THE world is constantly changing, and the motoring industry is no different. There was once a time when we would receive vehicles from certain manufacturers and know how the test would go. But not anymore.
Lately, we’ve been pleasantly surprised by vehicles that we wouldn’t normally rate highly and disappointed by market favourites. One of the cars that caught us off guard is the Peugeot 508.
This D-segment saloon, together with the upcoming 208, represents a new design direction for the French manufacturer. The 508’s exterior design features sharp lines, narrow, elongated headlamps and a raised bonnet that accentuates the broad shoulders; gone is the gaping maw of recent Peugeots. At the back, the marque settled on a simplistic design that simultaneously manages to be elegant thanks to stacked LED lights and a chrome strip across the boot lid. There are other chrome-look accents all around for added sophistication. Overall, it’s a clean design that should age well.
Arguably, the cabin treatment is even more successful. Cloth and leather upholstery on the seats and doors, glossy materials and piano-black plastic on the control housings and centre console add a sense of sophistication and put the 508 in with a fighting chance against the king of surprise-and-delight in this segment, the Volkswagen Passat.
However, it’s not the simplest cabin in terms of usability. There is a scattering of buttons on the hang-down section, centre console and steering wheel, of which too many are too similar in size and shape. If these don’t leave you reaching for the owner’s manual, a flap to the right of the steering column reveals more buttons, in this case for the head-up display and ESP system. A resounding success is the design of the instrument cluster – it’s one of the most tasteful we’ve recently seen and would not look out of place in a grand saloon.
The roomy cabin seats five passengers in superb comfort, while the cavernous boot swallows 400 dm3 of luggage; should more space be needed, the back seats can be folded flat to allow for a carrying capacity of 1 064 dm3.
When it comes to standard features, the 508 seems to have it all, and we can understand why. Competing in the D-segment is not an easy task. It’s dominated by the likes of Volkswagen and Honda, sees strong competition in the form of the Suzuki Kizashi and Mazda 6, and the immense aspirational value of the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. So, using the Korean formula of “adding a lot of standard features and pricing it right to get it noticed” makes a lot of sense. Without the R17 000 navigation system that includes the head-up display and the R2 000 paint job, this Allure model costs R309 900. At this level, it beggars belief that blinds on the rear windows, a full-size alloy spare wheel, rain-sensing wipers, headlamp washers, quad-zone climate control (yes, each quarter of the car can be set at a different temperature), and park assist are all standard. On top of this, there are the usual suspects such as electric windows and mirrors, cruise control, steering wheel-mounted audio controls for the JBL-branded MP3, USB, auxiliary and Bluetooth compatible audio system, to name but a few luxury features. We have to mention, though, that the audio system died during the car’s tenure with us and we were unable to locate the source of the problem.
Both front seats are electrically adjustable – the driver’s seat is set slightly too high, even on its lowest setting – and the steering column can be tailored for rake and reach. This 508 model boasts keyless access and start.
A prod of the button – oddly, placed all the way to the right in the cabin, almost next to the driver’s door – sees the 1,6-litre turbocharged, direct-injection four-pot jump to life with some enthusiasm; many testers complained that, at idle, the engine is too loud and rough for a car in this class. Outputs of 115 kW and 240 N.m of torque are par for the course in the D-segment and are relayed to the road through the front wheels with a six-speed automatic ‘box. The latter can become flummoxed in cut-and-thrust driving, but generally works well with the small-capacity powerplant, especially if the driver takes control via the column-mounted shift paddles.
The 508 1,6 THP sprinted to 100 km/h in 10,29 seconds and is capable of reaching a claimed top speed of 220 km/h. As far as fuel economy is concerned, the CAR fuel-index figure is 8,5 litres/100 km, which gives it an estimated range of 845 km before the next fuel stop is needed. In our real-world fuel test, the 508 achieved a more impressive figure of 7,5 litres/100 km.
The team was divided on whether or not the heavy steering helps or hinders this saloon’s driving experience. The general consensus was that it’s well weighted but makes parking and low speed manoeuvring tougher than most would like it. However, it is one of Peugeot’s better recent efforts.
Another dynamic highlight is the composed, well-damped ride quality. Occasionally, the slightest pitter-patter disturbs the calm atmosphere in the cabin, and cat’s eyes and expansion joints send a slight shudder through the structure, but in most conditions the 508 rides with authority. Handling is as you’d expect: the 508 has been set up to understeer in extremes and body lean is pronounced in the bends.
Safety is taken care of in the form of six airbags, foglamps that activate in corners, Isofix anchorages, an ESP system and ABS with EBD. The 508 achieved an excellent rating for its braking time of 2,97 seconds.
TEST SUMMARY
With the RCZ and now the 508, Peugeot has shown that it isn’t afraid to take on the big players in market segments where it has either been under-represented or hasn’t participated in at all.
The 508 1,6 THP Allure offers a lot of car for the money. It looks good on paper, which translates accurately to the road. In the final team voting, it placed a close second behind the Passat and trounced the ageing Accord.
However, at the risk of sounding repetitive, Peugeots are unfortunately still plagued by relatively poor resale values and a perception of shoddy aftersales service. The manufacturer has tried to counter this by offering a five-year/100 000 km full maintenance plan on each and every one of its passengers vehicles. This, combined with the fact that the 508 is a very good car, should prove a persuading factor for buyers to at least visit a Peugeot dealer. If not, we’d wait till a few 508s reach the second-hand market and then pick one up for a steal.
