It was only last year but Peugeot 5008 used to be a fun-packed, small multi-purpose vehicle (MPV). In the interim, it’s grown into something less fizzy, but through no fault of its own.

As mentioned in our story on COE categories (and why a power cap is useless), Peugeot had to switch from its excellent 156bhp turbocharged 1.6-litre engine (the Prince engine, as also found in previous-gen Minis) and six-speed automatic gearboxes to the 1.6-litre turbodiesel mill.

READ MORE: Why COE Re-categorisation has failed

That puts Peugeot at a disadvantage – while brands like Volkswagen can afford the premium tag and a little extra cost. Peugeot, like the other French brands Renault and Citroen, occupy the grey area above mass-market East Asian cars but below German continentals.

Keep in mind that, as also mentioned in our COE piece, that categorising cars like this is very tricky, but what’s of little doubt is that French brands need an edge against the big Germans and that, in the past, was offering more stuff for less cost, like an enjoyable 156bhp turbo four.

Loss of power aside, the new 5008 bears a mild facelift, which is right in line for a car that’s four years old. The handsome little 208 compact hatchback previewed the new face of the company with curved headlights, a contoured bonnet and ‘Peugeot’ wording below the badge. It’s a welcome change that updates the car’s style with a key selling point, French design, and the rear end is also tidied up a little as well.

With sports cars, it’s all about implied space between your legs, with MPVs, it’s all about the actual space between the wheels. With a wheelbase of 2,727mm the 5008 has more space than the Continental MPV kingpin, VW’s Touran, which packs 2,678mm.

Take that with the common MPV tactic of a large greenhouse, tall ceiling and panoramic sunroof (standard fit on the 5008) and the car seems to have an inordinate amount of space inside. It doesn’t have sliding doors (a feature of larger MPVs) but the second row offers plenty of space and adjustable thrones. Third row passengers have the least rights but at least they do get a 12V outlet – ostensibly to power a tablet and keep them mollified.

With the modular seating system being rather simple to figure out (pull this, push that) you get 843-litres of boot space with the third-row folded, or 2,506-litres with the second row down (these thrones are totally removable as well). There’s no figure for all seats in play, but it’s not much, and you’ll definitely have to stack luggage. If you fold the front seat down you get space to stow objects up to 2,620mm long – almost the car’s entire wheelbase.

The diesel and automated-single clutch gearbox are familiar territory, boasting a very slight improvement to efficiency. But it’s a good pairing fundamentally, and no matter how you drive it’s difficult to exceed 6.5L/100km (or 15km per litre). The gearbox is notably smoother than before – it’s more human, ironically as the shifts feel slightly quicker and less jerky. Previously, avid manual drivers would feel they could out-shift the system, but now it’s much less obtrusive and easy to live with.

The diesel engine is a little agricultural with its slight rattle and hum, but on the whole the car has decent ride and refinement. It also packs a lot of equipment as well – cruise control, panoramic sunroof, side blinds, LED DRLs and so on. Two notable additions are the new navigation system with a colour display, so there’s no more battling with the old orange LCD display, and now there’s also a colour heads-up display as well. Still, the interior does look heavy on plastic, especially in comparison to the (newer and more expensive) Citroen Grand C4 Picasso.

Yet the exact point of the facelift is to keep it current with the MPV crowd, and that’s been achieved with the nip-tuck and a sprinkling of additional features.

Also consider: Citroen Grand C4 Picasso, Renault Scenic Diesel, Volkswagen Touran TDI

NEED TO KNOW

Engine 1,560cc, 16V, turbodiesel, inline 4

Power 115bhp at 3600rpm

Torque 270Nm at 1750rpm

Gearbox 6-speed automated manual

Top Speed 183km/h

0-100kmh 13.3 seconds

Fuel efficiency 4.3L/100km

CO2 113g/km

Price $147,800 with COE

Availability Now