The Peugeot 5008 GT Sport isn’t quite blessed with the same pleasing proportions as its smaller 3008 sibling, but it’s still an enticing proposition with clever space architecture, seven seats and loads of premium kit amongst its more ubiquitous rivals.
You’ll recognise the GT Sport for its full-spec ‘Black Pack’ that includes blacked-out mirror caps, trim, wheels, roof and grille, which adds a decent dollop of sportiness and subsequent exclusivity to the family chariot.
It’s a stylish unit and it needs to be as a challenger brand in an already crowded segment counting more than a few already popular brands.
Peugeot has a tough job convincing buyers to part with their hard earned over perennial superstars in the segment like the Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5 and Hyundai Tucson – all of which continue to notch up more than 1500 sales each month to Peugeot’s double-digit numbers, and that’s only when we combine 3008 and 5008 sales.
Equally, there’s a similarly strong midfield to contend with. Those models regularly moving more than 500 cars per month, like the GMW Haval H6, Honda CR-V, MG ZS and Subaru Forester.
It’s a tough act for the French marque to follow, but not an impossible one given the 5008’s inherent chicness, high levels of specification and tech offered as standard fitment.
Then there’s the space factor. It’s a genuine seven-seater with loads of rear legroom, as well as the ability to vary the space for third-row passengers when required. Moreover, there’s plenty of additional cargo space even with the third row in place.
And all this in a thoroughly compact SUV that stretches just 4641mm long – only 194mm more than its five-seat 3008 stablemate. It’s an impressive feat and testament to thoughtful design and the requirements of the modern family.
Another enticement Peugeot offers potential customers is factory-backed finance with ‘guaranteed future value’, in order to eliminate uncertainty when it comes to resale values when up against brands like Toyota, Mazda, Subaru and Hyundai that trade heavily on their reputations for bulletproof reliability and strong residual values.
Naturally the system is subject to the overall condition of the car as well as how many kilometres the car has notched up, but it locks in a minimum buy-back value at the end of the lease or loan period.
How much does the Peugeot 5008 GT Sport cost?
The petrol-only Peugeot 5008 GT Sport is priced from $65,657 plus on-road costs, slightly less than the similarly-specified 5008 GT Diesel at $66,770.
Mind, that’s substantially more than when Peugeot announced pricing for the MY22 5008 GT Sport in January, with sticker prices from $61,940 for GT Sport and $62,990 for the GT Diesel – plus on-roads. But that didn’t include the $4,990 for the Premium Pack on the GT Diesel, which is no standard on the 2023 model.
It’s worth noting how close the five-seat 3008 GT Sport pricing is to its larger sibling, given it kicks off at $63,431, while the all-wheel drive 3008 GT Sport Plug-in Hybrid is priced from $84,790.
2023 Peugeot 5008 pricing
- Peugeot 5008 GT Sport: $65,567
- Peugeot 5008 GT Diesel: $66,770
Seven-seat rivals include:
- Honda CR-V VTi L7: $49,500 D/A
- Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander 3.5 FWD: $63,050
- Kia Sorento GT-Line HEV FWD: $66,750
- Mercedes-Benz GLB200: $64,008
- Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed Tourer: $52,490
- Skoda Kodiaq Sportline 4×4: $58,990 D/A
- Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace 162TSI R-Line: $58,890
Prices exclude on-road costs unless specified
What is the Peugeot 5008 GT Sport like on the inside?
While there are a few peculiarities to contend with, like Peugeot’s love-it-or-hate-it, i-Cockpit, which you’ll need to get accustomed to given the steering wheel will likely end up in your lap.
But apart from that, I find the 5008 GT Sport’s cabin one of the most interesting (if not exciting) places to be in the entire segment.
The dash itself is very driver-centric, so everything from the infotainment screen to the centre console is angled towards the driver’s seat for excellent ergonomics.
Peugeot’s i-Cockpit includes the large (12.3-inch), high-mounted, configurable digital instrument display, and one of the coolest, race-car-style steering wheels wrapped in Nappa leather and flattened at top and bottom.
