A BETTER KIND OF 5008 (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Peugeot's third generation 5008 seven-seat SUV could be at its best with self-charging Hybrid power. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 44

Your perfect version of the third generation Peugeot 5008 might be this one, the Hybrid 136 e-DSC6. It's not possible to plug it in, but if you want this stylised Gallic seven-seat SUV, it makes more sense than any other powerplant in the range.

Backgroundword count: 144

Wait long enough and everything comes along at once. Take electrification in Peugeot's largest SUV, the seven-seat 5008, for instance. From 2017 to 2023, it was on sale here without the slightest hint of electric or Hybrid power beneath the bonnet, even though Peugeot had a PHEV system that might have been made to fit. As production of the second generation 5008 was coming to an end in late 2023 though, Peugeot introduced a non-plug-in 48V Hybrid variant. And continues with that 136hp engine as the entry-level unit for the third generation model we look at here. With this MK3 design, you can also have a PHEV and a full-electric 5008, but arguably this much more affordable non-plug-in 48V Hybrid model makes more sense. Is this lightly electrified seven-seat family SUV a good fit for the current market? That's what we look at here.

Driving Experienceword count: 214

As with its 308 and 408 showroom stablemates, the 5008 Hybrid 136 e-DSC6 uses this 48V Hybrid unit only in its faster 136hp form (smaller Peugeot models like the 208 supermini also get it in lesser 100hp guise). As ever with a full-Hybrid, you have to have an auto gearbox, though this is a rather different kind of self-shifting transmission - and not only because it's of the dual-clutch sort and restricted to six speeds. Built into its casing is a DC inverter, an Engine Control Unit and, most significantly, a little 22hp electric motor powered by a tiny battery secreted beneath the front passenger seat. On the move, this motor can work together with this Hybrid model's 1.2-litre petrol engine - or separately from it. And, unlike with a mild hybrid system like that fitted to say, a Volkswagen Tiguan, here the car can be driven for short urban distances (under 18mph) on electric power alone. During deceleration, the petrol engine stops and the e-motor acts as a generator to recharge the Hybrid system's 48V battery. The battery also stores the energy recuperated by the regenerative braking system. The motor additionally assists the engine under acceleration - such as from standstill to 62mph, which in 'Sport' mode takes 10.4s en route to 124mph.

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