2020 Peugeot 5008 GT Line: Private Fleet Car Review

This Car Review Is About: Peugeot’s quite sexy 5008 mid-sized SUV. Effectively a stretched 3008, and sharing the front cabin, the 5008 grows to a seven seater. How Much Does It Cost?: As of October 2020 its on a drive away price of $55,990 including premium paint, Nappa leather seats, and glass roof. Under The Bonnet Is: A detuned version of the 1.6L engine found in the 508, or the same engine in the 3008. That’s 121kW and 240Nm plus the six speed, not eight speed auto. Its a frugal thing with our economy result an overall 6.7L/100km. However, freeway driving did see an on-the-fly figure of just 2.4L/100km. Tank size is a smaller than class average 56.0L.On The Outside It’s: A mid-sizer at 4,641mm in length and sits on a wheelbase of 2,840mm. That’s up from the 3008’s 4,447mm and 2,675mm. That extension is from underneath the second row seats and allows for the third row of two seats which are removable. Wheels are 19 inches in diameter and rubber is 205/55 Michelin Premacy. The spare is an 80 profile space-saver on a 18 inch wheel.Up front are the sequential indicators and the shark fin headlights. The rear has a powered tailgate with set opening level button. The rear is also more upright and boxy in comparison to the 3008 to allow for the third row seating.On The Inside It’s: The same gloriously pretty interior as seen in the 3008 and 508 with the diamond stitched and quilted black leather heated seats. Both fronts have two position memory. The second row seats are three individual units which separately slide and fold. The third are, at best, emergency seats as they don’t really offer a lot of room. Operated via the ubiquitous and simple pull strap system, both lay under a cargo floor cover of two parts, with each also moved via a small string strap.The 5008’s architecture is showing its age with no USB socket for the second row. The front seats have one only and that’s awkwardly tucked away under the lower centre section of the otherwise ergonomically spot on dash, complete with those wonderfully simple alloy look tabs for navigation, aircon, audio (including DAB) and more. That same nook houses a smartphone charge pad. As luscious to look at those tabs are, along with the wrap-around forward centre console, they’re also sun catching and tend to reflect directly into a driver’s eyes.The driver has the Peugeot family’s i-cockpit digital display with varying looks (via that same roller dial on the steering wheel’s left spoke), and the trip meter info activated, as is the Peugeot norm, via a press button on the end of the right hand, wiper activating, column stalk. Those wipers feature Peugeot’s water-saving “Magic Wash” which mists from the arms themselves and not via wasteful jets in the bonnet’s trailing edge. Auto dipping high beam is also standard as is the blue-hued mood lighting. Above the passengers is a black cloth sheet that rolls back to unveil a full glass roof.On The Road It’s: Lacking those extra two cogs and 60Nm from the 508’s 1.6L specification. The extra mass the 5008 has over the smaller and lighter 3008 also affects performance with a plus nine second run to 100kph from a standing start. However, that isn’t noticeable in the ride, with a virtually perfect mix of compliance, suppleness, and chassis control. Body roll is almost non-existent, tightening radius cornering has the nose pushing on gently and that’s controlled by a slow easing off from the accelerator. Rolling acceleration is decent but not rapid, and when used in anger there’s little to be said aurally too, as the engine emits a restrained growl, a muted note from the exhaust, and a whole lot of otherwise, “sigh, let’s get this done”.Peugeot’s cabin design has the steering wheel sat below the driver’s display, and the size of the flat-bottomed unit brings a sense of sportiness, of engagement with the drive. Brake pedal feedback is the same high level of tactility we’ve come to expect from this underrated brand. What About Safety?: Six airbags, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control, front and rear parking sensors and park assistance are standard fit. City Park (a 90 degree parallel parking system) and a 360 degree camera are standard. The Active Lane Keeping Assistance function is standard and is only mildly intrusive, as it tugs gently rather than firmly, to straighten the 5008 up. Adaptive Cruise is standard along with AEB with camera and radar assistance.What About Warranty And Service?: Five years and unlimited kilometres, plus Peugeot’s capped price serving scheme. Booking services is performed online. At The End Of The Drive. Peugeot is a brand that has an extensive history, is one of the older brands in Australia’s automotive landscape, and remains peculiarly invisible. Yes, our market is a strange one and there are plenty of choices available, yet against that Peugeot’s offerings are overlooked in comparison to the South East Asian based competitors. In our blunt opinion that’s a shame as there is class, good looks, high standard levels of safety and equipment, and at fair prices.That’s our opinion. The 5008 is a great example of that classy film that lasted a week at the cinemas and yet those in the know, know how good it is. And with the baby of the “008” range, the 2008 due for imminent release at the time of writing, that superb choice expands. Check out the 5008 here.