It’s way smaller than what you might have been used to, but it gives this chic SUV a decidedly sporty feel – just be prepared to spend enough time to get the setup right so that you can clearly see the instrument panel, over or through, the steering wheel.
The console also houses an aeronautical-style shifter (it looks like a collective control in a helicopter), which again, looks and feels a bit more special than the standard shift lever you find in other makes and models.
Peugeot always uses tasteful brightwork throughout the cabin, especially up front, which pairs perfectly with the Lime Wood trim on the dash and door trims in the 5008 GT Sport.
Directly beneath the centre air vent is a row of superb metal fashioned toggle switches for shortcuts to media and the AC, with a volume dial for easy access.
The quilted Nappa leather seats are stupendous for their luxurious look and feel, but also for the all-round bolster support they offer, without compromising the first-class comfort provided.
Second row passengers also get three individually-bolstered seats of the same width, and each folding separately with sliding rails for easy adjustment.
While there’s no centre armrest, passengers get two fold-down picnic tables (the kids will love the novelty), rear air vents with fan-speed controller and two USB ports. Better still the floor is flat with no transmission hump.
Access to the two occasional seats in the third row is made easier by sliding the second row outer seats forward. There’s sufficient leg space as well depending on how far those seats in front are positioned forward.
There’s only one cup holder and a 12V socket, and the seats can be retracted back into the boot space for maximum cargo capacity.
Even with all three seat rows in position there’s more room enough for more than a few grocery bags with 237 litres available.
Fold the second row and cargo space grows to 1670 litres, while dropping all three rows allows for a huge 2042 litres (to the roof height) of luggage space. Remember this is a technically a medium-sized SUV.
What’s under the bonnet of the Peugeot 5008 GT Sport?
Despite its extra size and heft over the 3008 GT Sport, the Peugeot 5008 GT Petrol has to make do with the same 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, making 133kW of power at 5500rpm and 250Nm of torque from 1650rpm. It’s sent to the front wheels exclusively via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The 5008 GT Sport (petrol) accelerates from 0-100km/h in 9.4 seconds and a top speed of 220km/h. Claimed fuel consumption is 5.6L/100km on the combined test cycle, and there’s a 56-litre fuel tank on board.
It’s a step-up from the previous iteration of the 5008 GT, which got a lower power version of the 1.6-litre petrol engine making just 121kW at 6000rpm and 240Nm from 1400rpm, via a six-speed automatic gearbox.
The range-topping GT Diesel uses a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel which develops a versatile 131kW at 3750rpm and 400Nm from 2000rpm, sent to the front wheels through the latest eight-speed automatic gearbox.
The diesel gets out of the box slightly slower taking 10.2 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint, while top speed is 208km/h. The 5008 GT Diesel improves things slightly with a claimed 5.0L/100km on the combined test cycle with the same 56L fuel tank.
Towing capacity is 1300kg (braked) for the 5008 GT Sport petrol, and 1800kg for the 5008 GT Diesel variant.
How does the Peugeot 5008 GT Sport drive?
Don’t let its relatively diminutive engine and subsequent outputs fool you into believing the 5008 GT Sport is underpowered in any way, because that’s just not the case.
At 1521kg, it’s a relatively lightweight machine compared with the likes of the rival Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace 132TSI Life (1750kg tare), so it doesn’t take a whole lot of throttle to get the chic Frenchy moving along at a sufficiently peppy clip.
There’s some low-down lag if you’re a tad too eager with throttle from the get-go, but a gentle tip-in mostly eliminates that often annoying characteristic (not just in the Peugeot, mind).
The eight-speed auto is certainly an improvement over the previous six-speed unit, but it can also be caught out if you jump on the throttle from a low-speed crawl (or stop/start), with some annoying hesitation as takes a moment to decide which gear it needs to be in.
In traffic, it’s best to leave it in Normal mode for general duties, but with some clear road ahead, corners notwithstanding, switch over to Sport and use the paddleshifters for a little bit of fun – especially with that Le Mans-style steering wheel in your lap.
Nevertheless, it’s a generally smooth-shifting transmission that mostly feels refined and a good match for the 1.6-litre petrol engine. Cruising at 100km/h on the motorway is both effortless and quiet for those on board.
