Peugeot Traveller review

The Peugeot Traveller is a large van-based MPV with up to nine seats, but running costs comparable to a regular car. It’s an alternative to the Mercedes V-Class and Hyundai i800.

As soon as you see the Traveller, it’s obvious that it has its roots in a van, but that’s not a problem. On the contrary, it has the distinct benefit of allowing buyers to choose from a variety of arrangements. That means that not only can you pick from different seating arrangements – covering both the number of seats and how they’re laid out – you can also choose between two different lengths of vehicle.

As you can probably guess, the Traveller’s large, boxy exterior means that it has a massive amount of space inside for passengers – far more than in a conventional MPV. And, if you remove all the rear seats – which is not easy, as they’re pretty heavy – you can have a colossal luggage capacity of as much as 4,500 litres to play with.

Again, it’ll come as no surprise that there’s a van-like air to the materials, but the design and equipment are reminiscent of what you’ll find in a Peugeot car.

So, among the toys that are available are DAB radio, smartphone connectivity through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control and a 7.0-inch touchscreen. You can even get a head-up display that projects info – such as current speed – onto the windscreen, as well as a reversing camera.

It doesn’t matter how much you try and disguise the Traveller as some sort of upmarket MPV, it’s what people criticised the original MPVs for being: a van with windows

Overall, if you’re upgrading from a family hatchback, you’ll find the standard equipment is decent, but not particularly generous for the price. You get cruise control, parking sensors and air-conditioning, while radar-guided cruise control, automatic city braking and an 180-degree camera are notable options.

Despite the tall body and the high seating position, driving the Traveller is fairly easy. It’s surprisingly manoeuvrable and the soft suspension means that you won’t feel too many bumps. Ultimately, though, you can never forget that you’re driving something that’s basically a van. On the motorway, the Peugeot’s brick-like aerodynamics mean it suffers from more wind noise than conventional, car-based rivals such as the Ford Galaxy. And, when you turn into a corner, there’s a lot of body roll.

Just as unsurprisingly, the only engines available are diesels, but what will probably come as a surprise is that the smallest unit is just a 1.5-litre unit. Naturally, it doesn’t get the Traveller moving all the quickly, but it has the advantage of the lowest CO2 emissions and the best fuel economy in the range.

If you’re likely to be using the Traveller more heavily laden, then it’s worth considering one of the stronger engines, both of which are 2.0-litre units. They give progressively stronger performance, but the price you pay are increasingly high fuel consumption and emissions.  

If you have a particularly large family or regularly have to move lots of people, then the Traveller could be the right car for you. But, the likelihood is that most people will find a more conventional MPV or SUV suits them better and will cost them a fair bit less to buy and run.