2020 Peugeot 508 GT: Private Fleet Car Review

This Car Review Is About: Peugeot’s super slinky, super sexy, super underrated 508 sedan/fastback/hatchback. It gets the three names because it has a powered rear hatch and has a profile that blends a sedan and fastback style. Any way you look at it, the 508 is a truly stunning vehicle to clap the optics on. There is a Sportswagon variant as well for those needing that extra cargo space.

How Much Does It Cost?: At the time of review it’s $56,990 driveaway. Peugeot’s website, at the time of writing, indicated a price of over $62K normally.Under The Bonnet Is: A 1.6L petrol engine with turbo oomph. There is 165kW and 300Nm @2,750rpm available, and drive gets through to the front wheels via a smooth-as-silk eight speed auto. Our time with the 508 coincided with a drive to Bega on the New South Wales south coast. Economy is excellent at 6.4L/100km from the 62L tank and this was with four aboard, luggage, and a pooch. Peugeot is one of the rare companies that provides a 0-100 time and for the fastback it’s 8.1 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 250kph.

On The Outside It’s: An eyecatcher, especially in the glorious Ultimate Red metallic which is one of nine external colours available as a current no-cost option. The front features blade style LED driving lights and indicators, self-leveling LED headlights, and starts the flowing look that embodies French chic. Subtle crease lines roll back from the bonnet to the windscreen base, and from the forward flanks along the frameless doors. A three claw rear light is joined to the body via a sharp crease that brings the roofline to the powered hatch.

Michelin supply the 235/45 ZR Pilot Sport4 rubber on black painted and machined 18 inch alloys. The design is based around five triangles and the combination of machined metal that stops short of the centre hubs looks fantastic against the red. The roof looks all black however it hides a sunroof.The hatch opens via a hold-and-press tab on the keyfob, a double-tap button inside, a press of the Peugeot lion emblem, or a somewhat fussy kick under the left rear section of the bumper. It’s not always successful and repeated tests saw the shin barked on the bumper more than the procedure worked.

Up front and “magic wash” wipers ooze rather than spray the cleaning fluid; it takes a moment for the nozzles to flow but they’re far more quiet and efficient. Just as efficient is the auto high-beam feature, dipping and raising the stronger light as a sensor dictates from the outside readings.

On The Inside It’s: A truly beautiful place. Pliant Nappa leather with diamond shaped stitched shaping, a floating centre console with smartphone charge pad and two USBs, and Peugeot’s cool looking 12.3 inch i-cockpit greet passengers with a warm ambience. There is two position memory seating for the driver plus eight-way adjustment and massage for both front seats, heating is standard, and the support underneath and for the sides is sportscar-like. There’s a nice touch from the frameless windows that drop slightly and raise automatically as the doors are opened and closed.Basic controls such as satnav, aircon, audio etc are activated via soft touch and classy looking alloy look tabs below the touchscreen. Under these and wrapped in piano black are the supplementary aircon controls. On top of the floating console is a rocker switch to engage different drive modes. At the end facing the rear seat passengers are another pair of USBs and airvents.There are a couple of hidden tricks for the cabin too. The child locks are disengaged via a tab on the driver’s door’s armrest, not via the setup in the 10.0 inch touchscreen. As our time with the 508 coincided with a swap to daylight saving, a change to the clock was needed. This is done not by tapping the time display itself, but using an options screen via a Settings icon.

