Untapped potential
There’s lots to enjoy about the most powerful Peugeot road car ever, but much that’s frustrating too.
So complex is the 508 PSE’s engineering and character that I haven’t fully explored it heading into this Goodbye. Before I remedy that… last month I reported lumpy running, traced to a rogue spark plug. With all four replaced, it’s now business as usual.
Not that this is your usual Peugeot. It’s both the most powerful roadgoing Peugeot ever, and a plug-in hybrid with a 1.6-litre turbo and one e-motor per axle. That equals 355bhp and up to 26 miles of electric running.
I like the 508’s design and the interior still feels a treat six months on – the materials, quality and avant-garde look are brilliantly French premium, and fabulous massage seats help soothe long trips. At 4778mm long, this is a big car, with generous room in the back, and we never truly filled the 530-litre boot. While stiffer than the regular 508, it’s perfectly comfortable for family duties. I charged only at home on a domestic socket, and while I managed 22 e-miles in summer, that almost halved in winter.
I suspected my frequent longer journeys would undo the good of shorter emissions-free runs, so I’ve been happy with the 52.0mpg average, this month’s 73.6mpg a highlight (I did the first 865 miles of the month without a charge too).
That frugality is partly because it felt wrong to thrash a plug-in but when I did drive the 508 harder I thought it pretty good – great body control, decently rapid, and impressively poised through tighter twists, where the front end bites hard, and you can enjoy a degree of throttle adjustability as well as a contribution from that rear e-motor. Numb and edgily rapid steering robs driver connection, but the bigger problem is too little configurability – the 508 won’t let you lock in manual mode, soften shocks or disable stability control.
I also find the lag between e-mode and the petrol-electric powertrain kicking in dangerous for overtakes, and it’s difficult to pre-empt that by selecting Sport because the selector is behind the gearlever – it needs a button on the steering wheel. I also find the lack of a normal warm-up procedure troubling – you can cover 20 miles, then bez a cold engine.
So mostly I babied the 508, maximising its range and leaving much potential untapped. A decent car, and one I’ve enjoyed, but not where I’d get my kicks. @IamBenBarry
Count the cost
Cost new £55,795 Part-exchange £35,125 Cost per mile 15.7p Cost per mile including depreciation £2.07
The avant-garde interior is still a treat six months on. It’s brilliantly French