There’s a bit of body roll on sharper bends but overall the 5008 GT Sport is well composed and fun to drive with relatively direct steering.
In fact, it never really feels like a seven-seat SUV, thanks to its relatively narrow girth and tight turning circle (11.2m), making it a very easy vehicle to manoeuvre in and around car parks or problematic driveways.
It’s comfortable too, with supple ride compliance to soak up bumps and potholes, admirably. And that’s without passengers which is even more commendable.
What do you get?
5008 GT Sport highlights:
- 19-inch ‘Washington’ Onyx Black diamond-cut alloys
- Lime wood dash, door trims
- Full-grain Nappa leather-appointed seats
- Panoramic opening sunroof with electric sun blind
- LED headlights incl. high-beam assist
- LED animated front turn signals
- LED Peugeot Lion puddle lights
- LED tail lights
- Automatic hands-free tailgate with foot opening
- Dual-zone climate control
- Keyless entry and start
- 8-way electric front seat adjustment
- Driver massage function
- Heated front seats
- 12.3-inch digital driver’s display
- 10-inch touchscreen infotainment display
- Satellite navigation
- 360-degree camera view with park assist
- DAB radio
- Wired Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
- Integrated rear sunblinds (2nd row)
- Fold-down picnic tables for second row
- Auto lights and wipers
- Removable third-row seats
- Front, rear parking sensors
- Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
- Rear privacy glass
- Auto-dipping door mirrors in reverse
- One-touch electric windows
- Diamond Black contrast roof finish
- Stainless steel front door sill scuff plates
Colours
- Sunset Copper (standard)
- Artense Grey*
- Celebes Blue*
- Platinum Grey*
- Perla Nera*
- Black*
- Pearl White**
- Elixir Red**
*Metallic paint adds $690
*Premium paint adds $1050
Our 5008 GT Sport tester was finished in Pearl White ($1050).
Is the Peugeot 5008 GT Sport safe?
The 5008 still wears a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on tests carried out by Euro NCAP on the smaller 3008 in 2016.
Category scores include 86 per cent for adult occupant protection, 85 per cent for child occupant protection, 67 per cent for pedestrian protection and 58 per cent for safety assist.
Like its smaller 3008 sibling, the latest-generation of its autonomous emergency braking (AEB) can detect cyclists and pedestrians in low-light conditions and operates at speeds between 5km/h and 140km/h.
There’s also six airbags (front, side and curtain), adaptive cruise control with speed limiter, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, lane departure warning, distance warning alert, high-beam assist, driver attention alert, lane positioning assist and speed sign recognition standard across the range.
Whereas adaptive cruise control with stop/go and automatic restart was previously exclusive to the GT Diesel, it’s now standard on the GT Sport. However, the 5008 misses out on junction AEB and rear cross-traffic alert, features which are offered on rival models.
How much does the Peugeot 5008 GT Sport cost to run?
The Peugeot 5008 comes with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty with five years of roadside assist and capped-price servicing.
Service intervals for the 5008 GT Sport are 12 months or 20,000km – whichever comes first – with a total price of $1683 for three years, or $2962 for five years. Not exactly cheap.
While we weren’t able to get close to the 5.6L/100km claim on 95 RON, thanks to me having more fun that I should have in a seven-seat SUV, 10.2L/100km seemed reasonable given the mostly city beat driven.
CarExpert’s Take on the Peugeot 5008 GT Sport
Price hikes since its January 2022 debut have taken the shine off the latest 5008 GT Sport but it’s still got plenty going for it.
We like it’s avant-guard styling that separates it from the plethora of cookie-cutter designs, both inside and out.
Not all will warm to Peugeot’s latest version of i-Cockpit, but again, we like the sporty execution and the relatively high quality of the materials used – like those seats…
It’s a clever car, too, when it comes to spatial architecture. Stacks of room and yet not a large car dimensionally, or from behind the wheel, and more than enough go to satisfy most.
Moreover, it’s more fun to drive than most of its rivals and definitely worth a test drive before you make your final choice.
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