The Qashqai-led rise of the C-crossover segment has seen Europe’s C-MPV segment almost forgotten about by many. PSA, at least, remains a major force in this class. Time then, to consider the importance of the updated Peugeot 5008.
I might not be alone in having previously battled to be sure which was the 3008, and which was the 5008. They’re each derived from the first generation 308 and one’s a kind of crossover which used to have a criss-cross grille and still has a Range Rover-style split tailgate, while the other is an MPV. A week with a FIVE thousand and eight means I now have no excuses for mixing them up – unlike some of its competitors, it’s a memorable model.
Go deeper with GlobalData
PSA has multiple bites of the C-MPV cherry, what with this Peugeot and not one but two Citroën models. You could be forgiven for assuming that the C4 Picasso and its longer wheelbase accompaniment, the Grand C4 Picasso, share most things with the 5008. But no, the Peugeot is on the older PF2 architecture, while the Picassos use Efficient Modular Platform 2 – EMP2 for short. In fact, at launch in summer 2009 (early 2010 in the UK), the 5008 was more or less a rebodied first-generation C4 Picasso.
More on platforms and the next 5008 in a moment. But first, let’s look at how the current one has evolved. If you didn’t realise it, the (4,727mm long) Peugeot 807 and Citroen C8 twins are still manufactured at SEVEL Nord in France, though neither has been imported to Britain for some time. The fact that each is now 12 years old is the main reason. The Grand Picasso (4,597mm) and 5008 (4,529mm) are not as long but pretty close to being as roomy, so apart from keeping the lights on at the Hordain plant, it’s hard to see why PSA still builds its two old-stagers. Fiat gave up selling its own two models which had been part of this JV – remember the Fiat Ulysse and Lancia Phedra? Production ceased four years ago.
The 5008, then, has quite a bit of internal competition – even more so in LHD European markets – and yet it sells well. Not as well as the C4 Picassos but these are of course newer designs. What will likely have been the Peugeot’s first and only refresh premiered at the last Frankfurt IAA in September 2013. This updated 5008 rolled into UK showrooms during the first quarter of this year. While the memorable side profile wasn’t altered, the front end came in for some major changes, the idea being to make buyers link it with the second generation 308, as well as the 208, 2008 and 3008 Crossover. So there are now new headlamps with LED daytime running lights, chrome-effect trim around the fog lights and side windows, a new grille and fresh paint shades as well as multiple new alloy wheel options.
The all-important CO2 emissions numbers start at 113g/km, which for a family-sized MPV is impressive. This variant is a bit of a mouthful, but here goes: 1.6-litre e-HDi FAP 115bhp, EGC6 (Efficient Gearbox), and its combined average is 65.7mpg. If you’re keen on diesel but have a bit more to spend, there are three further options: 115bhp 1.6 (1,560cc, 128g/km, and also with a FAP particulate trap), 150bhp 2.0-litre and 163bhp 2.0-litre, all with a standard six-speed manual gearbox.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataShould you prefer petrol power, Peugeot can help you there too. There is a base engine, a 120bhp 1.6 VTi but this one’s manual transmission has just five speeds and so no surprises that the Combined number and CO2 are 40.9mpg and 159g/km, whereas the far more powerful 156bhp 1.6 THP delivers identical economy but with CO2 emissions of just four more grams per kilometre.
Far from being outclassed by the C4 Picasso, the 5008 in fact turns out to be a quiet, and fairly luxurious family car, plus it has a supremely smooth ride. Around corners it leans a lot, as you’d expect but don’t hustle too hard and it’s all good. I didn’t think the 115bhp diesel was going to have enough torque but with 240Nm, it does, even if performance is good rather than brisk. The test vehicle, costing GBP24,245, was in Allure spec – the most expensive which is the best seller in Britain, securing 58% of sales. As for engines, again, the press car had the most popular 115bhp diesel engine (55% of uptake), with the 1.6 e-HDi taking 29% of sales.
On the manufacturing front, I mentioned Sochaux in France as the place of build. It also makes the 308, 3008 and Citroën DS5 and according to PSA, the plant has now produced over 260,000 units of the 5008. In 2013, the total was 44,301. Looking at sales, in the UK, the peak was 2010, as you’d expect. Back then, 4,237 units were delivered, declining to 3,313 in 2011 and 3,218 in 2012. There was an uptick in 2013, to 3,248, and this year I’d expect to see numbers pushing up towards 3,500.
We’re more than two and a half years away from the 5008’s replacement and yet for once, a manufacturer is happy to talk about a successor model. What we know is that the replacement was originally being planned and engineered under the T97 project code. In December 2012, however, General Motors and PSA stated that “a new Peugeot C-segment MPV would be co-developed”. This is understood to mean the twinning of the Opel/Vauxhall Zafira Tourer and Peugeot 5008 successors.
The 5008’s architecture will be EMP2, PSA confirmed in November 2013. The company stated at the same time (in a media release) that it would spend 90 million euro to build a “Peugeot badged C-segment vehicle that will replace the current Peugeot 5008” at Rennes in the west of France. The new model will “come to market at year-end [2016] in Europe and the rest of the world”.
PSA’s statement further added, “Production volumes are expected to reach 70,000 units a year as from 2017, lifting the plant’s total output to more than 100,000 vehicles a year at that time.” Presently, Rennes-la-Jannais makes the Peugeot 508 and Citroën C5. With a question mark over the likelihood of direct replacements for both of these, the success of the next 5008 and its Opel/Vauxhall counterpart will be vital to keep Rennes alive.
There is certainly a lot of competition amongst C-MPVs, but luckily for PSA, Ford’s once highly-successful Galaxy and S-MAX are old and still a year from being replaced. Toyota, Škoda and Hyundai are, for now at least, absent from this class, while VW, for reasons known only to itself, merrily continues to peddle the now eleven year old Touran. The Kia Carens, a far younger and far more worthy opponent, is alas yet to make much of an impact, the Zafira Tourer plus its cheaper and about-to-be-discontinued Zafira do well in Britain, and the Renault Scénic/Grand Scénic, though a long way from its best years, still competes strongly.
If Peugeot can keep the 5008 fresh and competitively priced for another 30 or so months, it has a strong chance of becoming class leader, probably along with Opel/Vauxhall, after the second generation 5008 is launched at the tail end of 2016. But right now, there’s not too much wrong with the current model and thanks to its platform’s costs having been long-ago amortised, it should make for a handy revenue-gatherer this year, next and into the following one.
