It’s often said that buying a car is the second biggest purchase in our lives after buying a house. In the past it was a simple decision, petrol or diesel, but now there is so much choice, hybrid, plug-in hybrid or full electric.
Up to last year, electric cars were very expensive, but then along came Hyundai with their cute Inster and Dacia with their ‘shockingly affordable’ Spring which made purchasing a full electric car attainable for a whole new range of customers.
Earlier this year, Peugeot made it a simple choice of hybrid or electric when they offered their new seven-seater 5008 at the same starting price for hybrid or full electric at €51,000.
There aren’t many seven-seater new cars coming on the Irish market right now, but Peugeot are very proud of their 5008. At the launch in February, Des Cannon, Managing Director for Peugeot in Ireland, said that the company’s objective was to have Peugeot as the mainstream leader in Europe. They are already the leaders in the small electric car market.
The 3008 is Peugeot’s flagship model, with over 13,000 Irish customers to-date, but the company are very optimistic about the 5008 which should be very attractive for families who need that extra bit of space when travelling.
Last week I drove the fully electric version of the E-5008 where the range with a full charge was approximately 500km. A long-range version with a 98kWh battery and a claimed range of 668 kilometres is due in Ireland later this year. That’s a very attractive figure for anybody worried about buying an electric car and the Irish price will be €55,495.
The boot size is 348 litres, which about the same as a small hatchback car, but with all seats folded down the capacity increases to over 900 litres. As with all electric cars, no spare wheel.
The third row of seats should be very attractive for young children; I reckon they would be very happy back there with their iPhones to keep scrolling away. The middle row of seats slides forwards and backwards to allow the best use of space for its occupants
This car is, I think, an attractive offer from Peugeot, as it’s the only seven-seater with a price point of just under €51k.
It’s a big motor, measuring 4.7 metres long and 1.8 metres wide, but very easy to drive. I loved the high driving position which gives great views of the road. The alloys are class, but they don’t match one another when the car is stationary. The relatively new Peugeot shield badge is used very well on the exterior.
Inside, you get a very attractive layout 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 a massive infotainment screen and a sporty steering wheel, makes for a beautiful overall look to the dash area.
It’s probably cheaper to run the electric version than the Hybrid, but of course there is the hassle of charging the car. The charging network is improving, very slowly, in the east of the country, but if purchasing a fully electric car a home charger is advisable.
With new wars breaking out every week around the world some people claim some there could be a shortage or huge increase in petrol prices. If that does happen, would it be a boost to the EV car market? But then the situation changes from day to day.
