SEVEN INTO EIGHT (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

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

Ten Second Reviewword count: 38

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.

Backgroundword count: 164

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.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 205

All you really need here is the 211bhp 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 (conditionally) with a larger 98kWh battery, which needs a gutsier 227bhp motor, gets to 62mph in under 7.0s and claims a range of 410 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.

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