It’s not easy being a car in 2019. Drivers and passengers have demanding expectations. So, when designers drew up the plans for the Peugeot 5008 SUV GT-Line, they called it a Sports Utility Vehicle. A SUV with heavy emphasis on “Utility” – a car for all seasons.
Today’s consumer wants a car that’s tough enough for trekking through the Sahara Desert as well as coping with any icy return of the Beast from the East. Rugged good looks inspire confidence that the 5008 can keep a grip on things.
Size matters. If need be the 5008 is a seven seater with two seats popping up out of the boot: three rows of comfortably upholstered seats wouldn’t look out of place in a cinema.
That middle row of reclining seats provide ample leg-room and the ability to slide back if there are no passengers in the back two seats. This is First Class accommodation with a drop-down table for either work or lunch.
Consequently it’s a long-way back to the rear window for drivers reversing. Peugeot compensate with technology and thoughtful design. Slip into reverse gear and a screen appears on the dashboard showing film of your rear view. With some large blind-spots changing lanes could be hazardous but red warning lights show on the driver’s mirrors when vehicles are in the danger zones. Visibility can be a problem in the growing SUV market segment but Peugeot have converted a difficulty into a strength enhancing the car’s reputation for safety.
So, the Peugeot 5008 is a big car and fully laden with all the holiday paraphernalia of bikes, cases and golf-clubs could be a beast to handle. Fortunately, you don’t need weight-lifters muscular forearms to drive this car. A small-driving wheel, the size of a dinner plate and impressive power-steering, with a nifty turning circle, make the 5008 an easy drive.
Peugeot 5008 cabin
Sat in the i-cockpit, the driver is in a cocoon of information. Today’s drivers expect more information to get to a hypermarket in Hemel Hempstead than NASA required to put a Man on the Moon. You can programme traffic, sport and weather alerts. Somehow Neil Armstrong got to the moon without needing to know that Manchester United had just equalised.
Seven slick silver push-buttons allow the driver to switch between screens showing climate-control, sat-nav, phone, infotainment and more. Touch-screens manage a climate control system capable of cool blasts to combat those 38 Centigrade days and a heating system more than capable of countering the return of that Beast from the East.
There is an 8 speed gear-box. Although there is a manual option when in automatic mode the car slips through the gears easily enough. If you’re accelerating from a slip-road onto a motorway there is plenty of poke to ease into that lane of traffic.
To beep or not to beep? That is the question. There is an option to have beeping on when the 5008 is drifting too close to other cars on the road.
So, with all this technology, plus its simple foot on brake and start button, is the Peugeot 5008 SUV GT-Line deskilling the driver? That question assumes that all drivers are competent for 100% of the time. And we’ve all heard of people who’ve driven to Lands End never getting beyond 3rd gear. You only have to ask Motorway Emergency services staff whether every driver checks blind spots before changing lanes. The 5008 is designed to compensate for human incompetence. Open the driver’s door, with the engine still running, and you’ll hear an apocalyptic deafening symphony of warning sirens. Drive for over two hours and the screen suggests that it is time to take a break.
Peugeot 5008 economy
You could worry that as a big car the 5008 could get thirsty and be something of a gas-guzzler. The petrol version has frugal consumption stats for its class and the diesel models post economical fuel consumption figures too.
Above all the Peugeot 5008 SUV GT-Line is built for the real world. With the five rear seats folding down to provide a cavernous flat-floor space you can take that old sofa to the municipal skip. It is a car that glides over potted roads and takes the strain out of driving.
For more information about trim and specification visit Peugeot 5008 specification.
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About the Author / Michael Edwards
Michael Edwards is a 50connect travel critic. He has a nose for good food and fine wine and plays a mean round of golf.
