I'll start by saying that this is nowhere near as interesting as a lot of cars on here - if you're not going to be interested in a review of a diesel estate then press back now! I wanted to post this because there are often people asking about cars in this class - the standard response is always "Mondeo" but I thought people might be interested in something different.
Why?
The first thing I'm asked, especially if I'm talking to someone with an interest in cars when I tell them I drive a Peugeot is "Why?"
A year ago I needed to replace my car because of the sheer amount of miles I was doing for the job - I'm a systems consultant so I'm up and down motorways regularly. I wanted something that could lug boxes of kit around, bonus point for being able to fit a Dell M1000e in the back. Comfort, sensible running costs and a manufacturers warranty were the priorities. I wanted to approach it without prejudice or preconceptions.
I looked at all the usual suspects, aiming for something high spec and about a year old. All of the prestige brands were well north of 20k and I just couldn't justify that sort of cost. It came down to the Mondeo, the Skoda Superb and the 508. A Mondeo Titanium X 2.0 TDCI "Powershift" was in the 17k region, the equivalent Superb was about 18k. The Peugeot 508 2.0 HDi 160 Allure Auto was 14k at 9 months old with 8000 miles on it. Initial impressions were great and reviews were positive so I took the plunge - it seemed like a no brainer for the money, especially as the Mondeo had been out for 7 years and the new one nowhere to be found. So was it worth it....?
The model lineup
This is a very rough guide to the models in the range, dont take it as the official spec. There are 3 main trim levels - Access, Active and Allure in order of most basic upwards. Access is similar to a Zetec Mondeo with manual AC, cloth seats etc. Active adds automatic lights, dual zone climate, bigger wheels and parking sensors. Allure brings keyless entry, navigation, panoramic roof, fully electric half leather seats and power fold mirrors. A spec revision in mid 2013 added Xenon/LED headlamps (with automatic dimming and directional swivelling) and front parking sensors (with parking space measurement) to the Allure spec and Navigation to the Active spec.
Engines are all 4 cylinder and FWD, mostly diesels. There is a 1.6 Turbo petrol but they're rare. The 1.6 115Bhp diesel is the most common and it's horrible frankly. There's also a 2.0 Diesel in 2 variants - 140bhp for the manual gearbox and 160bhp for the auto. In the 1.6 Diesels the automatic is the "EGC" which is as horrible as the engine. In the 2.0 Diesels it's a 6 speed torque converter automatic. Mine is the 2.0 160bhp with the auto gearbox.
There's also a GT model which has a 200bhp 2.2 engine, dual wishbone front suspension, full leather interior (with massage function), heads up display and exterior styling tweaks. Finally there's an RXH which is a hybrid (40bhp electric motor driving the rear wheels, the 160bhp diesel doing the fronts).
Exterior and styling
The appearance of the car was really not a priority for me, but here are some pictures anyway. I do quite like the way it looks and it's a massive improvement over the 407 and 607 it replaces.
Engine and gearbox
As I mentioned, this car has the 2.0 Hdi 160bhp engine and 6 speed automatic gearbox. The engine is the same one used in the Mk4 Mondeo and probably other cars too. It's a modern 2.0 4 pot common rail diesel - there's not a great deal to say about it really, chances are you've driven something similar. It's quite free revving, torquey and smooth. It's not a fast car but it's got more than enough grunt to make journeys easy and overtaking safe.
Where the 508 comes into its own in this regard is the noise, its remarkably well muted. You're not going to hear me ever say "you'd never know it's a diesel" - start it on a cold morning and you definitely know! But it's incredibly quiet at idle, once it's warmed up it's barely more than a background hum. This party trick continues when you pull away too, at speeds up to about 40 where engine noise is the main contributor of noise to the cabin, it's incredibly quiet and refined. It was the first thing that struck me and impressed me when I drove one and it's a characteristic I still appreciate today. At higher speeds, road and wind noise becomes a factor but it's much quieter than the Mondeo etc and on par with the Audi A4 and Mercedes C class I looked at.
