Peugeot 508HDi180

HELLO £ 36,439 OTR/£37,314 as tested/£467pcm WHY I T ’S HERE Can avant-garde style save the saloon? DRI V ER Jason Barlow

IN THESE BREXITY TIMES, MUCH INK HAS BEEN EXPENDED AND SOCIAL media spleen vented vis-à-vis national identity. The French, it is widely thought, can be a little haughty. Me, I’m a fully paid-up Francophile, a fan of the people, the music, and the movies (except that the French are all cineastes and therefore make films, not movies. They’re for Americans).

And the cars? Well, count me in here, too. In a segment dominated by the German technocracy, rival nations barely get a look in when it comes to circa-£40k mid-size saloons, sporty dynamics and perceived quality. You might go Alfa, or maybe Jaguar, at a push. But a Peugeot? Well, here it is.

The 508 is a reminder that the French have a penchant for the left-field. Actually, there are still folk in Africa actually driving 504s over a field, left and right, such is that car’s robustness. It was designed by the great Aldo Brovarone at Pininfarina, so aesthetic flair runs deep. Peugeot’s current design boss is Gilles Vidal, and he’s crafted a visual language that’s slightly weird without being gopping. The 508 has unusual surfacing, bold headand tail-light signatures, and frameless doors. It’s 80mm shorter than the old version, so it looks wider and better planted, although its smaller rear compartment might hurt mini-cabbists. Inside, the urge to go that way when everyone else is going this, is exemplified in the i-Cockpit, familiar from other Peugeots. The instruments sit much higher than normal, viewed above the wheel, rather than through it. The wheel itself is small and shaped like the TIE fighters in Star Wars. In the 508, this jazz approach to ergonomics is backed up by some premium materials, imaginatively configurable main instruments, and a 10in HD central screen.

Ours is the 2.0-litre turbodiesel in GT spec, and we went light on the options: metallic paint was £575, the red Nappa leather seats £300. Stylish but pragmatic, y’see...