10 September 2012
Against the odds
Peugeot has introduced some stunning cars in recent times. The stylish 508 arrived late last year and the eye-catching 4008 was introduced earlier this year. In next to no time we will be greeted by a sexy little 208 to add to the list.
Despite huge challenges in Europe due to the financial meltdown in some of Peugeot’s traditional stronghold markets, the French car maker is showing no signs of slowing down in our part of the world.
Peugeot currently has two diesel engines available for the 508 which was launched in 2011 as a replacement to the 407. The introduction of a small 1.6L turbo gasoline engine is a welcome addition. The powerplant delivers a healthy 115kW of power and 240Nm of torque and makes use of a six speed automatic transmission to transfer power to the wheels.
Smaller engines under the hood
Peugeot’s 508 has the unique styling we’ve come to admire. The sleek body lines along with a nicely sculptured bonnet and big grille furnish the car with loads of character and plenty of road presence. Now, a year after its introduction, it’s still looking as fresh as the day it entered the marketplace.
The thought of having a seemingly undersized 1.6L engine fitted to a large sedan raises a few eye-brows, but after a few minutes in the driver’s seat, we quickly came to the realisation Peugeot probably has had some mathematicians do sums before opting to fit a small, forced induction, petrol engine into this large body. The motor and transmission combination work exceptionally well together and propel the car to motorway speeds in a respectable 9.2 seconds. It’s by no means an aggressive machine and it won’t get your heart racing extremely fast when flooring the accelerator pedal, but it does the work it’s designed for without a struggle. It’s claimed to use 7.1L/100km of petrol while exhaust gases contain 164g/km CO2 emissions.
A comfortable ride is provided thanks largely to high profile 215/60 sixteen-inch tyres and bumps in the chip-seal are soaked up effortlessly. The nicely-tuned independent suspension at the front and the multi-link setup at the rear make it possible to negotiate the bends in the road with confidence.
The double layered dashboard feels uncluttered and good quality materials add to a premium look and feel. Simple, easy-to-use switches are utilised in the cabin and the leather covered multi-function steering wheel is lined with buttons for radio and cruise-control functions. The option to upgrade the interior cloth trim to full leather is available. Boot space is a large 512 litres while folding the seats free-up another 606 litres of loading space.
A host of equipment comes standard; day-time running lights, front fog lamps, automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers and cruise-control combined with speed-limiter. Quad-zone climate control air-conditioning provides good comfort levels for all passengers.
Passive safety features include six airbags and the car achieves a five star Euro NCAP safety test rating. There are numerous Active safety features; Electronic Brake Force Distribution, Emergency Brake Assist, Electronic Stability Programme and Traction Control.
The 1.6L petrol Active model is competitively priced at $46,990. It makes a good alternative to the closest diesel option, the 2.0L HDI Allure, priced at $8,000 more.
Ford’s Mondeo, Volkswagen’s Passat , Hyundai’s i45 and Kia’s Optima are all competitors in this segment. The Peugeot 508 offers the smallest petrol engine in the range and it definitely sticks out from the rest of the crowd with classy looks that won’t go stale anytime soon.
Overall, the 508 is a well packaged car that has an x-factor attraction we admire and proven Euro build quality we admire.