The Peugeot 5008 Compact MPV
This we explain why MPVs should not be sniggered at.
MPVs are not cool. They are functional beasts for ferrying around children or delivering tired revellers safely home after a night out.
They survive in a marketplace where cute or sexy just don’t get a look in and the buzz words to attract potential buyers are words and phrases like “child-friendly”, “spacious”, “economical”, “flexible seating arrangements”, “clever storage compartments” etc.. In other words, if you want cute or sexy, look elsewhere.
Just last November, the www.wheelsforwomen.ie team got the chance in a fun exercise to rank the cars nominated for Irish Car of The Year 2013 in order of personal preference. Based on my own snobbish preferences for performance cars and stylish hatchbacks, I ranked the only MPV on the list, the Ford B-Max, in last place. Why did the very clever B-Max not float my boat?
“Unfortunately, as a childless, 25 year old I do not understand the merits of a gargantuan MPV with sliding doors and a child observation mirror. I’m sure someday it will all make sense but for now I just want to hop into something completely impractical – kind of like a Toyota GT86.”
How fickle I was considering I had never even driven an MPV!
Fast-forward six months and I find Peugeot handing me the keys to their flagship MPV, the 5008, for a week-long test drive.
I threw out any prejudices I had with regards to MPVs and reviewed the car as if I was a worn out mum with a brood of children. I even tested it in a “real-life MPV scenario” with three children high on saccharine in the back.
The 5008 surprised me. I felt like the yummiest mummy impersonator in town driving it. What surprised me the most was that it drove like a any hatchback or saloon, not like a van, as its van-like functionality might suggest. There was no crouching to take things off the back seats. And it was so comfortable that long journeys were a pleasure. Maybe I’m a bit deluded but I thought it looked pretty good too. I loved the secret extra two seats in the boot. As a child I know I would have loved to sit way back there, miles away from the driver.
Unlike driving a flash sports car or executive saloon I did feel invisible to most of the motoring public despite the hulking frame of the MPV. But I could feel the admiring (jealous) glances from the mums as I trundled around the supermarket car park.
My advice to any family considering going down the MPV route, but fearing a loss of credibility, is just to try one. It could make your life so much easier. Ok, so you won’t have the same credibility as you had in your hot hatch or executive saloon days, but when you watch your compatriots caught in a cycle of crouch, touch, pause and engage, with a child seat and a bolshy toddler, I’m sure it will be worth it.
Do you drive an MPV? Let us know what you like about your MPV.
6th of June