Subtle mood lighting is seen in the dash and centre console drinks holders for a classy touch, and the classy look extends to the choice of display on the i-cockpit screen. There are Dials, Minimalist, Navigation and more to choose from, and activated via a press and roll of the selector on the left side of the steering wheel’s arm. here is also the volume control for the DAB equipped audio system, with legendary French speaker manufacturer Focal providing the outlets.It’s not all beer and skittles though. That sloping rear roofline does make it a little tight for taller passengers, with anyone knocking on six feet probably close to nudging the noggin. Rear leg room is also adequate but again verging on tight for the taller. The cargo space too feels somewhat compromised thanks to the slope of the hatch and a high floor yet offers 487L to 1,537L.On The Road It’s: An absolute delight and performance utterly belies the 1.6L’s 300Nm. Around town it’s as easy to drive as expected, with the eight speed DCT on tap at all times and mostly lacking the yawning gaps found in other similar transmissions. The gear selector is as pistol grip style with a button on the right side being pressed and a rocker forward or backwards to engage Reverse or Drive. Cog engagement is far better than that seen in other vehicles and allows forward motion to be both quick, and importantly, safer.

It’s a real cruise mobile, helped by utterly sublime suspension that has each corner rolling over its own section of road without interfering with the other three. Magic carpet in feeling, it dealt with the suburban roads just as easily as the highways, especially those south of Canberra. It’s the ideal mix of quietly wafting whilst being ready to attack like a sports machine. The steering was better when the Lane Keep Assist was disengaged, as this was a little too aggressive in re-centreing the 508 GT. Weight was virtually perfect and torque steer negligible. Braking was instinctive in feedback too.

It’s in its highway prowess that the 508 GT really sang, with that fuel economy a great starting point. However it’s the unexpected flexibility of that seemingly too small 1.6L that sold its potential and won us over. It’s unstressed as a highway goer, with the rev counter just under 2,000rpm. When needed to get angry, it launches the 508 forward with unexpected and wholly welcomed verve and vigour, allowing legal and safe passing to be safer than expected.On one long, straight, and vision perfect for overtaking road, in a line of traffic behind a few caravan-toting 4WDs, the right moment was selected to indicate after checking for rear traffic, and suddenly seeing the front of the line before indicating again and pulling in. For a car of its overall size and with the payload aboard, it’s far, far better than expected and makes long drives a safer proposition.

Easing off and going uphill, the numbers on the digital face roll back rapidly, and there’s only the gentlest of squeezes of the accelerator to settle the vehicle and have it back on the pace. Through all of this, the suspension is supple enough to be luxury when required, and can be punted with sporting intent just as easily too. Peugeot have hit the sweet spot with the 508’s ride and handling.

What About Safety?: Nothing is missing here. Active Blind Spot Detection Alert, Video Camera and Radar autonomous emergency braking, and Adaptive Cruise Control heads the list. Six airbags, ISOFIX, Highway Keeping Assist and Lane Keeping Assist are also included.

What About Warranty And Service?: Five years and unlimited kilometres, plus capped price servicing for five years and five years roadside assist.

At The End Of The Drive: The Peugeot 508 GT fastback is a truly underrated car. It will cosset you in silent comfort and take you to within sight of dedicated, and pricier, sports oriented vehicles. There is plenty of space, plenty of tech and safety, and plenty of that underlying, restrained performance, to not just delight, but surprise in the best way possible.

It’s the car that surprised us with its all round ability, and in a shrinking sedan market, deserves better consideration. The Peugeot 508 GT is that virtually perfect blend of a luxury car that eats up highway miles whilst offering the iron glove performance of a dedicated sports hatch. Yes please, sign me up. Get yourself into one here.

Peugeot Sport Engineering: 508 Goes Hybrid.

Peugeot is undergoing a quiet evolution. Their stunning 508 sedan/coupe and wagon has been given the hybrid tick and along with the engine change comes a name change. Peugeot Sport Engineered is the monicker to be given to the range.The drivetrain that will be slotted into the Peugeot 508 Sport Engineered is a 147kW/300Nm 1.6L turbo four and a pair of electric motors. There is 81kW for the front, 83kW for the rear, making the vehicle a proper all wheel drive and being driven by 265kW and 520 Nm. Packaging sees the cargo space for both body styles unchanged. The transmission is an eight speed auto. Sink the slipper and 100kph comes up in 5.2 seconds, and the top speed is an electronically limited 250kph. Need some overtaking ability? 80kph to 120kph is seen in just three seconds.

