PEUGEOT is currently undergoing a renaissance of sorts in the Philippines. With the appointment of a third exclusive distributor, Astara, the French automaker is set on another reboot in the Philippine automotive industry.

This time, Peugeot is banking on the 2022 Peugeot 5008, which is assembled in Malaysia, to open the opportunity for the company to finally grow its presence in the country.

From a styling standpoint, the 2022 Peugeot 5008 is a looker. Receiving a facelift just a year ago, the new 5008 has been given a revised front fascia that’s composed of a new, frameless grille, along with fang-like LED daytime running lights. The lights both at the front and rear are LED, with the taillights redesigned to feature clear lenses. They’re probably one of the most distinct taillights in its segment, and it gives the 5008 a unique lighting signature. Overall, the facelift has done wonders to the Peugeot 5008, and we wouldn’t be surprised if you want to own this SUV solely because of how it looks.

Peugeot calls its center console the i-Cockpit, with the digital gauges placed above an oval steering wheel and a 10-inch infotainment system perched on top of the dash. The layout can be a problem for certain body types, because depending on how tall (or short) you are, the steering wheel can obscure your view of the digital gauges.

Everywhere else, material quality is excellent, with a generous serving of soft-touch surfaces and textiles on the dash and doors. The shape of the dash is also pure eye candy, as it looks distinct compared to other interiors in its segment. There’s also subtle blue ambient lighting at night, and this surrounds the dash, doors, and even the panoramic sunroof.

There’s a learning curve when it comes to how the French tackle ergonomics and the 5008 is no exception. Once you get the logic of the infotainment system which comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, it then becomes second nature. What will always be counter-intuitive is putting the climate controls on the touch screen. This will always make changing the fan speed or temperature two or three steps way too many than if there were hard buttons.

Practicality is also a strong suit for the Peugeot 5008. Despite measuring just 4.6 meters long, which is only a few millimeters longer than a CR-V, there’s ample space on all three rows. Trunk space is also very good, with the cargo area increasing to more than 2,100 liters when all seats are folded.

Powering the 2022 Peugeot 5008 is a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine that produces 165 hp at 6,000 rpm and 240 Nm at 1,400 rpm. These numbers are strong for a 1.6-liter turbo engine and it feels linear when it comes to its power delivery. Its torque curve is broad enough to make it feel gutsy when overtaking as well. The six-speed automatic supplied by Japanese company Aisin is also pretty good, delivering responsive shifts when overtaking power is needed.

Refinement is also decent, with the 5008 remaining quiet and stable even at high speeds. The suspension deals with bumps just about as good for the most part, though there’s a degree of firmness at its rear torsion beam suspension.

Bring the 5008 through a set of twisty roads, and don’t expect this SUV to be sporty. The steering is light, and then it weights up as you gain speed, but it’s devoid of any feedback that lets you know what’s happening to its

front wheels. It’s also not as sharp as let’s say a Mazda CX-5 or even the CX-8, and it’s also pretty easy to reach its handling limits compared to its competitors. Drive it as any other normal individual probably does, and you’ll enjoy the comfortoriented nature of the 5008.

As for driving assistance tech, the 2022 Peugeot 5008 comes with lane keeping assist — which is surprisingly not as sensitive or as reactive as I would like — as well as blind spot warning and driver attention warning. Oddly enough, you don’t get rear cross traffic alert, which in other vehicles would simply utilize the same rear-facing radar for the blind spot warning system. On fuel economy, the Peugeot 5008 under my hands achieved a figure of 10.1 to 10.5 km/l, which is good for a turbocharged gasoline crossover SUV.

The 2022 Peugeot 5008 is a wellrounded three-row SUV that manages to be comfortable, practical and very stylish. The problem, however, is its price. At P2,260,000, it’s within the same ballpark as a bigger Mazda CX-8 2WD Signature and top-of-the-line 4x2 variants of its midsize body-on-frame SUV competitors like the Fortuner LTD or Mu-X LS-E.

There’s no denying the fact that the 5008 is a very distinct choice, but most Filipinos probably won’t pay extra solely for French quirkiness. Perhaps at a lower price tag, the Peugeot 5008 will become a more compelling choice for it to hit the mainstream.