Peugeot 5008 1.6 Active

Thousands of families have adopted a multi seat SUV as their car of choice for all kinds of journeys, and there's nothing wrong with that.
However there are plenty of other vehicles that can fulfil that role as well, or in many cases better than those high riding SUVs and you won't need a stepladder to get in or out of them.
I'm talking about people movers.
Today's crop are a  far cry from the first on the market years ago, stylish, better equipped and safer, and almost all employ seven seats for large families.
This is Peugeot's offering, the new 5008.
It's a vehicle you wouldn't be ashamed of driving or being seen in your driveway.
The 5008' s classy European styling is eye catching and practical.

Some will say the performance of such vehicles when loaded  is pretty ordinary, but Peugeot has overcome that criticism by endowing the 5008 with the 1.6 litre turbo petrol engine, also found in the RCZ ,with 115 kw and 240 nm, or a torquey 2.0L turbo diesel with 340 nm.
This is the 1.6 turbo.
Being a relatively heavy car, don't expect too much from the engine, but it will get you away without embarrassment from the lights and gets up to speed (0 to 100) without too much noise and fuss, in about 10 seconds, but that could take a tad longer with a full complement of regular sized occupants. If you will often travel with all seats occupied, then perhaps the diesel should be your choice. 
When cruising on the highway, the 5008 is commendably quiet
The ride is not too bad at all. On most surfaces it does an admirable job. Through corners the 5008 is fairly benign, but the steering has an odd feel about it. At the straight ahead it's fine, but move it slightly left or right and there is some resistance, before that feeling evaporates and the wheel lightens up. Maybe it's an attempt to keep or return the wheel to the centre after a turn. I guess you'd get used to it, it's just a bit unusual.     
The large windscreen is complemented by a fixed full length glass roof, and excellent all round vision to the rear and sides. On hot days an electronically controlled  roller blind covers the glass roof and keeps the heat out of the interior. It can be stopped at any position along its travel.

Peugeot has thoughtfully provided retractable sun blinds in both the rear doors and C pillar quarter windows for the tykes in the rearmost twin seats. Why don't more manufacturers adopt this simple convenience feature?
The seats are large and comfy, there's plenty of legroom in front and in the middle seat row.The front pair have fully adjustable armrests to make a long haul more pleasant .

A large screen emerges from the dashtop that includes satnav, audio and vehicle information.
Rear safety camera images appear in the left of the central rear view mirror.
The third row seats fold into the cargo area and are easily erected when smaller occupants need a ride. Rear seat passengers have their own airconditioning vents in the B pillar, and he A/C itself is powerful enough to easily minimise the effects of a 40 degree plus Australian summer.

To keep the kids in the middle row amused, the headrests of the front two seats contain  screens for audio visual games and movies, with AV plug-ins located in the rear of the central console.
The front seat backs each have a fold down tray.
Peugeot and Citroen have been taken to task elsewhere for not having enough useable cup/drink holders in their vehicles.The 5008 has one in between the front seats and just two more for the rearmost seat row. That's made up for elsewhere.There are more than a dozen general storage cubbies including two in the floor in front of the middle seat row.

The cargo area is enhanced with the usual lighting, but also has a detachable emergency torch clipped in a recess on the right of the cargo compartment.

Being the twin under the skin of the Citroen C4 Grand Picasso, a purchasing decision is mainly about which style you prefer of the pair.
At just under 37 K the Peugeot is one of the cheaper people movers on the market, but it's  one of the better options in the segment, with more than a touch of Euro cache.
Peter Sellen