Following the pride: Flagship Peugeot 5008 ups the aggressive ante

One of the models that spearheaded Peugeot’s South African relaunch last year, the 5008 has followed the same route as the 3008 in receiving its first mid-life refresh since debuting globally four years ago.

Now also resembling its sibling, the 5008 receives the same frameless grille with studded patterns on the GT and GT Pack models, the 5008 logo relocated to the bonnet above the Lion badge, new LED headlights with integrated daytime running LEDs, a new front bumper, full 3D claw-motif LED taillights with sequential indicators and 19-inch studded San Francisco alloy wheels on the GT and GT Pack.

Like on the 3008, a Black Pack can be specified as an option with the colour palette consisting out of five hues; Pearl White, Artense Grey, Perla Nera Black, Platinum Grey, Ultimate Red and two new choices, Metallic Copper and Celebs Blue.

Inside, the reworked Peugeot i-Cockpit now boasts a ten-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a slightly revised 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and on all automatic models, a drive mode selector with three modes; Eco, Normal and Sport.

A standard wireless smartphone charger but optional 515-watt Focal sound system rounds the interior off, together with a frameless rear-view mirror and the same materials fabrics and colours for the GT and GT Pack as those featured on the 3008. Unlike its sibling, the 5008 offers seating for seven with the claimed boot capacity being 780-litres or 1 940-litres with the second and third rows folded down.

New on the safety and driver assistance front is Night Vision with Pedestrian and Animal Detection, improved Traffic Sign Recognition and Autonomous Emergency Braking with complete with Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection, Lane Position Assist and on automatic models, Adaptive Cruise Control.

Resplendent in three trim grades; Active, Allure and GT, each with an additional Pack option that includes more features, the 5008 is motivated by a choice of four engines; the turbocharged, three-cylinder 1.2 PureTech that pumps out 96kW/230Nm and the four-cylinder 1.6 PureTech that punches out 132kW/250Nm.

Diesel power comes from the 96kW/300Nm 1.5 BlueHDi or the 2.0 BlueHDI rated at 132kW/400Nm. In the case of the former petrol and diesel pair, a six-speed manual gearbox comes standard but on the latter versions, the optional eight-speed automatic is standard fare. On all though, the amount of twist is routed solely to the front wheels.

Going on sale in Europe later this year, expect the updated 5008 to arrive on local shores either towards the end of 2020 or in early 2021.

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