Stylish new saloon takes on the VW Arteon
New saloon takes styling cues from Peugeot’s SUV line-up and comes packed with safety kit On sale September Price from £26,000 (est)
LAUNCHING A NEW saloon at a time when most families are choosing SUVS is, it must be said, a bold move. And yet, if the performance of the Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Arteon in our road tests tells us anything, it’s that cars like these can still be a good choice for families – and that’s where Peugeot is pitching the new 508.
The 508 takes clear styling cues from Peugeot’s revitalised SUV range, namely the 3008 and 5008 – the latter of which is our Large SUV of the Year for 2018.
At the front, there are LED headlights and daytime running lights either side of the prominent grille, while the back has lights taken from last year’s Instinct concept car.
Two 1.6-litre petrol and four diesel engines will be offered at launch, but it’s the mid-range 1.5-litre 130 diesel that is likely to appeal most to British buyers.this unit can be had with a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
A plug-in hybrid version is set to follow in autumn 2019. It will be a direct rival to Volkswagen’s Passat GTE.
Inside, analogue dials are replaced by a 12.3in digital instrument panel, with a separate 8.0in touchscreen given over to infotainment and navigation.
In terms of safety equipment, the 508 is offered with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, driver attention monitor, adaptive cruise control and blindspot detection. Peugeot has yet to reveal how much of that will come as standard, though. A new ‘night vision’ mode uses an infrared camera to detect potential hazards at night.
Peugeot won’t reveal prices until closer to the 508’s UK launch, but we’d expect a small rise on the £25,340 starting price of today’s car. If that price increases to £26,000, the 508 will be competing against high-end versions of the Mondeo but still appear a bargain next to the Arteon.