’ model. Driving the front wheels is a single e-motor that produces 201bhp and 345Nm of torque. Power delivery is smoother and much more progressive than in some EVs we’ve encountered, but there’s still enough oomph available for 0-62mph in under ten seconds.