Not much is said about it, but the Peugeot 5008 is available as a hybrid.

The magic of communication makes you almost forget that the new people carrier Peugeot 5008 is not exclusively electric.

In the thick press kit that presents the new Peugeot 5008, pages and pages are dedicated to the various electric drive systems. In contrast, a small box is left for the electrified thermal engines, meaning gasoline hybrids.

However, this information is truly noteworthy. Firstly, we learn that two options will be offered, against just one (for now) for the “little” brother, the 3008. In addition to the hybrid 3-cylinder 1.2-liter turbo engine with 136 horsepower and a 6-speed transmission, there is now a plug-in hybrid option with a 4-cylinder 1.6-liter turbo engine producing 195 horsepower and a 7-speed transmission.

The latter consists of a 150 horsepower thermal engine paired with a 92 kW (125 hp) electric motor. Therefore, the combined power does not offer 275 horsepower, but only 195 horsepower. The 160 kg (!) battery with 17.9 kWh is said to be sufficient to ensure over 80 km in 100% electric mode, according to Peugeot. To be confirmed…

Watch out for the bill?

While we already know the price difference between the electric and hybrid version of the Peugeot 3008 (about 2900 euros once the 4000 euros bonus for electric vehicles is deducted and the thermal penalty of 330 euros is added for the hybrid with 131g of CO2 emitted/km), one can suspect the same will be true for the 5008. At least for the 136 horsepower version. But what about the complex and costly 195 horsepower engine?

This will raise the question of economic relevance between purchase cost and cost per kilometer, as electric vehicles are currently unbeatable.

What else do we learn?

Weighing in at 2048 kg, the plug-in hybrid version is therefore 343 kg heavier than the 136-horsepower version. This confirms the unflattering trend that the Peugeot 3008 and 5008 are very, very heavy. Beware of dynamics, tire wear, stopping distances, nausea on board for children, and also additional costs for parking in some cities like Paris in the future.

By comparison, the electric version weighs 2218 kg when empty, which is not much less despite its larger 73 kWh battery (520 kg).

The top speed is not limited like it is with Renault, with respectively 200 and 215 km/h allowed on the hybrid versions. What’s the point? The 0 to 100 km/h time of 11.3 seconds for the 136 hp version drops to 8.3 seconds for the 195 hp version.

One last detail: the rear suspension is not the same between the two engines. Like the (heavy) electric versions, the 195-horsepower hybrid uses a multi-link rear axle instead of a deformable beam. This proves that the connection to the road, as well as weight distribution, requires efforts to maintain dynamics.

The prices and launch dates for these two hybrid gasoline engines have not yet been confirmed by Peugeot.

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