Peugeot 508 PSE SW
REPORT 2
£55,795 OTR/£55,795 as tested/£830pcm
WHY IT’S HERE
Fast Peugeots are best kept small. What about a fast PHEV wagon?
DRIVER
Vijay Pattni
THE FIRST 508 THAT ARRIVED BACK IN 2010 WASN’T, LET’S SAY, particularly easy on the eye which made it all the more surprising when Peugeot seemingly leaped a chasm of styling choices in a single bound and launched this lovely second generation car
It’s a smart design only enhanced by the estate guise that TG is running The distinctive lines seem to fit the booted just that little bit more Long story short facing a odd mile trip to the Lake District and back I wanted to let’s say “further investigate the charms” of this delightful design Definitely not because BabyCar TG’s electric Fiat would have needed a few long winded charging stops along the way So I pinched the Pug from regular keeper Charlie
Humans and retriever packed into the we embarked on our odyssey north A few things became immediately clear One the driving position is comically eccentric You have to either sit super low and jack the steering wheel height up or vice versa sit high wheel low to stand any chance of properly viewing the dash I opted for the latter
Second the ride is good but I found it to be a touch busy on a long haul But then it’s going up against German competitors and of course boasts in alloys and a suspension set up that’s per cent stiffer than a standard
Not a deal breaker or back breaker but something to note
But what I really wasn’t prepared for was point three the admiration thrown the ’s way Some anecdotes a couple of young gentlemen leapt out of a C Class while at a petrol station specifically to pore over the PSE’s details “Is that a Peugeot?” one asked I nodded “Looks great ” he said
At another service stop further up the motorway the same routine lots of stares a few points of the finger even a thumbs up basically the kind of fare usually reserved for those piloting supercars