admininto town and back. For years the French brand has built powerful Peugeots which have great handling and are economical.
Well to all those Peugeot fans, I got news for you that will have you sifting your pocket to secure the new, just launched 508. Personally, I think it’s a good entry level executive vehicle, which is priced right and the fact that Puzey & Payne are the sole distributors, you have peace of mind when it comes to parts and maintenance.
It comes as the perfect replacement, replacing both the 407 and the ancient 607. So if you are driving a 407 or a 607, I urge you to dispose of it and move with the times . . . ha ha ha.
The 508’s lineage can be directly traced even further than the 405, however, as far as the 403 of 1955. That was replaced by the 404, then the 504 and 505, where the car’s lineage diverges. The 505 was replaced by both the 405 (in 1987) and the larger 605 (in 1989), both of whose lineage continued to the 407 and 607. The 508 reunites them again. Its available in a sedan and a station wagon.
This Peugeot is as big and as mechanically conventional as its class expects. Its body is a steel monocoque, with a transverse engine driving the front wheels, and there are MacPherson struts at the front, with a multi-link axle at the rear. The 508 has a longer wheelbase than the 407, and has increased in overall length to 4.8 metres.
Both saloon and estate variants of the 508 are styled, to our eyes and those of most observers, far more pleasingly than the 407 this car replaces — both more stylish and mature. In particular, Peugeot seems to have found a more stylish way to design the noses of its latest cars to meet pedestrian impact demands than it did previously.
Peugeot’s transmission options on the 508 are complicated to say the least. If you want a 1.6-litre HDi with a manual gearbox, you can only have it with one a mid-spec trim level, for example; everywhere else that engine is mated to Peugeot’s six-speed automated manual transmission. The 138bhp 2.0-litre HDi diesel is manual only, and the 161bhp HDi predominantly torque converter auto-only — the latter fact again with one exception, at one specific trim level.
Everything that’s true about the 508’s exterior as more mature, sophisticated and of a superior appearance to its predecessor is also true of the cabin. The 508’s cockpit is a well-finished paragon of pleasing design and decent perceived build. We all know the French love sophistication and class.
Ergonomically, the cabin is generally sound. There is a new and much easier-to-fathom stereo controller, while heating/ventilation controls are straightforward and the dials and supplementary gauges are well finished and clear.
It’s a spacious environment, too. Rear seat passengers get ample leg and headroom, while seat-up boot volume is 550 litres —plenty for the class. The rear seats can be folded — cleverly from the boot edge via a one-touch lever — to create a 1598-litre volume with a two-metre length
Subjectively, this engine is just as impressive as it is in objective terms. It starts quietly and settles to a muted idle. Power delivery is impressive, too; from low revs it pulls without fuss and with significant oomph the more you ask of it. The 508 pulls itself from a standstill to 100mph in 9,6sec. This hints at an important reality that will quickly become unmissable to a lot of 508 drivers:
When it comes to the brakes, no complaints, however, about the 508’s brakes, which have both good stopping power and resolute staying power. Good pedal feel makes for easy, smooth stopping.
Peugeot seems to have aimed for a point somewhere in between, and has landed not too far from the mark it was going for. In its favour when it comes to refinement are low noise levels from not only the engine but also wind and road sources.
The 508 rides moderately well. When it comes to outright dynamism, things swing into the Peugeot’s favour a little; with a modicum of feel through the rim and a degree of poise, it’s mildly more engaging than its competitors. It’s easily as good as anything else in the class, though – and a significant step from the 407 that went before it.
Peugeot 508’s 1.6-litre eHDi powertrain 508, produces CO2 emissions of 109g/km and impressive claimed economy of almost 19km per litre on open road driving, which positions the Peugeot directly alongside the VW Passat and Ford Mondeo.
There is an awful lot to like about the Peugeot 508, not least should you compare it with the 407 that went before it. At a stroke Peugeot’s fleet-centric car has gone from a vehicle you’d grudgingly accept being given to drive to meetings for a couple of years, to a car you’d actively seek out on a company car list. It’s a far more mature, sophisticated package than the Peugeot that went before it.
It’s the classiest, most polished mainstream Peugeot for years. And since it suggests, albeit quietly, that France’s lion is continuing to recover its strength when it comes to building distinguished driver’s cars, the 508 is welcome indeed. For pricing and stock availability Gerald Zhakata and his team at Puzey & Payne can assist.
Have a safe weekend, ciao.
Fact D. Jeke is a motoring enthusiast who has attended auto shows, rallies and has written for various publications in the region for the last decade. She can be contacted via email on [email protected] & Facebook: torque with Fact jeke
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