Polyvalent

What we like:

Fuel economy

comfort

Flexible seats

Bold use of trim on the inside

What we dislike:

Interior trim could be better

Lacks a little bit of taking-off grunt

Lacking in steering feel

Parking camera is inaccurate

Under the hood, the tiny 1.2 litre 3-cylinder turbocharged engine delivers a decent 230Nm of torque, just 10Nm less than its 1.6 litre sibling. While there are those who may believe in the “there is no replacement for displacement” they are right and yet wrong.

While it only delivers 129bhp, versus the 1.6 litre’s 163bhp, we found that driven normally, the 5008 is more than sufficient on the run, with only the car feeling that it could use a lower first gear for take-off from the lights. But overall, the 6-speed transmission does a good job of cog-swopping, taking the car to 100km/h in a respectable-enough 11.9 seconds.

For those who need a little bit of grunt, they will be glad to know that placing the car into sports mode does work wonders, without the car trying too hard to squeeze a little more out of that tiny three cylinder.

Steering feel is also a little vague, and anyone driving the car would feel that it leaves drivers slightly uninvolved.

Drive comfort is actually good, with enough suspension travel to soak up the bumps. The 5008 was not intended to be driven hard, and will show its displeasure if cornered aggressively, with noticeable roll especially from the rear, thanks to its high centre of gravity, and with the soft suspension allowing the car to pitch.

Parking is quite easy with pretty good visibility, and there is a birds eye camera for better judgement. Unfortunately it can be quite a let-down in terms of accuracy. When parking the car alongside a kerb, the display showed a car which was jutting out onto the road, though the car was actually straight.

The right-sizing of engines over the past years has certainly raised the valuable question of sufficiency of power and torque for such small engines.

The 1.2 in this car certainly raises this question well, since it is after all a people mover. We would dare say that while not quick a car, the 5008 does deliver decently well for the young family.

But with seven burly adults seated, 230Nm with just 129bhp, might be a slight struggle.

Credits: