Who said diesel is dead? Well, it looks like those of us who liked that old saying that that we are ‘sucking diesel’ are fighting a losing battle as very few car companies now produce diesel engines. Buying a new car now is a simple choice between Hybrid or fully electric. The only company that still offers a decent range of diesel engines seems to be Skoda.
Last year Peugeot introduced a new version of their 5008 seven-seater and the car is only available as an hybrid and full EV, no diesel version.
There aren’t many seven-seater new cars coming on the market right now, but Peugeot are very proud of their 5008. At launch, Peugeot said that the company’s objective was to have Peugeot as the mainstream leader in EV sales in Europe. They are already the leaders in the small electric car market.
The 3008 is Peugeot’s flagship model, with over 14,000 Irish customers to-date, but the company are optimistic about the 5008 which should be very attractive for families who need that extra bit of space when travelling.
Last year I drove the fully electric version of the 5008 where the range with a full charge was approximately 500km. Last month I was back in the 5008, but this time it was a Hybrid version and the range with a full tank of petrol on board read 520km.
Thanks to some economical driving from yours truly, that range grew steadily for two days until the floods came. Then it was a lot of time spent trying to navigate clogged up roads in south Dublin, as the water came pouring down from Three Rock mountain. It would have been a good test to see how high the range would have risen driving on clutter-free roads.
It’s a large motor, measuring 4.7 metres long and 1.8 metres wide, but very easy to drive. And I loved the high driving position which gives great views of the road.
Inside you get a very attractive lay-out with what I would describe as a ‘demarcation console’ between the driver and front seat passenger.
There are some lovely touches of grey fabric on the dash that gives the interior a classy look and coupled with an attractive infotainment screen and a sporty steering wheel, makes for a beautiful finish.
The boot size is 348 litres which is about the same as a small hatchback car, but with all seats folded down the capacity increases to over 900 litres. There is room back there for a spare wheel, but none supplied.
The third row of seats should be very attractive for young children; I reckon they would be very happy back there with their iPhones. The middle row of seats slides forwards and backwards to allow the best use of space for its occupants.
My test car was white with a black roof and looked really cool.
The 5008 is, I think, an attractive offer from Peugeot as it’s the only seven-seater with a price point of just under €53k while the fully electric version starts at €55,995. There is also a GT Exclusive version with the Hybrid price starting at €56,506 and the EV at €59,995.
I liked it, a lot. But sadly I think I will have to agree with the manufacturer who said a few years back that ‘diesel is dead.’
Most people I speak to about cars nowadays, say they rarely listen to the radio while driving, they all seem to favour podcasts. However, I’m a bit old school and like the radio, but have you noticed that Onic now seem to dominate the airwaves? The Onic group now own several Irish radio stations and they have added a plethora of new stations like: Onic Country, Onic Gold, Onic Irish etc.
