The Peugeot 5008 is a fantastic seven-seat SUV for families that is packed full of family friendly features! It's an up there contender with some of the best seven-seater SUVs available in Australia, along with the likes of the VW Tiguan Allspace and the Mazda CX-8. Let's see how this top-spec GT version fared in our BabyDrive testing!!
Although the Peugeot 5008 is a seven-seater there are not top tether anchorages in the third row so I could not install any child seats back there.
The second-row seats are pretty special though! They are three individual seats that move individually so there is definitely room for three people to sit there and there are top tether anchorages and ISOFix in all three second-row seats, making the Peugeot 5008 one of the few cars with three ISOFix across the second-row seats.
You can distribute legroom however you need to with the individual second-row seats too which is helpful. I found three child seats fit nicely across the second-row seats and because you can slide each one individually you can cleverly position them so bulky child seats don't rub or clash together, or to make it more comfortable for someone not in a child seat to sit beside child seats without shoulders and elbows feeling cramped.
I could sit comfortably sit in the third-row seats (I'm 162cm) with enough headroom and leg-room behind a rear-facing child seat AND there be enough legroom for me to sit in the driver's seat in front of that! However, I don't think there is enough space for a 180cm passenger in the first and third rows with a rear-facing child seat in the second row.
The front passenger seat does fold down flat which is really handy for getting through to the central child seat to do up harnesses.
To get through to the third-row seats there isn't really room to climb through without uninstalling a child seat, even if you slide a second-row seat forward.
There are built-in roller-blinds in the second-row windows. They are great for keeping our little ones shielded from the sun while driving along.
There is some great storage in the second row of the Peugeot 5008. Underneath the floor are two hidden storage areas big enough to hold an iPad and phone. These are great for when you go to the park or beach and want to hide your valuables.
Also in the second row, there are table trays like you would find on an aeroplane. Little passengers love these, to hold their devices, snacks or toys!
There is good storage throughout the Peugeot 5008. In the front central console, there is a wine bottle holder. Well it is a French car!
It also has ample cup holders and a wireless phone charging well.
There are also phone wells and cup holders in the third-row seats too.
In the back of the central console are 2 USB ports and a 12V socket, as well as another 12V socket in the third-row too.
The Peugeot 5008 does other things a little differently to most cars. The steering wheel is so nice in this car, it's thinner and smaller than in most cars, so it fits really comfortably in your hands, it's different shaped and sits lower down, which gives a really relaxed driving position for your arms too.
The stereo and media system is controlled using paddles in the dashboard.
It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which is great for connectivity while driving.
The media system is easy to use once you have got used to the paddle system.
The reversing camera image is quite blurry, you do get a birds-eye-view as well as a choice of angles.
One of the best features you control through the media screen is the driver's massage in this GT version! My favourite is the cat paw massage, it felt just like a cat walking all over my back!
The interior of the Peugeot 5008 is beautifully designed and upholstered. in black quilted leather in this model I tested.
The boot of the Peugeot 5008 when using just five seats has a very good storage space. I could fit 15 shopping bags in the boot of the Peugeot 5008. That is the same as the Skoda Kodiaq, VW Tiguan Allspace and two less than the Mazda CX-8.
A twin pram fits in the boot with room for six shopping bags too which is great space for a family shop or a medium-size dog.
A compact stroller was the only stroller or pram I could fit in the boot, with a couple of shopping bags.
BabyDrive Indepth - Storage
How big is the boot of the 2021 Peugeot 5008?
When only using five seats, I could fit 15 shopping bags in the boot of the 2021 Peugeot 5008. This is the same as the VW Tiguan Allspace, one less than the Mazda CX-8 and two less than the Skoda Kodiaq, Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento.
The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as the kids lunch bags or their wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.
Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.
I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.
The twin stroller fits with six shopping bags beside it, matching the Mazda CX-8 and one more than the VW Tiguan Allspace.
The tandem pram fits with eight shopping bags beside it.
The single pram fits in the boot of the Peugeot 5008 with eight shopping bags beside it.
The compact stroller fits upright in the boot with 13 shopping bags beside it.
There is a gap between the second-row seatbacks and the boot floor when you have the third-row seats folded flat…
…but there are flaps on the back of the second-row seats that you fold down to cover the gaps and create a flat floor.
This is perfect for emergency nappy changes and for transporting your pet dog around, you could fit a large or medium-sized dog in the boot of the Peugeot 5008.
When using all seven seats, the boot space is much smaller, with definitely no room for an emergency nappy change!
I could fit five shopping bags into the space there. Which is the same as the VW Tiguan Allspace, Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento, one less than the Mazda CX-8 and two less than the Skoda Kodiaq.
Or the compact stroller fits with two shopping bags in the boot of the Peugeot 5008.
I wouldn't transport my pet dog in the boot space when using all seven seats of the Peugeot 5008, I think it's too small.
Storage in the cabin of the Peugeot 5008 is minimal but there are some great family-friendly features!
