Peugeot 5008 review: From MPV to SUV the new model is a car reborn – but can it do the same for Vauxhall?

WHEN I was at school, one of my mates had a French exchange kid come to stay for a week.

We didn’t like him.

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He was older than us, we couldn’t understand a word he said, and he dressed differently — in that he wasn’t covered head to toe in Nike or Adidas logos.

I’m the first to admit we didn’t try to embrace Mathis. The fact the girls we fancied all fancied him was enough to shut him out.

But then something changed all that. The weekend arrived and someone was having a party. We needed booze. We all had faces covered in wispy bumfluff. Mathis had a beard.

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We wore clothes that belonged in a school disco. Mathis dressed like Pete Doherty.

Our IDs told the painful truth — we were 16. Mathis’ ID told the glorious truth — he was 18. You see where this is going.

Point is, us Brits are hardwired to mistrust the French.

Rewind to this time three months ago and the same misanthropy was being played out in the business headlines when Vauxhall had been bought by Peugeot. Now the dust has settled on that deal, it’s time to reflect on whether it’s such a bad thing.

I can’t speculate on job losses or factory closures — although ­Peugeot top dog Carlos Tavares assures this won’t happen, at least not for years.

But Peugeot has one of the richest automotive heritages in the world. Agreed, it lost its way for a while. But which brand can’t be accused of the same?

The 5008 is a great example of Peugeot’s new direction. It started life as a lardy MPV, bland and uninspiring, but after a complete makeover it’s now a sleek, well-built SUV.

Like its smaller sibling, the 3008, it comes with a high-quality interior crowned by a 12.3in colour screen. In fact it shares a lot with the 3008, which was awarded European Car of the Year. It uses a number of the same engines — a huge choice of five diesel and three petrol.

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Even powered by engines that could be considered small for cars of this size — I drove the 1.6 petrol, but there will be a 1.2 litre – it feels urgent and ready for bends.

It handles corners with poise and elegance, far better than most cars of this size. And it comes with the same small steering wheel although it makes less sense on the bigger 5008. The ride is supple, only occasionally wallowy. And inside there is room for seven people.

All of this is important because Vauxhall cars will benefit from sharing platforms with Peugeot cars. The Vauxhall Crossland X and 2008 share architecture, and the upcoming Vauxhall Grandland X will sit alongside the aforementioned 3008.

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And what’s wrong with platform sharing? It works for VW group.

Over the years Peugeot has produced some fine motors. Stand- outs include the 304 from 1969 and the V6 engined 504 in 1974.

And who can forget the original nutter 205 GTI, in 1984?

Thanks to years of rivalry it is as instinctive as breathing for us to be wary of the French, but I know from personal experience that they have their uses.

Fingers crossed this deal means Vauxhall continues to make great cars in the UK.