Peugeot 508 PSE
GOODBYE
£55,795 OTR/£55,795 as tested/£830pcm
WHY IT’S HERE
Fast Peugeots are usually best kept small. What about a fast PHEV wagon?
DRIVER
Charlie Rose
OUR TIME WITH THE 508 PSE, TG’S VIDEO PRODUCTION MULE, HAS come to an end What better send off than a day at the TopGear test track and what’s the first thing you do when arriving at an open track? Flick it straight into Sport mode and give it some welly of course Doing so unleashes full power increases throttle response stiffens the dampers and provides maximum regen to keep the batteries full of juice It does feel remarkably punchy off the line with the instant torque from the electric motors but at higher speeds you notice the engine working very hard to keep the momentum going That being said Sport mode is where the hybrid system feels most comfortable The PSE is also reassuring through the corners not something you’d want to attack hairpins in but it feels planted thanks to the wider front and rear tracks and adaptive dampers
Now it’s time to get a little bit sentimental I have a soft spot for Peugeots My dad had a and my brother a GTI I have extremely fond memories of those although unfortunately both ended up at the scrap heap I’m happy to report our PSE has not suffered a similar demise but it did get me thinking about how we’ll look back on it in or years At k it’s hard to imagine it will sell in large numbers so will it be forgotten as a Peugeot that was punching above its weight? Or will it be remembered as an innovative French rarity? For me it’s the latter OK it’s not perfect and we all would’ve loved to see Peugeot Sport Engineered get its hands on the but this acts as a test bed for the future of the brand It’s not just a cool looking concept that will never see production like the e Legend it’s a bhp estate with hybrid tech and unique styling that you can buy right now and those that do will get a big thumbs up from me