In the front there are two cup holders in the central console, they will fit a reusable or disposable coffee cup.
In front of them is a small storage well I found just fit my sunglasses as there is not a case in the ceiling.
In front of the gear lever is a wireless phone charging area with a 12V and a USB socket also.
The central console box is a nice big size in the Peugeot 5008 AND it has a wine bottle holder in the bottom of it. Trust a French company to think of that!
The glove box is nicely lined but quite small, so it would only hold my wallet or phone with the manual.
The door bins in the front will hold a large refillable water bottle and an iPad fits well in them too.
On the back of the 5008's front seats, there are fold-down tray tables which are fantastic for kids snacks, devices and toys. Below them are net map pockets that will hold an iPad but not conceal it.
If you lift up the carpet in the footwell of the second-row.
There are two underfloor storage compartments, great for hiding valuables when camping or going to the beach or park.
The door bins in the back are not as big as in the front but I could wedge a water bottle into it just with an iPad.
The second-row windows have built-in blinds which are great for keeping rear passengers shielded from the sun while driving.
I find myself so much more relaxed when there are window shades in a car because I know my daughters are shaded from the sun no matter which way I turn or drive that I don't need to worry about it. So many times on journeys we have constructed ridiculous shades out of cloths or towels and trying to shut them in the window while hubby's driving along, or tying my jumper around one handle in the ceiling and across to another!!
In the third row, there is a single cup holder on the right-hand side…
…as well as a small shelf area on both sides for the rear passengers.
BabyDrive Indepth - Noise
How good is the media system in the 2021 Peugeot 5008? How noisy is the 2021 Peugeot 5008?
The 2021 Peugeot 5008 isn't a noisy car. The media screen is large and wide.
You use the paddles on the dashboard underneath it to control it. They do take a little bit of getting used to, but once you get the hang of them they become second nature.
The Peugeot 5008 has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which is great and I found the Bluetooth good too.
The Peugeot 5008 has some little luxuries like a massaging driver's seat! You press a button at the front, on the side of the seat.
Then up in the media screen comes your massage options choose from. Cat paw on high is very good! 😉
There is also a button on the left on the steering wheel, which when you press it allows you to give voice commands…
…like turn up the air-conditioning for example.
You control the climate through the media screen. It's not as bad a system as some cars but separate panels for temperature and fan control are always easier to use.
Within the media screen, you can adjust and customise a lot of the vehicle settings and driving functions that beep and make noises while you are driving.
There is built-in sat-nav, which you can get to work using the voice commands however I found it to not always be accurate.
The reversing camera image is blurry in the Peugeot 5008, which I think is the car's only downfall, it is really disappointing in a car that does everything else so well. There are other view options you can select through too at the bottom left of the screen.
The cruise control stalk is very closely tucked behind the steering wheel on the left-hand side, so you have to alter it without being able to see what you are doing, which is fine after having the car for a few weeks however for the first while it's hard to control without being able to see it.
You can bring up the directions in your head-up screen, using the controls on the steering wheel, which I find really useful when you have set the navigation guidance to silent.
Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!
That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.
If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?
It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?
A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.
Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!
I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.
The windows of the 5008 are pretty loud to open and close and I'd probably use them minimally if my bub was asleep in the back. The doors, however, are nice and quiet. I found you can come to a stop with the engine still running and get out of the car without sounding any alarms. You can lock the windows from the driver's door control panel.
Since becoming a mum I spend A LOT of time parked up somewhere with a nice view while my daughter is asleep in the back! If it's hot I need to leave the engine running and the aircon on but I do like to get out and drink my cuppa tea in the fresh air while enjoying the fact my limbs are free from said dangling child!!
SO this is a very important test as I have found that sometimes I have been held hostage by a cars BEEEEPING alarms when I have taken off my seatbelt or opened the door while the engine is still running!! (I only stand outside the car, I am not a bad mother!!)
There is also a child lock button by the driver's right knee which locks the rear windows and doors.
There is a seatbelt removal visual in the ceiling and an alarm sounds too, and there are sensors for all three rows of seats which s fantastic.
Road and engine noise are lovely and quiet in the 2021 Peugeot 5008.
BabyDrive Indepth - Car Seats
How many child seats fit in the 2021 Peugeot 5008?
The 2021 Peugeot 5008 is a seven-seater SUV with three top tether points across the second-row seat backrests. In this year's model, they are clearly labelled but are not within plastic guides and are below the seat back fabric.
In the previous model, we tested they were in plastic guides. (see below).
The second row has is three individual seats, all of which have ISOFix and move and slide independently, which is fantastic! The ISOFix are not within plastic guides, but are clearly labelled and easy to connect to.
I was able to fit three child seats across the second row of the Peugeot 5008. I tried a few combinations and found three forward-facing seats would fit next to each other, which is a fantastic amount of space. I could also fit two forward-facing seats a rear-facing child seat too.
The front passenger seat folds flat, making it nice and easy for kids can climb through to access the second-row central seat, or for adults to lean through and do up child seat harnesses.
