Low, wide and potent Peugeot catches the eye
Peugeot 508 Fastback GT ◆ The 508 might be a big car but it is fun to drive and no sloth, with affordable fuel consumption, writes Frederic Manby
News flashes this week from the motor industry included the “groundbreaking” and “staggering” findings from the pickup specialists Isuzu that drivers of pickups, 4x4s and SUVS are much more likely to “love their wheels” than do owners of other vehicles. Reasons for not liking these other cars included their smaller size and lack of a fun factor.
The same day came news of a tougher version of Nissan’s X-trail “aimed at daring and adventurous families with a love of the great outdoors”. Wipe-clean interiors will lure the buyer who likes getting dirty, we are told.
What then of the car you see here, the low, sleek reminder of what we drove before we piled into pickups and SUVS? It is Peugeot’s 508, a well-established contender for the business user, fresh from an overhaul last autumn. Our test car had the lithe five-door body with a fastback sloping tailgate. There is also an SW estate version for the load lugger.
Prices start at £34,020 for the Fastback and £35,220 for the SW, in the Allure entry specification. Both have a plucky 1.2 litre, three-cylinder 129bhp petrol engine and eight-speed automatic gearbox, familiar in the Stellantis family of brands of which Peugeot is a large part.
Our test car here is the GT, same engine, more kit, at £36,670 (£37,870 for the SW). The fetching grey paint, once reserved for the hottest 508 (see below) added £650 and a useful handsfree powered tailgate was £400.
The more powerful plug-in hybrid versions cost an additional £9,620 and will attract company drivers with their tax-friendly CO2 ratings. The enthusiastic driver can have the high performance Sport-engineered PHEV with all-wheel-drive from £53,825.
The 508 with a reduced model choice prefaces transition to electric power in the next generation of the 508. It has the marque’s broad ear-to-ear grille, matrix LED headlights, new interiors with vegan friendly leather or a Nappa (sheep) black leather option. Information gathering and displays are brought up to date and sharper exterior cameras are fitted.
The 508 faces not only the must-have trend towards SUVS (where Peugeot has its own entrants) but the desirable cachet of BMW, Audi and Mercedesbenz badged brands which dominate. There is one less challenger after Volvo quit the saloon and estate sector but the Volkswagen Passat and Skoda Superb are still out there. The rarity of the 508
makes the point. All I can add is that this front-wheel-drive beauty from Peugeot’s home in eastern France needs no apologies. It looks superb, low and wide and potent — catching the eye of bystanders who may not have seen one for a while.
This is a civilised and refined car and is fun to drive. It is well-equipped, with plenty of storage options, fold-flat rear seats, rear map nets, a centre arm rest and ski-hatch. There are smart and intuitive manual and touchscreen controls. Peugeot’s high-mounted “i-cockpit” instrument binnacle was for once easy to see above the small steering wheel, with a flat top and bottom to the rim.
After several hundred miles, many on the motorway for which this car is ideal, my co-driver and I had no major and few minor complaints. To whit, the female navigation voice was dreary, as if she was having a hard day. The omission of a phone-charging pad was a surprise. Only the Sport-engineered model has it as standard — but then there are four USB ports (both types) and a 12v socket available.
The sport seats are supportive and covered with Alcantara, a trade-marked fake suede, with faux leather parts and fancy stitched panels. The fascia layout is sober and conservative. The slim air vents are along the top lip.the central information and navigation screen is high enough to avoid distraction for the driver. The display can also be seen on the i-cockpit screen, with the hands-free voice command ready to adjust the climate, radio and so forth.
Big car, small engine, big wheels, fat tyres — so a bit of a sloth with a thirst? Well, in the right place it can exceed 130mph. A decent amount of torque and the quick-acting gearbox makes it feel faster than its stated 0-60 time. The 235/45 Michelins on 18-inch wheels give a quiet, firm, comfortable ride which suggests good sound-proofing and chassis tuning.
The doors have frameless windows which give them a lighter action and easier exit/entry when the glass is down. Official fuel consumption of up to 50mpg was not matched but 46mpg on the motorway and 43mpg overall is affordable.
Interior fittings fall into step with other Peugeots and Citroëns, such as the on-line information systems and the neat toggle lever for gear selection. The 508 GT also has shift levers on the steering column. Comfort on a threehour journey was good, with electric adjustment and a pull-out front to the cushion for those with long thighs. I’ll have to pass on that in this life.
The 508 is a sleek reminder of what we drove before we piled into pickups and SUVS