I've not had the pleasure of trying the 115bhp 1.6 HDi, but I have driven it in a 208 and it's terrible. Don't even consider a 508 with one of those unless you hate yourself. I did however try the 2.2 and it's much like the 2.0 in character, pleasingly punchy but not by as much more as you'd expect. The GT has a different exhaust which actually gives it a pretty nice noise (for a 4pot diesel), a muted growl.
The 6 Speed auto box is a bit old fashioned, where others are doing DSG style boxes or 8 speed super efficient autos, this has a pretty standard 6 speed (The recently released facelift has an 8 speed auto now). Despite being an older style of box, it's smooth enough that you can't really feel it change. It's quick to change and 6 ratios are enough for the engine. At motorway speeds, it can be a bit too eager to downshift and there can be a bit of an unnerving delay if you try and accelerate when rolling - such as when approaching a roundabout. The biggest issue with this gearbox is that it's a fuel economy sap: my average is about 40mpg with 45mpg on a run. The manual version will be 5-10mpg higher.
Again, I've not driven any 508s with the EGC gearbox (electronically actuated manual) but I have driven the 208 with it. It's dire and borderline dangerous. I cant comment on the manual gearboxes as I was only looking at autos.
Ride and handling
Ride quality was one of the biggest priorities I had for this car and it doesn't disappoint. It's not quite soft enough to be called wafty, but it glides down smooth motorways without any fuss at all. Rougher surfaces are smoothed out nicely and it doesn't crash over bumps and potholes. I'll quite often do a 6-8 hour day at customers 4 or more hours away - 8 hours work and 8 hours driving in one day. It's always a comfortable experience, long journeys are no big deal in this car.
Handling is decent enough but nothing to write home about - it's no Mondeo in that regard. Body roll is well controlled but it's not a terribly stiff chassis. It's a big car and it feels like it if you try and plough it into a corner. It can still give a bit of fun on the right roads, but anything too twisty and you're likely to end up feeling seasick.
Interior and practicality
Anyone who's known Peugeots of old will know this is one of the worst areas. But it was with that in mind that made me say "wow" and sit open jawed for an appreciable period after I first sat in one.
It's reasonably well laid out but it's a great place to spend time. Everything has a much more premium look and feel than you'd expect - all the switches feel solid and show no signs of wear after 30k miles behind the wheel and no rattles or squeaks. The panoramic roof (which doesn't open, sadly) floods the cabin with light. It's not a BMW but it's infinitely more interesting than the Passat and of much higher quality than the Mondeo or Insignia. It's the interior that's made people say "what? no...seriously?" when I've told them it's a Peugeot.
They've managed to make it feel a bit more special than it's price would suggest - the starting process is a good example of that. Tap the starter button and the temperature and fuel guages appear from behind a dark opaque perspex panel, the dials do that bouncing "test" thing then the engine starts as the Peugeot logo fades out on the full colour screen between the dials.
In terms of practicality, no complaints there - but the car is huge. It's easily 5 series/A6 sized. The boot is cavernous and the seats fold flat by just pulling a lever at the back of the boot - useful if you're loading boxes to not have to pull them down. This gives an enourmous amount of space - I've had a 3 seater sofa in the back of here before. I rarely use the back seats but you'll get 3 adults back there with the front seats all the way back, so no complaints there. It's a bit dark though, the colour theme is very much "black on black, with black accents".
My main criticism is around cabin storage - there's only 2 cupholders and they're right in front of the nav screen. The door pockets are huge but extend backwards so you often lose stuff in them. The glovebox is tiny and impossible to reach while driving...Again, minor concerns.
Reliability/Problems
Well it's not let me down at all. It had a recall to do with the bracket holding the master brake cylinder and they noticed a minor oil leak from the gearbox on it's last service. The switch for the heated seats stopped working just after I got it which was replaced under warranty, despite them finding Coke in it (the drink, not the drug). It eats through tyres faster than I'd like but other than that it's been fantastic.
The new Mondeo changes the landscape in this sector for people looking at new cars, but on the used market you're still looking at the Mk4. Compared to it's peers, the 508 defies expectations and is really worth considering over an Insignia or Mondeo. If you like value for money, then you really have to look at the 508. It was launched in 2010 so still fresher than a lot of the competition and there's a facelift model just started shipping now.