The plug-in hybrid’s system sees an 11.5kWh battery fitted and using a standard 240V house socket should be charged in around seven hours. Factor in a 32A wallbox and that drops down to under two hours, or install a 16A plug system and that’s a good average of around 4 hours or less.Utilising the urge comes down to choosing from one of five drive modes. Sport takes a fully charged battery, and adjusts the dampers, engine, and transmission into the most energetic drive modes. Electric is a pure battery drive and offers a range of just over 40 kilometres, whilst disabling the 1.6-T at velocities of up to 140kph. Comfort is what the name suggests, with a cushy, plush ride, Hybrid uses both battery and petrol for an optimal drive, with the all-wheel drive mode more for those slipperier roads. Ride is helped by those adaptive dampers, a track change of 24mm front and 12mm rear, with 380mm font discs being slowed by four piston pads. 20 inch alloys hold on to Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber.

Defining the look of the 508 Sport Engineered is an upgraded interior featuring Peugeot’s ubiquitous flat-bottomed tiller, the beautiful i-cockpit with 12.3 inch LCD screen, a premium audio setup from Focal, and a 10.0 inch main touchscreen. Leather “comfort-fit” seats with a 3D looking mesh cosset the passengers and the driver keep an eye on info via a HUD. Safety will include AEB, Lane Departure Warning, and night vision cameras.There is a bespoke grille, a redesigned front bumper with new air scoops in the lower corners, blackened exhaust tips, a rear diffuser and winglets front and rear. Selenium Grey, Pearl White, and Perla Nera Black will be the colours available.

Peugeot Australia has not yet confirmed availability for Australia but a spokesman said local availability is being looked at.

Peugeot 3008 GT-Line: Private Fleet Car Review.

This Car Review Is About: Peugeot’s rather cute 3008 mid-sizer SUV. There are three trim levels, being the Allure, GT-Line, and GT, a slightly odd naming choice.

What Does It Cost?: The GT-Line is one a drive-away special, at $49,990 plus an extras pack which includes a glass roof and special leather seats. The Allure and GT are also on a drive-away special. $39,990 for the Allure and $55,990 and the GT also includes the extras.

Under The Bonnet Is: A 1.6L turbo 95RON petrol four for the Allure and GT-Line, with a 2.0L diesel for the GT. Transmission for the GT-Line is Peugeot’s EAT-6 auto, a reworking of the torque converter style that feels like a dual-clutch transmission.Spin the engine out to 6,000 revs and peak power is 121kW. Peak twist comes in at just 1,400rpm, and there are 240 torques to play with. The Efficient Automatic Transmission six speed is a bit of a handful at zero velocity, just like a DCT, however is pretty usable when up and running.

Economy for the 1.6L four varies quite a bit. 9.8L per 100km for the city cycle, 5.3L for the highway, equaling an average for the combined of 7.0L/100km. We finished at 8.5L/100km for our mainly suburban cycle which really shows out the positives and negatives of a car’s drivetrain.On The Outside It’s: Not as big as it looks. It’s compact in length at just 4,447mm in length yet the curvy styling makes it look longer. Height is 1,624mm allowing for good headroom inside, and width is 1,826mm sans mirrors. The wheels are good looking machined alloys and grey painted with Michelin rubber for an overall size of 205/55/19.There is a powered tail-gate with a low loading lip making loading a week’s groceries a doddle, black polyurethane from front to rear, and a front end splashed with chrome for the grille & driving light surrounds. There’s also a strip above the moulding that links the front and rear doors. There is an alloy look plate for the chin of the front end. the headlights are slimline and feature the shark-fin insert Peugeot’s stylists have chosen to identify their SUVs. This is also the start of a strong line that draws the eye downwards to the alloy chin. It’s almost the same at the rear, with a signature triple “claw” look in the rights. It’s not unfair to say the 3008 is a pretty car with plenty of Gallic flair, yet it was invisible to many, with barely a head turned here and there. What does is the clearly define puddle lamp logo at night.On The Inside It’s: A true delight visually. The seats that come as part of the extras pack are jet black, white stitched, and have a thick diamond design. There are memory settings for the driver’s seat, and venting on a separate switch as the heating switches are up on the dash. Here also are switches, looking like aviation style activators, for the audio, navigation, vehicle settings etc, and they’re sinfully easy to operate. Front and centre is the 8.0 inch touchscreen, the hub for most of the 3008 GT-Line’s functions including aircon. It’s perhaps here that manual controls as an adjunct wouldn’t go astray as trying to adjust on the move is, like all touchscreens, a distraction. Audio is DAB equipped and the quality is superb.Peugeot go for that French chic look with a grey, almost denim feel, material that sweeps from the ends of the dash into the doors. The upper section draws a line that rolls around from one door to the other and encompasses the base of the windscreen. Right down the centre is a classy looking chromed strip that forms a “c” and also delineates the passenger’s section from the driver’s. It’s a scrumptious interior, it looks and feels fantastic, A visual feast is had in the driver’s binnacle and Peugeot call this the i-cockpit. This full colour 12.3 inch diameter screen can show a number of different displays, such as a pair of traditional dials (lit in a glorious golden bronze) or virtually nothing, and plenty in between. The smaller main touchscreen is the same, with a very tidy layout and doubling up on some of the features the tabs below activate. The centre console has a deep bin, accessed via bifold doors, plus the cup holders are illuminated in a soft blue light. This also lights up the rim of the glass roof. Unlike the dash display, which has the differing looks, the blue is the only colour available.

