Peugeot Rifter | Video Review | CarsIreland.ie

Published on 26 June, 2019

New Peugeot Rifter proves it's hip to be square

Overview

Overview

The Peugeot Rifter might not exactly ooze sex appeal, but this is a car so overtly practical that it becomes cool again in its own right. Available in both five and seven seat versions, the Rifter offers an incredible amount of space and spec for the money.

Ihe Rifter is available in a standard or long version, with a seven seat option. The standard model comes with five generously sized seats and three Isofix anchors in the back. Bootspace is impressive at 775 litres and comes with some useful bits and pieces like shopping bag hooks, a 12V charger and adjustable parcel shelf. It does require quite a bit of clearance to open fully, unless you go for the GT-line which comes with a handy hatch opening via the rear window.

The front of the cabin is surprisingly un-vanlike, mainly due to the amount of new technology on board. The Peugeot i-Cockpit is standard across the range and includes a touchscreen multimedia system, a heads up display and semi digital instrument cluster.

The starting price for the entry level Active model is €23,490 and other standard features include lane keep assist, emergency braking and a speed limiter, so it is well equipped from the ground up.

You can upgrade to the Allure to add 16 inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, automatic lights and wipers and a leather-covered steering wheel. Or once again to the GT-line which adds a reversing camera, dual-zone climate control, privacy glass, some nice GT line styling upgrades and even more safety features, and still get change from €30,000.

It's not exactly what you'd call fun to drive, but it is a very comfortable, very competent cruiser. It's not in any way unpleasant - it just takes a bit of getting used to, especially if you're coming from a smaller vehicle.

Once you do adjust, it's actually quite easy to maneuver and the high driving position gives you a great, commanding view of the road ahead. Our test car was powered by the 1.5l Blue HDI 100hp diesel which feels reasonably powerful and is impressively fuel efficient. The six-speed manual gearbox isn't the smoothest in the world to work your way through, but other than that it's a fairly straightforward driving experience with plenty of low down pulling power and a reasonably quick take off.

That seven seat SUV might look more attractive now but the fact of the matter is the Rifter is twice the car for a fraction of the price, making it the smart choice, even if it's not necessarily the cool one.

Facts & Figures

Sinead McCann

Sinéad is our resident car tester who has the unenviable (-ok, slightly enviable) task of reviewing all the latest new cars to hit the market. You can follow her on Twitter @smcani and on Instagram @whatshedrives