Hopefully this is useful or interesting to some, if nothing else it's given me something to do to kill time on a Sunday afternoon
Why?
The first thing I'm asked, especially if I'm talking to someone with an interest in cars when I tell them I drive a Peugeot is "Why?"
A year ago I needed to replace my car because of the sheer amount of miles I was doing for the job - I'm a systems consultant so I'm up and down motorways regularly. I wanted something that could lug boxes of kit around, bonus point for being able to fit a Dell M1000e in the back. Comfort, sensible running costs and a manufacturers warranty were the priorities. I wanted to approach it without prejudice or preconceptions.
I looked at all the usual suspects, aiming for something high spec and about a year old. All of the prestige brands were well north of 20k and I just couldn't justify that sort of cost. It came down to the Mondeo, the Skoda Superb and the 508. A Mondeo Titanium X 2.0 TDCI "Powershift" was in the 17k region, the equivalent Superb was about 18k. The Peugeot 508 2.0 HDi 160 Allure Auto was 14k at 9 months old with 8000 miles on it. Initial impressions were great and reviews were positive so I took the plunge - it seemed like a no brainer for the money, especially as the Mondeo had been out for 7 years and the new one nowhere to be found. So was it worth it....?
The model lineup
This is a very rough guide to the models in the range, dont take it as the official spec. There are 3 main trim levels - Access, Active and Allure in order of most basic upwards. Access is similar to a Zetec Mondeo with manual AC, cloth seats etc. Active adds automatic lights, dual zone climate, bigger wheels and parking sensors. Allure brings keyless entry, navigation, panoramic roof, fully electric half leather seats and power fold mirrors. A spec revision in mid 2013 added Xenon/LED headlamps (with automatic dimming and directional swivelling) and front parking sensors (with parking space measurement) to the Allure spec and Navigation to the Active spec.
Engines are all 4 cylinder and FWD, mostly diesels. There is a 1.6 Turbo petrol but they're rare. The 1.6 115Bhp diesel is the most common and it's horrible frankly. There's also a 2.0 Diesel in 2 variants - 140bhp for the manual gearbox and 160bhp for the auto. In the 1.6 Diesels the automatic is the "EGC" which is as horrible as the engine. In the 2.0 Diesels it's a 6 speed torque converter automatic. Mine is the 2.0 160bhp with the auto gearbox.
There's also a GT model which has a 200bhp 2.2 engine, dual wishbone front suspension, full leather interior (with massage function), heads up display and exterior styling tweaks. Finally there's an RXH which is a hybrid (40bhp electric motor driving the rear wheels, the 160bhp diesel doing the fronts).
Exterior and styling
The appearance of the car was really not a priority for me, but here are some pictures anyway. I do quite like the way it looks and it's a massive improvement over the 407 and 607 it replaces.
Engine and gearbox
As I mentioned, this car has the 2.0 Hdi 160bhp engine and 6 speed automatic gearbox. The engine is the same one used in the Mk4 Mondeo and probably other cars too. It's a modern 2.0 4 pot common rail diesel - there's not a great deal to say about it really, chances are you've driven something similar. It's quite free revving, torquey and smooth. It's not a fast car but it's got more than enough grunt to make journeys easy and overtaking safe.
Where the 508 comes into its own in this regard is the noise, its remarkably well muted. You're not going to hear me ever say "you'd never know it's a diesel" - start it on a cold morning and you definitely know! But it's incredibly quiet at idle, once it's warmed up it's barely more than a background hum. This party trick continues when you pull away too, at speeds up to about 40 where engine noise is the main contributor of noise to the cabin, it's incredibly quiet and refined. It was the first thing that struck me and impressed me when I drove one and it's a characteristic I still appreciate today. At higher speeds, road and wind noise becomes a factor but it's much quieter than the Mondeo etc and on par with the Audi A4 and Mercedes C class I looked at.
I've not had the pleasure of trying the 115bhp 1.6 HDi, but I have driven it in a 208 and it's terrible. Don't even consider a 508 with one of those unless you hate yourself. I did however try the 2.2 and it's much like the 2.0 in character, pleasingly punchy but not by as much more as you'd expect. The GT has a different exhaust which actually gives it a pretty nice noise (for a 4pot diesel), a muted growl.
