Stylish saloon is a

IF you think the Peugeot 508 looks good in photographs just wait until you see it in the metal. I bet you’ll be impressed.

I first laid eyes on it at Peugeot’s stand at the Geneva motor show earlier this year – and I thought it was a concept car due to its striking design.

An estate version, that Peugeot calls the SW, was launched this week at the Paris motor show and that’s a looker too.

As for this saloon, the days of huge numbers of people buying four-door cars may be over as public taste has switched to crossovers and SUVS, but the sector is far from dead.

The new 508 range kicks off at £25,165 for the entry level model with a 1.5-litre diesel engine and manual gearbox.

We’ve shot to the other end of the price scale and are testing the most expensive one, the GT which is fitted with a 224bhp version of Peugeot’s 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine.

Like most 508s (barring that diesel) it comes with an eightspeed automatic gearbox which, incidentally, is one of the car’s only weak points. Inside, the first thing Peugeot 508 GT 225 four-door saloon

1.6-litre four-cylinder, 224bhp

7.3sec

49.6mpg

you’ll notice is Peugeot’s now trademark saucer-sized steering wheel. It’s a real nuisance in other Peugeots but it’s better in the 508. That could be to do with my height or seating position. You have to look over the wheel at the clear and attractive digital dials which can mean having to drop the steering column to get your hands lower.

The 508 is almost unique in the