• Choice of front- or four-wheel-drive
• Up to 325hp available
• Two battery pack sizes

Electric motors

Peugeot introduced the e-5008 with a single version, which is expected to remain the most popular. Powered by a 73kWh battery pack and a single 210hp electric motor on the front axle. It serves up a 0–62mph time of 9.7 seconds and a maximum electric range of 310 miles.

Peugeot has now expanded the line-up with a Dual Motor version, which gains an electric motor on the rear axle to produce a combined 325hp, making a significant difference to its performance and reducing the 0-62mph time to 6.5 seconds. It’s also the most powerful electric Peugeot you can now buy, alongside the smaller (but similar) E-3008. It uses the same 73kWh battery as the standard car, though the claimed range drops to 290 miles.

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If you need a bit more range, Peugeot will sell you an e-5008 with a 97kWh battery and a 231hp electric motor. The extra battery capacity boosts the car’s official range to 414 miles – but the extra weight means its 0–62mph time is barely any faster at 9.6 seconds, despite the power increase.

What’s it like to drive?

• It’s heavy – and it feels it
• Steering is far too quick
• Small wheel compounds issue

It’s not one for keen drivers, that’s for sure. The e-5008 has a serious weight problem. It weighs 2.2 tonnes before you step into it which, to put that into perspective, is just 200kg shy of the leather-lined isolation chamber that is the Range Rover V8.

This Peugeot feels rather lumpen. Its sheer gravity blunts its acceleration, while its basic (and rather firm) passive dampers are out of their depth on twisty, rutted roads. They didn’t feel up to the task of controlling the car’s bulk, especially upon encountering a bump mid-way through a corner when they were already under load.

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For the Dual Motor version, Peugeot fitted some stiffer suspension springs and tightened the anti-roll bar, with the result being that it feels less roly-poly. It also doesn’t seem to ride any worse, though we are yet to try this model on the UK’s pockmarked roads. While noticeably brisker – and the traction from the 4WD is impressive – it’s not an SUV designed for performance, and seems rather surplus to requirements on a car like this.

The e-5008’s steering system is a little too quick for our liking, too. The issue is compounded by the car’s tiny steering wheel, as that requires less twirling to create a bigger movement at the rack.

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The slightest twitch at the wheel will make the e-5008 want to change lanes, which is a tall order for a chassis that’s already screaming under the weight. The e-5008 would be much easier (and smoother) to drive if Peugeot had simply slowed down the ratio and fitted a normal size wheel.

The Volkswagen ID. Buzz feels far nimbler than its enormous body would suggest, especially in rear-wheel drive form. It’s the same story with the Kia EV9 Air and the Ford E-Transit Custom.