There would be enough room for a passenger to sit between two child seats.
Although the second-row seats slide independently, there was not enough space for a passenger to squeeze through to the third-row seats, even when the outer seats were set all the way forward. You would have to remove a child seat to climb through to the third row.
I found that when using all three rows, with a rear-facing child seat installed in the outer second-row seat, that there was just enough room for me to both sit behind it in the third row and in front of it in the driver's seat (I'm 162cm).
The third-row seats pop up and down quite easily out of the boot floor, which concertinas back to cover the little remaining area. The seats are nice and light to maneuver, they are comfortable and have ample headroom for me at 162cm.
Posting Bub into their child seat from inside and outside the car is really nice and easy in the 2021 Peugeot 5008. Being an SUV the ceiling is quite high, making it easy from inside and there are lovely big open doorways that give you plenty of room for posting Bub in from outside too.
Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!
There is room to feed Bub in the second row, if you only have one child seat installed. The seats are upholstered with quilted leather which would be easy for wiping clean.
BabyDrive Indepth - Drive & Comfort
How comfortable is the 2021 Peugeot 5008? And How good is the 2021 Peugeot 5008 to drive?
In the front of the 5008, the seats are really nice and comfortable, the seat base extends to fit your height and all adjustments are done with electric buttons on the side of the seat base.
I found can have a ponytail in the front seat which is fantastic!
I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!
In this high-spec GT model, the driver's seat has a massage button on the side of it.
The choice of massage and intensity comes up on the media screen for you to select.
For a mum travelling in the back with Bub, all the seats are very comfortable and there is ample room to comfortably sit in the central position between two child seats. Because all the seats are independent you can also move them to give you more shoulder and elbow room between bulky child seats if needed.
The footwell only has a tiny raise in the centre so you have lots of foot space too.
For the first year of Bub's life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Bub so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!
The steering wheel in the 5008 is a slightly different shape and smaller and slimmer than usual steering wheels. It is fully adjustable in/out and up/down but it actually sits lower than in most other cars. I love the steering wheel in Peugeots, they feel much more comfortable in my hands and it's a more relaxed position for my arms while driving.
There are four air-conditioning vents across the front dashboard; two central ones and one at either end. They are controlled through the media screen and the airflow is good for cooling the cab.
There are rear air vents in the back of the central console box, you can turn the fan speed up and down here too. They are reachable from the front while driving and there is also a 12V socket between them.
There are no air vents for the third-row passengers.
There are lit vanity mirrors in both visors in the front and the visors are not extendable and there is no glasses case in the ceiling.
There is a handle above the rear doors on both sides, well positioned to hold a baby toy while driving.
Visibility is quite tricky out of the Peugeot 5008 once child seats are installed in the back. It is actually quite difficult to see out of the rear window at all. Because of this, I found I relied really heavily on the cameras especially when reversing.
One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Bub has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the 5008 camera was quite blurry!
There were carpet floor mats in the model I tested.
I found the 2021 Peugeot 5008 a great car to drive. It feels really sturdy and well made which gives it a sense of being well-grounded on the road. I found it easy to manoeuvre in school and supermarket car parks and the engine has a lot of grunt so it is a lot of fun too.
BabyDrive Indepth - Safety
So… How safe is the 2021 Peugeot 5008?
Six airbags come as standard; there are dual frontal airbags and front side airbags and curtain head airbags for all three rows of passengers.
The Peugeot 5008 scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2016. Scoring 86% for adult occupant protection, 85% for child occupant protection, 67% for pedestrian protection and 58% for safety assist.
During ANCAP's testing in the frontal offset test, protection of the 10-year-old dummy’s chest and neck was ADEQUATE and protection of the head was GOOD. Dummy readings indicated MARGINAL protection of the 6-year-old dummy’s chest with GOOD protection of the head and neck. GOOD protection was provided to all critical body areas of both dummies in the side impact test.
The child occupant protection scored an overall 41.98 out of 49 during ANCAP testing. Broken down into 13.98/16 for the dynamic front test, 8/8 for the dynamic side test, 12/12 for restraint installation and 8/13 for onboard safety features.
As standard, all models of the 5008 come with anti-lock braking system (ABS) with electronic brake-force distribution (EBFD), emergency brake assist (EBA), electronic stability control (ESC), speed limit recognition and recommendation, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with low-light pedestrian and cyclist detection, distance alert system, advanced driver attention alert, lane departure warning (LDW), active lane keeping assistance (LKA), adaptive cruise control (ACC) with stop-and-go, forward collision warning (FCW), active safety brake (with pedestrian detection), active blind spot detection, smart beam assistance, electric child locking functionality on rear windows and doors, exterior temperature indicator with ice warning, automatic locking doors and boot (activated by vehicle moving) and grip control, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, driver attention monitoring, traffic-sign recognition. The top two spec models also come with self-levelling headlamps.
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Tulsi’s asleep!
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