Peugeot Traveller – a magic carpet ride

IT usually pays to look beyond the obvious.

Take the new Peugeot Traveller as a case in point – spot one on the motorway and the first thought to enter your head will most likely be ‘I know where that’s heading’.

The Traveller, at first glance at least, looks a certain type of vehicle; big, spacious, boxy and bound for the airport.

But the Traveller, an MPV version of the Peugeot Expert van, is far more than just a shuttle bus – and boasts a five-star helping of luxury to boot.

Up for grabs in a trio of different lengths – Compact, Standard and Long – it can carry up to eight passengers even in its smallest body style.

Go for the tested Standard wheelbase variant and the amount of available space is pretty impressive, to the point that six-foot passengers can stretch out in all eight seats.

And if the remaining 640-litre boot space can’t pack in the paraphernalia, you can at least remove as many seats as need be – though to be fair that’s no easy matter.

Result though is a warehouse-like opening of 3,200 litres measured to the window line.

And if you all want to travel in style there’s no shortage of upmarket touches to give the big Peugeot that executive feel.

Of the two trim grades the entry level Active, which starts at £28,775, comes laden with kit like  cruise control, automatic lights and wipers, dual zone climate control, rear tinted windows and a seven-inch infotainment system with Bluetooth and DAB radio.

Move up to Allure and the high-end touches kick-in with a head-up display, leather upholstery, panoramic sunroof, parking sensors, heated front seats with massage function and electric sliding side doors.

With safety in mind you also get curtain airbags, driver attention sensors and a child surveillance mirror, though a lane departure warning costs an extra £360.

Beneath the bonnet is  a choice of the French brand’s BlueHDi engine as either a 1.6-litre diesel producing 95 or 115bhp, or a 2.0-litre variant with 150 or 180bhp.

The lower powered of the larger diesels provides ample punch in a vehicle that’s smooth to drive thanks to its softish suspension and benefits from tip-top visibility due to the raised driving position.

The steering is quite wallowy though, and the six-speed manual transmission could also be better. You also need a very light foot to match the official fuel return of 53.3 miles per gallon.

That said, at no point do you feel like you’re driving a glorified van – the shape may be boxy but the lengths Peugeot have taken to move upmarket ensure the Traveller will attract plenty of admirers.