Peugeot has a range of impressive new cars in its line-up for 2010. The French car company is back in the people carrier market with a compact seven-seat car that's going to challenge the Opel Zafira.

The new Peugeot 5008 is a totally new car in the Peugeot range. Compared with the other recent Peugeot introduction, the 3008, this new car comes with seven seats as standard. Peugeot believes that with a high specification and keen pricing, the new 5008 will be a real competitor in the sector, which includes popular cars such as the Opel Zafira, Toyota Verso, Citroen C4 Picasso and Renault Scenic.

The new Peugeot 5008 is a new seven-seat compact people carrier with a neat folding third row of seats and competitive pricing. The car comes with a competitive entry price of €26,995 before delivery charges and is due here in early 2010.

The car is, in my view, attractive to look at, feels solidly built and has a good driving feel to it. There are hints of similarity between the new Peugeot and the Citroen C4 Picasso. It has similar styling in parts to the new Peugeot 3008, although there are hints that the car has origins closer to the 308 SW. The 5008 is slightly longer than the recently launched 3008 to allow for three rows of seats. This gives seating for seven in a compact car size, with the rear most two seats easily folded to give good boot space.

Predictably, Peugeot uses the 1.6 litre HDi diesel engine as the main driving option for the new 5008. The engine has plenty of credibility and, in the 5008, develops 110bhp. Engine torque will be more than adequate for a car of this size at 240Nm and there is reasonable trailer pulling power for caravan and boat users.

Peugeot launched the new 5008 on the French/Swiss border recently, providing an opportunity for an interesting test drive across mountain roads and motorways. The new 5008 drives every bit as well as the 3008. On the road, it feels more assured than previous Peugeot models. The car proved impressive and firm in terms of road holding.

The links with the relatively new 3008 model are seen in the internal layout and styling. The seating position feels a little lower and the dashes are somewhat similar. The driver has a relatively high seat position to give a good view of the road.

In seating terms, the middle row is made up of three individual seats. These can be moved and folded on their own or together. The two seats in the third row can again be folded individually and, when fully flat, give a large 2,506 litre boot area. This is much bigger than the load area of the 3008 model.

Peugeot claims the 5008 has the most spacious boot in its class. And that's against competition such as the Opel Zafira and Volkswagen Touran. Fold down their rear seats and there's loads of room too, but the new Peugeot 5008 has a slight edge in terms of carrying space.

Lift up the third row of seats and the load space instantly disappears. These cars are a dream for the school run, as long as the bags are not big and sports gear is in a manageable size. Access to the rear seat section is relatively easy. The two outer seats of the mid-row section fold easily. But despite all its claims, I wouldn't like a long journey as an adult third row passenger. And a child seat ISOFIX system is standard on all three seats in the middle row.

Peugeot offers plenty of safety equipment in the new 5008. All models come with ESP, ABS, ASR, electronic brake force distribution, six air bags (driver/passenger/side/curtain), automatic electric parking brake with hill assist function and fasten seat belt warnings on all seats. Peugeot claims the 5008 is the only car in its segment with curtain airbags that protect all three rows of passengers.

Production schedules at Peugeot means that the new 5008 will not appear on Irish roads until February 2010. Prices are keen, starting at €26,995. That's slightly more expensive than the five seat 3008 entry model and a keener price than the C4 Picasso or diesel powered Opel Zafira. This makes it by far the best priced seven seat car on the market.

This new Peugeot 5008 has space, looks and practical use features. The price band is attractive and that's why I'm surprised that the Gowan Group is predicting such modest sales for 2010. The car offers a good family driving deal that's efficient and economical with a Band B road tax rating. Peugeot has moved up a gear in its new compact MPV offer and it's a good one.

Comments (1) »

http://cars-modified.net
written by cars modified, December 19, 2009

nice, i m interest with your article..

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