Replacing both the 407 and the 607—the former always considered a little on the small side for the key fleet sector—the new car hits a sweet spot in size and interior packaging. Straddling nicely family and executive needs.
The first impression is elegance. Compared to the in-your-face front of the 407 predecessor, the 508 is at first glance understated. Then you notice the clever detailing: a grille treatment with character and which interfaces with the sculpting of the bonnet by virtue of a small 'lip', where the chrome lion logo also gets a pride of place.
A very coherent meld of the lights with other front components makes this a car that looks confident in itself, if one can ascribe a machine having such personality. In the profile, the strong shoulder line under the 'glasshouse' offers a sense of real strength. The shape of the rear door integrates cleanly with the elegant C-pillar. When they got to the rear the designers were still on song and provided the car with a smart behind that's also practical, offering a capacious boot in the saloon under review. Around the whole exterior, chrome elements have been used well.
All good on the outside then. What about the interior?
In a word, superb. Peugeot have really been putting it up even to the premium car sector in quality interiors for some models now and the 508 continues this. Good design, again in an elegant understatement but with a quality of materials second to none. The driver's area manages to make simple the complexity of controls in a modern car. In the one under review, some extras included a 'head-up' display for speed and other information located just under the windscreen base.
For the rear occupants, apart from having to get used to the trailing edge of the door's window frame being a bit in the way because of that previously mentioned C-pillar design, it is a comfortable and much more roomy place to be than it was in the 407 with its shorter wheelbase. The new car is actually only slightly longer than its predecessor, but has much more space inside.
A roomy boot finishes things off to provide a car which will happily take a full complement of passengers and luggage and keep them happy too on any long trip.
There are three levels of trim available in the 508, the basic Access one being quite well specified, while the Active mid-range is very well so, including alloys, climate control, and automatically dipping headlights. My review car was the Allure top end, with leather throughout, keyless entry and ignition, larger alloys and electric everythings. The head-up display option I have mentioned came as part of a 'pack' with a high end hifi system, costing an extra €1,000. A matter dear to my heart is that a full-size spare wheel is standard throughout the 508 range.
Engine options are 1.6 and 2.0 diesels, the one in my car being the 140hp version of the latter matched to a 6-speed manual gearbox. A 163hp version comes with the automatic gearbox option. The 1.6 has a 112hp output, and all engines are A/B in CO2 terms.
This car drives as elegantly as it looks. Peugeot have long guarded a reputation for travelling their cars' occupants in really good comfort, and the 508 keeps this going with a good mix of ride and handling characteristics. The 2.0 diesel in the review car continues the refinement for which Peugeot power plants are renowned. A sub-10 seconds progress to 100km/h is a smooth experience. From the driver's perspective, this is a really pleasant and satisfying car for where it is positioned.
In short, with the 508 Peugeot has managed not just to match best in class in its segment, but has gone strongly ahead of many of its competitors. I'd be looking at this as tilting at the premium end of its market. The brand has not been here before.
Getting into a 508 is doable from under €25,000, while the review car without extras tots in at €32,550. At whatever your preferred price point between those, you're going to have a car which over the years of ownership is likely to feel a very good deal indeed.