The 6 Speed auto box is a bit old fashioned, where others are doing DSG style boxes or 8 speed super efficient autos, this has a pretty standard 6 speed (The recently released facelift has an 8 speed auto now). Despite being an older style of box, it's smooth enough that you can't really feel it change. It's quick to change and 6 ratios are enough for the engine. At motorway speeds, it can be a bit too eager to downshift and there can be a bit of an unnerving delay if you try and accelerate when rolling - such as when approaching a roundabout. The biggest issue with this gearbox is that it's a fuel economy sap: my average is about 40mpg with 45mpg on a run. The manual version will be 5-10mpg higher.
Again, I've not driven any 508s with the EGC gearbox (electronically actuated manual) but I have driven the 208 with it. It's dire and borderline dangerous. I cant comment on the manual gearboxes as I was only looking at autos.
Ride and handling
Ride quality was one of the biggest priorities I had for this car and it doesn't disappoint. It's not quite soft enough to be called wafty, but it glides down smooth motorways without any fuss at all. Rougher surfaces are smoothed out nicely and it doesn't crash over bumps and potholes. I'll quite often do a 6-8 hour day at customers 4 or more hours away - 8 hours work and 8 hours driving in one day. It's always a comfortable experience, long journeys are no big deal in this car.
Handling is decent enough but nothing to write home about - it's no Mondeo in that regard. Body roll is well controlled but it's not a terribly stiff chassis. It's a big car and it feels like it if you try and plough it into a corner. It can still give a bit of fun on the right roads, but anything too twisty and you're likely to end up feeling seasick.
Interior and practicality
Anyone who's known Peugeots of old will know this is one of the worst areas. But it was with that in mind that made me say "wow" and sit open jawed for an appreciable period after I first sat in one.
It's reasonably well laid out but it's a great place to spend time. Everything has a much more premium look and feel than you'd expect - all the switches feel solid and show no signs of wear after 30k miles behind the wheel and no rattles or squeaks. The panoramic roof (which doesn't open, sadly) floods the cabin with light. It's not a BMW but it's infinitely more interesting than the Passat and of much higher quality than the Mondeo or Insignia. It's the interior that's made people say "what? no...seriously?" when I've told them it's a Peugeot.
They've managed to make it feel a bit more special than it's price would suggest - the starting process is a good example of that. Tap the starter button and the temperature and fuel guages appear from behind a dark opaque perspex panel, the dials do that bouncing "test" thing then the engine starts as the Peugeot logo fades out on the full colour screen between the dials.
In terms of practicality, no complaints there - but the car is huge. It's easily 5 series/A6 sized. The boot is cavernous and the seats fold flat by just pulling a lever at the back of the boot - useful if you're loading boxes to not have to pull them down. This gives an enourmous amount of space - I've had a 3 seater sofa in the back of here before. I rarely use the back seats but you'll get 3 adults back there with the front seats all the way back, so no complaints there. It's a bit dark though, the colour theme is very much "black on black, with black accents".
My main criticism is around cabin storage - there's only 2 cupholders and they're right in front of the nav screen. The door pockets are huge but extend backwards so you often lose stuff in them. The glovebox is tiny and impossible to reach while driving...Again, minor concerns.
Reliability/Problems
Well it's not let me down at all. It had a recall to do with the bracket holding the master brake cylinder and they noticed a minor oil leak from the gearbox on it's last service. The switch for the heated seats stopped working just after I got it which was replaced under warranty, despite them finding Coke in it (the drink, not the drug). It eats through tyres faster than I'd like but other than that it's been fantastic.
The new Mondeo changes the landscape in this sector for people looking at new cars, but on the used market you're still looking at the Mk4. Compared to it's peers, the 508 defies expectations and is really worth considering over an Insignia or Mondeo. If you like value for money, then you really have to look at the 508. It was launched in 2010 so still fresher than a lot of the competition and there's a facelift model just started shipping now.
Hopefully this is useful or interesting to some, if nothing else it's given me something to do to kill time on a Sunday afternoon
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