According to the OECD, the UK is the third-most expensive country in the world when it comes to childcare. It also reckons many people considering having children are put off by the worsening climate crisis. It is hardly surprising then, that seven-seater cars are pretty thin on the ground these days, and if they are to stand any chance of a renaissance, they better be EVs. Peugeot reckons its all-new E-5008 is the answer, even if it has introduced a few checks and balances on the birth control front.
With only two sets of ISOFIX anchor points fitted in the car, one on each of the outer seats of the middle sliding row, and a 60/40 split arrangement, rather than the three individual seats layout of its predecessor, you can no longer section-off a trio of squabbling cherubs, and bear in mind, those same cherubs are required to use a car seat until they measure 135 centimetres tall. If they’re taller, then you can always banish them to the rearmost pair of pews, which are the motoring equivalent of the naughty step. That said, the offender’s lot can be made less punitive, provided their middle-row siblings are prepared to democratise legroom by sliding their seats forward.
Peugeot reckons it’s now a lot easier to ensconce these backseat miscreants thanks to wide-opening rear doors and a simple lever deployment, which allows the middle seats to cantilever forwards. It is a neat enough solution but while the gap the aforementioned offenders need to negotiate is relatively wide, the low roofline dictates a degree of stooping and twisting contortionism to gain access.
If you’re a bit of a DIYer then folding the rear-most seats down is easily achieved from the boot thanks to a pair of levers, while the middle row seatbacks fold flat to create a completely level runway-length load bay.
Interior tech
From an interior design perspective the E-5008 boasts plenty of wow factor. Peugeot’s spectacular i cockpit is enhanced by extremely extravagant mood lighting and a glossy 21.0in LED panel, combining a digital driver’s display with an infotainment screen. This is supplemented by a separate touch i-Toggle panel below the main infotainment display that allows you to show your most often used shortcuts. The graphics are crisp and the icons large, but some of the sub-menus do require a bit of head scratching, although no doubt things will become more intuitive over time.
While the high-set instrument panel still necessitates you look over rather than through the tiny flat top and bottomed steering wheel, it isn’t as much of a polarising issue as it is with some Peugeots. This is thanks to a wide range of seat height adjustments, which will allow a broader demographic to adopt a comfortable driving position and still see all the instrumentation.
Drive and performance
Although the E-5008 will be available as a 230 model, with a whopping 98kWh battery to give it a 410-mile range, and as a 320 73kWh Dual Motor AWD version, which gets two electric motors to provide four-wheel drive and significantly increased performance, so far, we’ve only driven the single-motor 210 73kWh version, which has an official range of 311 miles. This relatively modest power guise, still feels more than capable of hauling a full complement of passengers, thanks to its solid, instantaneous torque delivery. And the need for speed versus usable range equation seems well-judged. We’ve also only driven this car on the glass-like surfaces of Sweden, where its ride quality felt quite sublime, so much so we’ll reserve judgment on the comfort front until we’ve encountered more taxing elements dished out by the nonsense that constitutes UK blacktop.
Less impressive is the E-5008’s steering, which has so little feel it has a rather PlayStation-like quality, making it difficult to judge how much or how little steering input to dial in. Overall though, body control is neatly maintained with relatively little sideways lean in corners and no unruly pitch or dive under braking and acceleration, so fingers crossed, you shouldn’t be alarmed by too many cries of ‘I’m feeling ick’ from the cheap seats.
Positive: Seven-seat flexibility, wow factor driver interface, eight-year/100,000-mile warranty.
Negative: Flouncy steering connection, not enough ISOFIX points, non-intuitive
infotainment.
Standard equipment: 19in alloys, keyless entry and start-up, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera, adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist, Apple Carplay and Android Auto, wireless phone-charging pad, faux leather seats and electric tailgate.
Engine: Electric: 210hp, 230hp, 320hp
Equipment grades: Allure, GT
Transmission: Single-speed auto
| Model | Peugeot E-5008 210 GT |
| P11D | £51,500 |
| Residual value | TBC |
| Depreciation | TBC |
| Fuel | TBC |
| Service, maintenance and repair | TBC |
| Cost per mile | TBC |
| Range | 311 miles |
| CO2 (BIK%) | 0g/km (2%) |
| BIK 20/40% a month | £17/£34 |
| Luggage capacity | 259 litres |
| Battery size/power | 73kWh/210hp |
| Score | 7/10 |
