Peugeot 5008 review - Interior & comfort

Traditionally, the 5008 has looked rather like an elongated version of the Peugeot 3008, making it possible to squeeze an extra row of seats in the back. While that’s still not too far from reality, the two models are now further apart in design, with the smaller SUV adopting a coupe-style roofline and the 5008 committing to a boxier, more upright stance.

Peugeot’s interiors have forged their own path in recent years, with the somewhat polarising i-Cockpit layout placing a compact steering wheel ahead of the driver, so that they look over it at the instruments instead of through it. This has led to issues with some drivers being both comfortable and being able to see all the instruments at the same time, but the latest evolution in the 5008 is the best yet. Thanks to the giant swathe of digital screens sitting high up on the dashboard, finding a good driving position shouldn’t be as difficult, but it’s still worth trying it out first.

The French brand has also pushed upmarket with its interior quality, and lots of soft finishes and textiles work well to give the 5008 an attractive design. All the parts of the cabin you touch and rest your arms on feel soft, but it’s not difficult to find harder plastics elsewhere.

Is the Peugeot 5008 infotainment and sat-nav system easy to use?

There’s certainly a wow-factor when you first see the 21-inch array of screens dominating the dashboard, but the software powering the show isn’t always the fastest to respond. We also didn’t find the menus quite as intuitive as the latest infotainment in Hyundai models or Renaults with Google-based software. It’s easy to switch to using wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto in the 5008 instead, though, and it fills the screen nicely rather than being shown in a small window.

A row of ‘i-Toggles’ are found on a touch-sensitive panel near the central air vent, and these can be customised to make shortcuts more user friendly, but you’ll still need to prod the main touchscreen or use voice commands to alter things like the climate control and driver aids.