The What Van? Road Test: Peugeot Boxer

Date: Monday, March 19, 2018 | Author: Steve Banner

Scab

Interior and equipment

First impressions matter, and Peugeot could without doubt stand to improve the quality of the cab’s plastic trim, especially so far as the dashboard is concerned. It looks a bit cheap when compared with the material used in some of the Boxer’s key competitors.

On the positive side, however, cab access is easy and there is no lack of storage space. Each of the doors boasts two bins, the glove box has a shelf above it, and you will find a lidded bin on top of the fascia on the passenger side.

Other stowage facilities are dotted around the cab, which has received one or two minor modifications and upgrades. Look down and you will find a couple of cup-holders at the bottom of the dashboard with a tray in between.

Two is all you need in this case because this Boxer has a single passenger seat (a twin-passenger bench seat is also on offer) with plenty of space between it and the driver’s seat. There is easily enough room for a toolbox, overalls, and a pair of wellington boots.

It also means more shoulder room for the driver, who already enjoys plenty of headroom plus a good field of vision ahead and to either side of the vehicle.

The driver’s seat is height-adjustable, as is the steering wheel.

Also worthy of note is a removable container that you can put sweet wrappers and other rubbish in and empty the next time you see a handy waste bin. Remember that smoking is banned in cabs in the majority of cases so don’t use it as a receptacle for cigarette ends or ash.

One of the big plus points of opting for Professional trim is the level of equipment that is included.

For your money you get a cab air-conditioning system that embraces the aforementioned glove box, an alarm, cruise control, rear parking sensors, Bluetooth with a USB socket, and a DAB radio with a CD player. Satellite navigation is included in the deal too, and the map display is on a dashboard touchscreen, which needs to be a bit bigger, especially since it also shows what the rear-view camera can see when you engage reverse.

The camera is included in the optional City Pack.

The foregoing equipment is in addition to everything embraced by Standard trim.

It includes a driver airbag, a 12V socket, electric windows, and large electrically adjustable and heated exterior rear-view mirrors with lower wide-angle sections. The ability to fold them back electrically is included in the City Pack.

Our Peugeot Boxer came equipped with an optional Safety Pack, which includes a passenger airbag, a tyre pressure monitoring system, and lane departure warning, which buzzes if you drift out of your lane on a motorway or dual-carriageway. While this piece of technology undoubtedly contributes to road safety, it can also become mildly irritating, and switching it off was one of the writer’s guilty pleasures.

You can switch the van’s standard hill descent control and traction control system on and off too.

If you are looking for the handbrake lever than you will find it between the driver’s seat and door – not an arrangement we are especially keen on. Make sure you release it fully.

Disc brakes – ventilated at the front, solid at the rear – are fitted all round. The Boxer comes with ABS, electronic stability programme, electronic brakeforce distribution and emergency brake assist.

Worthy of mention is the optional Heating Pack, which includes a heated driver’s seat plus a programmable Webasto auxiliary heater. The presence of both is more than welcome on icy winter mornings.

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