HERE’S a happy coincidence for you. I had just taken possession of a diesel-engined Peugeot 5008 for a road test, and after an initial couple of days of driving and a thorough inspection of the interior was forming the opinion that this might be the best MPV to come on the market this year.

Then, as I started to commit my thoughts to my keyboard, an email arrived from the people at Diesel Car magazine.

More than 275 new cars had been put through their paces by its expert testers, and the overal winner of its award for Car of the Year 2010 was the Peugeot 5008.

Ian Robertson, the magazine’s editor, said: “We have seen a lot of talented contenders this year, despite the turmoil the motor industry has faced. The spectacular 5008 truly is the right car for the right times, with competitive pricing, generous equipment levels and a good all-round driving experience, wrapped up in a package that seats seven; what more could a family buyer want from a car?”

It’s true that the 5008 looks a good deal slicker than your average MPV, and those good looks don’t come at the cost of interior space. It is a proper seven-seater, and it offers a raft of seating combinations.

Starting at the back, there are a pair of seats that can fold flat individually. They’re suitable for adults too, although longer journeys may be a stretch for taller occupants. Move to the middle row and you can tilt and slide, giving more leg space in the back or boot space as required. They are also individual chairs too, so your passengers can please themselves.

The best seats in the house are up front, of course, but everyone gets plenty of light if you plump for the vast panoramic roof, running almost the length of the car. It comes as standard on Exclusive trim models, but is a worthwhile option on others.

It’s in the driving seat you’ll want to be sitting in, however, and not just because of the driving position. You sit in a relaxed fashion, much like a regular car, yet the view out is excellent thanks to the deep windscreen. Unusually in this class, you get a flat-bottomed steering wheel – a nod to the spirited handling. The controls are all close at hand too, with a high-mounted gear lever, while the quality of the cabin itself shows Peugeot at the top of its game. it has plenty of pleasing materials and feels robustly put together.

Another innovation is the head-up display system, a first for a Peugeot.

A £460 option on models below Exclusive level, it uses a neat folding screen at the base of the windscreen to display speed and also provide a distant alert: a radar sensor will send an alert to the display if you get too close to the car in front.

With tyre pressure sensors thrown in with the package, it’s a worthwhile safety option at a quite modest cost.

However, where the 5008 really scores over the competition is the way it drives. It has the spirit and response of a much smaller car, and whether trickling through traffic or pressing on, the 5008 is genuinely pleasurable to drive.

Even if the road conditions are suitable for enthusiastic driving, the way in which the 5008 responds accurately to inputs makes driving much less of a chore.

The sharpness of its responses don’t come at the expense of comfort either: just like Peugeots of old, this one has a fluidity in the way it drives that makes for smooth and enjoyable progress.

You don’t need to bust the bank for the top-spec engine either. The HDi 110 may only have 1.6-litres and 110bhp, but the 177lb.ft of torque (192lb.ft on overboost) comes in at just 1,750rpm and makes short work of moving the sizeable body around. Yet it can also hit a remarkable 53.3mpg and emit a scant 140g/km of C02. There’s a quicker 2.0-litre HDi for those who need it, but the HDi 110 offers a remarkable mix of efficiency and flexibility.

The 5008 is not a new kind of car, but what it does do is improve on the MPV recipe. It’s a practical car that doesn’t feel like a compromise, and for legions of drivers out there, this can only be a good thing.

Destined to be a family favourite, it provides the response of a much smaller car, and whether trickling through traffic or pressing on, the 5008 is genuinely pleasurable to drive.


Peugeot 5008

Price: From £17,345.

Model: Exclusive HDi 110.

Engine: 1.6-litre. diesel unit delivering 110bhp and 177lb.ft of torque.

Transmission: Six-speed manual gearbox driving the front wheels.

Performance: Top speed 114mph, 0-62mph in 12.9 seconds.

Economy: 53.3mpg combined.

CO2 Rating: 140g/km.