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Peugeot 508

REJUVEN-EIGHTED (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Peugeot's classy medium range 508 model remains a sharp act. Jonathan Crouch drives the sleeker, improved version.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 71

Big French cars used to be interesting. Distinctive. Now, they are again. Or at least this one is anyway, the sleeker improved version of the second generation Peugeot 508. As before, it competes in the now much-abandoned medium range Passat and Mazda 6 segment but offers something quite different, with a choice of five-door 'Fastback' and SW estate body styles. You might even prefer it to something with a premium badge.

Backgroundword count: 145

Once upon a time, European roads were filled with volume brand 'D'-segment cars. Mondeos were plentiful, as were the mainstream mid-sized Vauxhalls, Renaults, Citroens and Peugeots that competed with this Ford. But that was then. A new 'D'-segment model is quite rare to see on the roads these days - partly because so many brands no longer bother to sell them. Which is somewhat short-sighted given that the huge Chinese market, unafflicted by badge snobbery, simply loves cars of this kind. Hence the reason why Peugeot developed this second generation 'R83'-series 508 and launched it in 2018, unconcerned that it would probably be as rare a sight as a unicorn on British highways. For likely buyers, that's actually been part of the appeal and this MK2 508 Fastback and SW estate range has fared reasonably well, though this package of mid-term updates will be welcome.

Driving Experienceword count: 326

There are no significant mechanical updates here - which is surprising because on the base PureTech 130 petrol model, we'd expected to see the mild hybrid 48V tech lately introduced into this engine in the 3008 SUVs. As before, that 1.2-litre three cylinder engine putting out 130hp can only be had with EAT8 8-speed auto transmission. This time round though, there's no accompanying alternative 1.5-litre four cylinder BlueHDi diesel. To replace diesel drive, Peugeot can offer you a Plug-in Hybrid powertrain based around a 1.6-litre petrol turbo engine, mated to a 110hp electric motor powered by a 12.4kWh battery which when fully charged offers an EV range of up to 42.3 miles. That's with the front-driven Hybrid 225 model we tried. If you want to go fast in a 508 Hybrid, you'll need the pricey 'Peugeot Sport Engineered' 360hp AWD version, which trims the 0-62mph time to just 5.2s. But that 'PSE' version's not our focus here. What's a mainstream 508 like on the road? Well Peugeot's bold claim at the original launch of this car was that 'if you drive it, you'll buy it'. Don't expect from this that we're looking at a super sharp-handling BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe rival here, but you might be surprised by just how crisply the 508 responds - and of course it's a consumate high speed cruiser, aided by a well-judged supple multi-link rear suspension set-up, with an adaptive damping system optional. At the wheel of any 508, you're positioned in front of Peugeot's distinctive 'i-Cockpit' dashboard layout, which as usual, sees you looking over the rim of the steering wheel at the instrument dials, rather than conventionally through it. And as usual, the leather-stitched tiller in question is a small, grippy thing which gives you the illusion of greater interaction with the car. And all variants get the usual drive modes system, which adapts steering, throttle and gear change timings to the way you want to drive.

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Pictures (high res disabled)

Statistics (subset of data only)

Min

Max

Price:

£27,865.00

£55,795.00

Insurance group 1-50:

25

32

Max Speed (mph):

123

155

0-62 mph (s):

9.3

11.3

Urban Mpg:

37.7

64.2

Extra Urban Mpg:

78.5

85.6

Combined Mpg:

61.4

85.6

Length (mm):

4750

4830

Width (mm):

1853

1859

... and 2 other stats available

Scoring (subset of scores)

Category: Spacious Family Cars

Performance
70%
Handling
70%
Comfort
80%
Space
60%
Styling, Build, Value, Equipment, Depreciation, Handling, Insurance and Total scores are available with our full data feed.

This is an excerpt from our full review.
To access the full content library please contact us on 0330 0020 227 or click here

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