Second Report

A top up of oil and AdBlue before the second report? It all happened more or less at once, which is quite thoughtful of the 5008. We all know how frustrating it is having just sat back down on the sofa after emptying the washing machine, only for the dishwasher to declare itself finished. The AdBlue reminder was the usual message on the dials on start up – all good there. The oil wasn’t quite as straightforward. A cold start one morning and a message popped up on the dials, but I missed what it said, only catching one word, ‘unavailable’ before it disappeared. I was too busy getting my seat belt on, climate control high and heated seat set to grill! But then a day or two later, said message popped up again and this time I caught it. ‘Oil measurement unavailable’. As before, it stayed on for a few seconds then went away with no lasting light or warning. Similarly to my previous Octavia vRS before it – you may remember that did something similar – paranoia got the better of me after my short journey into town. The car sat for a bit, and I checked the oil, which was down on the dipstick. I bought some oil on the way home and topped it up to max. It hasn’t cured the oil measurement warning, which still pops up occasionally, but at least I now know there’s plenty of oil to keep the engine spinning happily. 

Speaking of the engine. The 5008 with this engine (2.0-litre, 174bhp) and auto gearbox combo is one of those cars where you have to keep your wits about you, or make full use of the cruise control. After driving a couple of different cars back-to-back, it reminded me how capable these large Peugeots are of big mileage jaunts to the South of France, or to other cross continental destinations. Keeping to the speed limit is not easy, as between the refinement, smooth ride, and eagerness of the engine and gearbox, it takes much concentration to keep my driving licence intact and me out of jail. I’d love to do a cross continental trip in the 5008 to really stretch it’s legs, once things settle down a little.

I’m still taken by how easy the family-sized Peugeot is to pilot, especially around town and when parking. It’s a big car, but the sensors are everywhere, the reversing camera is there for reference, but visibility is excellent from the door mirrors and the turning circle is incredible. Couple this with the nicely weighted steering at low speeds, it’s a doddle to manoeuvre and park where other cars of its size might not be so friendly.