Passenger space in the rear is more than adequate for leg and head room, whereas shoulder room is ideal for two adults, three being a tad squeezy. However two ISOFIX brackets make for no problems for the family. Aircon vents are a nice touch too are are the rubber studded alloy pedals and the slightly awkwardly located smartphone charge pad.The cargo space is decent enough for most people at 591L, and increases to 1,670L with seats folded. Underneath the cargo floor is a space saver spare. There’s some extra cargo space here if needed but more for smaller items.On The Road It’s: A very enjoyable drive, but. That “but” is the DCT feel to the transmission. The drive selector is a pistol-grip style with a button on the right hand side to unlock before a rocker back or forth for Drive or Reverses. park is electronic and situated on the far top end. From Start the transmission takes a few moments to engage when moving from Drive to Reverse, and vice versa. Coupled with the turbo lag it’s not always the best combination, especially when trying to get across an intersection.

Highway driving through the gears shows that it’s a slick, swift, smooth, and quiet change, but also leaves the driver wondering why the eight speed hasn’t been fitted for better economy. Manual changing is available via the paddle shifts on the column, and Sports mode is typical in that it does little more than hold gears longer. There’s a typically linear turbo response, with an easy progression forward, and only occasionally does it feel that 240Nm wasn’t enough. It’s no sink you into the seat rush, but it’s not a sports intended SUV either. Steering is rapid in response, with only a hint of numbness on centre. Having the smaller wheel brings in its own feeling, with a sense of a lesser need to expend energy, but without losing that sense of touch as well.

It’s the same with the suspension. It’s not quite as well tuned as the RAV4, for example, but nor is it excessively soft or lacking in composure. It absorbs most normal road irregularities well enough, and rebounds a little more than one would expect. Not that it ever threatened to lose a modicum of composure, however, but in the ride stakes it’s been left behind by the latest as this is a design nudging four years old in a retail sense.However it doesn’t mean that some aspects of the 3008 GT-Line’s tech should be ignored. It was one of the first to have traffic sign recognition and its GPS tie-in with speed-zones was 100% in a location and change of limit sense. The reverse camera was crisp in detail, with the screen showing plenty of definition and without the “fish eye” distortion seen elsewhere. One touch windows have a “pinch” function, that automatically lowers a raising window if the pressure sensor detects and arm/leg/head where it shouldn’t be.

What About Safety?: The screen also shows a 360 degree camera view, parking assistance is standard as are front and rear sensors. Blind Spot Alert, AEB with camera and radar sensing, auto high beam On/Off, and Lane Departure are standard also. Airbag wise it lacks only a driver’s kneebag. On the road the sensors also indicate the forward distance alert, ensuring a driver is visually aware that they may be just that little too close to the leading vehicle.

What About Warranty And Service?: Five years is the warranty, along with unlimited kilometres. Servicing is 12 monthly in cycle, or 20,000 kilometres for the 3008. The pricing as of August 2020 was $471 for the first major service, $786 for service 2, $471 for service 3, $799 for service 4, and $484 for service 5. Prices were obtained here.

At The End Of The Drive. Peugeot has had a strong presence at times here in Australia, and at others it seems to slip under the radar. The 3008 is one that deserves a little more love as it’s a stunner inside and out, especially with that black seat trim. pricing has always been a hiccup, and even at just on $50K it may be easily overlooked. That would be a disservice as there is plenty of value with areas such as the safety system being of a high level, the sheer feel of the cockpit, the soft ambient lighting that adds class, and the (for the most part) easy to live with drive-train. Book a test drive here.