Peugeot gets in early with 5008 deals

PEUGEOT Automobiles Australia has sprung pricing and specifications for its new large SUV flagship, the 5008, on its public website, three months out from the seven-seater’s scheduled Australian showroom debut in February.

And to attract pre-orders from outdoorsy types, the company is throwing in a free $2200 accessory pack on all orders placed before January 31. The Adventure Pack includes the buyer’s choice of Wilson golf clubs, Salomon skis or snowboard, Global surfboard or stand-up paddle board or Peugeot bicycle, along with the roof racks to hold them.

Based on the same PSA Group EMP2 modular platform as the one-size smaller 3008 and sporting the same 1.6-litre petrol and 2.0-litre diesel engine choices, the 5008’s pricing starts with the petrol Allure at $42,990 ($47,754 driveaway), steps up to the mid-range petrol GT Line at $46,990 ($51,922 driveaway) and tops out with the diesel-only GT at $52,990 ($58,174 driveaway).

A six-speed automatic transmission is standard across the range that was unveiled at last year’s Paris motor show, where Peugeot effectively dumped the previous people-mover-style 5008 based on the Citroen C4 Grand Picasso in favour of this, more saleable SUV design.

Unlike other models in the Peugeot line-up in Australia, the new 5008 has no base Active variant (or even the Access line available in Europe), with Peugeot opting to go straight to the highly specced Allure level with items such as alloy wheels, sat-nav on an 8.0-inch touchscreen, adaptive cruise control, auto parking, wireless phone charger, DAB+ radio, front and rear cameras and a wide suite of safety technologies, including lane departure warning, driver attention alert and autonomous braking with pedestrian detection.

The GT Line gains a sportier grille and bumper, along with black-painted roof and mirrors, and equipment such as a hands-free tailgate opener, LED headlamps and even more safety gear, including blind alert, active lane keeping and advanced driver attention alert.

Apart from the turbo diesel engine, the GT comes with bigger 19-inch alloy wheels, Alcantara door and dash trim, heated electric driver’s seat with two memory positions and a massage function, and a couple of exterior trim items such as chrome mirrors and black plastic wheelarch extensions.

All variants feature a flexible interior with three rows of seats, including a middle seat split three ways for folding flat in a variety of configurations.

The rear two-seat row also folds flat for a convenient load space accessed by a lift-up hatch. With the rear-most seats up, luggage space is 1060 litres.

Like other recent Peugeot models, the 5008 gets a raised, fully digital instrument binnacle, dubbed i-Cockpit. In this unusual arrangement, the (leather clad) steering wheel sits lower than the traditional position, with the driver looking over the wheel to the instruments instead of through it.

The freebie Adventure Pack for early adopters includes a choice of sporting gear, along with roof bars to suit surf, cycling, golf or snow applications. A wind deflector, rubber floor and boot mats and a boot net are also included.

The 5008 will face stiff competition from mainly Japanese and Korean large SUVs, including the Mazda CX-9 that starts at $43,890 plus on-roads, Toyota Kluger (from $43,550) Hyundai Santa Fe (from $41,850) and Kia Sorrento (from $40,990).

2018 Peugeot 5008 pricing*

Allure (a)	$42,990
GT Line (a)	$46,990
GT (a)	$52,990

*Excludes on-road costs