Peugeot 5008 practicality and boot space

• Five-star Euro NCAP crash test result
• Plenty of standard safety kit
• Three Isofix points in the middle row

Although the Peugeot 5008 hasn’t been specifically crash-tested by Euro NCAP to assess its safety, the smaller and closely related 3008 has been, gaining a five-star score in 2016.

There’s a wealth of standard safety features to protect you and your passengers, including six airbags, a control for the rear child locks on the driver’s door panel, lane-departure warning, cruise control, automatic emergency braking and traffic sign recognition.

If you want to spend extra, you can specify adaptive cruise control (on automatic 5008s), Advanced Grip Control to enhance front-wheel traction in slippery conditions and Peugeot’s SOS and Assistance package – a feature that’s standard on Allure trim and above.

It’s inevitable that many 5008s will be used to ferry younger kids around, a feat made somewhat easier by the trio of individual middle-row seats each having an Isofix child seat-mounting point.

The smaller pair of chairs in the third row are sized to suit children and smaller adults, but there are no Isofix lashing points there.

• 5008’s trump card over the 3008
• Plenty of space for passengers
• Decent amount of storage spaces

Considering the Peugeot 5008’s relatively compact footprint, it boasts an extremely strong interior space offering. The French manufacturer reckons its space efficiency is class leading, which is to say no other seven-seat SUV offers a better ratio of external size and interior roominess.

For a start there is an extra 165mm between the wheels when compared with the 3008, translating into decent legroom in the second row. You’ll want to make the most of this extra room when transporting adults in the third row – there’s more room back here than you’d expect, but taller passengers will need those in the middle seats to slide their chairs forward.

The third row offers enough room for teenagers, and there is a 12-volt socket and drinks slot as a concession to long-distance comfort. Access via the side doors is decent, and it’s easy to slide the outer middle-row seats out of the way.

Luckily the second row is made up of individual seats that can be moved fore and aft as well as reclined. They’re also treated to a pair of aeroplane style picnic tables, although unlike the Volkswagen Touran, these don’t have a 45-degree setting for a tablet or integrated fold-out cupholders.

Pick the panoramic roof and the headroom in the first and second row takes a bit of a hit. You can get the driver and front passenger seat quite low though, so taller occupants will want to claim one of those.

There’s a decent number of storage cubbies around the cabin, although the positon of the cupholder in the front means that taller bottles placed in them will foul the driver’s left arm when changing gear.

Cleverly compact compared with other seven-seater SUVs, although don’t mistake that for equating to small. Park in a typical multi-storey carpark and you’ll probably find the nose of the Peugeot peeks out beyond the marked bay.

Still, it’s not so tall as to encounter difficulties on height-restricted parking lots.

Urban driving is a doddle, too with light steering and good visibility. A 180-degree reversing camera is standard on most models, with a 360-degree alternative available at extra cost.

READ: Find out how flexible the loadspace is in our Peugeot 5008 long-termer

Fold all the seats flat and you’ll unlock 2,042 litres of space. Remove seats six and seven and this is increased to 2,150 litres. With five seats up you still get a respectable 952 litres, or 166 litres with all seven in use.

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