When it comes to people carriers like the Peugeot Traveller Premium we have here, there’s no way to test it but to bring it on a long drive outside the city for some activities. That’s exactly what we did with it – bringing together a group of close friends first and car journalists second, providing various back-and-forth discussions on the vehicle. On this fun day of driving, intelligent conversation, brainless banter, and activities, here are the things that stood out to me the most.
The Outside Still Turns Heads
For some well-travelled folk out there, seeing the Peugeot Traveller Premium may appear to be just like any other van. However, in a sea of Starexes, Urvans, and Hi-Aces, it still stands out quite a bit. You can definitely see signs of the brand’s European roots all around the exterior, especially with the front fascia.
Even when parked in the lot of the exclusive ACEA resort in Subic beside executive-class vehicles such as the Toyota Land Cruiser and Alphard, this big boy didn’t look out of place at all. I’d personally say it exudes the same luxurious appeal that we get with the Mercedes V-Class, but maybe that’s just for me. It’s not a small vehicle by any means, and that’s where it gets a chunk of its road presence.
When pulling up to driveways, people still glance and try to read the branding on the rear. Sadly, pronunciation varies depending on the reader’s creativity but we’ve definitely heard a few that made us giggle.
It’s Incredibly Spacious
Now we step into the interior through the power-assisted doors on either side. It managed to fit four of us, all the camera gear, and our newly-bought impulse clothing from the outlets with ease. Cubbies are aplenty if you look around, so it’s ideal for those who like to carry along a lot of trinkets on adventures or just keep them inside the car.
Sitting inside feels nothing short of expansive. This was especially true for the rear passengers with access to the dual-sectioned panoramic roof. Our rear occupants decided to play around with the seating arrangement a little bit, letting the second row face the back instead of front. As a result, they were able to use the seats as a footrest for the ultimate VIP experience.
When you consider that the windows also come with privacy blinds, this creates a cocoon of comfort that gave us room to rest after each activity. We decided to change and freshen up in the Peugeot Traveller Premium after getting some go-karting done in the blistering heat of the Pampanga sun, and we all took the time to Google where to have lunch here too. At the end of the day, we just wanted some fastfood- thank the heavens for the tray tables behind the front seats.
It’s like a living room away from home.
It’s nice that rear passengers have control over their own climate settings at the center. Despite the panel slightly wiggling about when going over harsh bumps, it’s still a godsend to have.
Tech-wise, the Peugeot Traveller Premium supports your conventional Bluetooth devices, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. The 7-inch touchscreen is a bit small considering modern-day standards, but it more than does the job. There’s a USB port in front which we all took turns with. It’s not that there are no other power sources within the vehicle, but they all required an external charging mechanism which we all neglected to bring.
Moving on to the speaker setup, we have no complaints. It delivered decently-crisp sound and we were able to jam to our favorite tunes on the way home.
With some vehicles, you have to choose between having a third-row or having cargo space. There is no such compromise here. You can fill up the cabin to its maximum seating capacity and still manage to fit all their luggage in the back, albeit it might be a tighter squeeze. Even then, the fact that it’s possible is a big deal already.
Driving It Isn’t A Hassle
With dimensions of 5309x1920x1940mm, the Peugeot Traveller Premium is by no means small. We were looking forward to riding in any seat but the driver’s. Surprisingly, the vehicle felt very nimble and composed for its size. There wasn’t any fear of rollover on corners.
Sure, this two-liter powerplant’s 150HP of power paired with the 340Nm of torque isn’t going to send anyone to the moon, but we never felt as if it was lacking.
Taking care of transmission duties is an eight-speed Efficient Automatic gearbox which felt adequate for our purposes. Its unique design and the availability of paddle shifters allowed us to play around with it more than we had expected. It doesn’t feel like a coaster to drive and for us, that is more than good enough.
Comfort-wise, no one had any qualms with it as well. The van handled bumps excellently which made for a comfortable ride all throughout.
Knowing the Traveller’s comprehensive laundry list of safety features including ABS, brake assist, driver attention alerts, ESP, and many more, we had no worries whatsoever.
Peugeot Traveller Premium Price Philippines
This eight-seater Peugeot Traveller Premium comes in at a price of PHP 3.215M according to the site. A seven-seater option is likely to come soon, with captain’s chairs on the second row. Pricing for that is listed as PHP 3.325M on the same site as well.
