Road Test: Peugeot 5008 2.0 HDi Active

Ray Leathern spends a month testing a Peugeot 5008; this is his diary of the experience.

Dear Diary: Rather than two front teeth, Peugeot had the good grace to loan me a R325 000 for the Christmas holidays while the car biz closed up shop. Here’s my holiday diary of what you can expect when living with one.

Now, I’m a 30 year old male, no wife, no kids, with no proclivity to start a family any time soon, so what I need most in my life isn’t a seven seater people carrier, but if were so inclined to breed abundantly and quickly so as to need five seats-plus in my mode of transport, I would rank this Frenchie as the best people mover on the market. Beating out the equivalent Renault, Citroen, Hyundai and making a real fist of its battle with the Chrysler Grand Voyager (the one Chrysler we might actually consider recommending to people). However, while I’m about as worthy of judging seven seaters as I am a poetry recital, this is probably the best opportunity a practical car will ever have to win me over.

Day 1: Bright white 5008 collected and delivered to my house, looks in good condition except for a ding on the side sill. Someone overestimated the big cars ground clearance over a curb I see. 14 000 km odd on the clock. Excited about taking ownership of it. Resist the urge to buy a ‘baby on board’ sticker.

Day 2-8: 5008 has not just been sitting in the driveway collecting bird dirt, it’s been tasked with holiday shopping. The look of it hasn’t grown on me yet… looks like a big box. I know its got loads of fine touches and detailing on the pillars, the roof and lights to make seem cool, but what’s the wisdom in making a cool people mover? Seems a bit sad really, like a chubby girl with all her favorite jewelry on.

Day 10: First enjoyable drive. Love the 110 kW and 340 Nm engine, plenty of shift and great economy when you go calmly, as I assume someone with kids onboard would. It doesn’t like to corner all that aggressively, massive roll and lack of body control. Also not as impressed with some of the build quality; the clutch pedal’s rubber falls off, so I only have the metal digging under the soul of my shoe as I change gear.

Day 12: After some misgivings, I’m beginning to enjoy the heads up display that shows the distance between you and the car in front. Perfect for moms with a million and one multitasking moments on their plate. Instrument display and centre fascia are exactly like any other Peugeot. This is to say – practical but uninspiring.

Day 15: Two weeks into driving it and amazingly I’m not put off yet. The handling and road holding are mediocre, but steering is direct and the engine is really winning me over. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder HDi has plenty of go for its use in the 5008, it easily does speeds above 120 km/h, but most importantly, it pulls easily in top gear when driving around town. Great little turbo whistle too and good action on the manual gearbox. I invent the ‘can you shift as fast as a double clutch’ game to amuse myself, that’s how well it can change gear, surprisingly.

Day 16: Annoyed with the panoramic glass roof. You can’t open it and it turns the 5008 into a greenhouse if left out in the sun on a balmy summers day, which it has been the whole holiday. Don’t know why anyone would invent such a thing and lest we forget that air conditioning is far from a French car USP. Very hot.

Day 18: Have totally settled with the 5008 in my daily routine. The driver’s seat is genuinely good with its handy arm rests. Boot space for your average beach trip is massive with 830-litres if the seats are up and a million with the seats pulled down. Not all that happy with the action on moving the seats, however. Takes loads of effort and the seats do tend to snap out at you if you’re not careful. Radio and MP3/CD-player is bang on and privacy glass is great for safely leaving some things in the back.

Day 25: Just decide to leave the mountain bike in the back, without undoing the front wheel. It fits easily.

Day 27: Genuinely don’t want to give it back.

Verdict: I’m still not a fan of the looks and there are a few annoying little tidbits here and there, like the glass roof, but at the end of the day, after 1 550 km at an average consumption in the 5.5 L/100km range, the 5008 didn’t put a foot wrong. Its been a brilliant, practical, efficient holiday companion, but I will need something sportier in the driveway to go along with it.

What we like…

• Torquey diesel.
• Slick shifting manual transmission.
• Acres of space.

What we would like…

• A smaller, more conventional, electronically operated sunroof, to keep things cool.
• We know it’s a box, but some sharper design detailing would help.

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