► Peugeot 508 SW facelift review
► Still cute, but PHEV lacks the stats
► Hard to recommend over a Skoda Superb
The recently refreshed Peugeot 508 SW hasn’t changed all that much, and perhaps it didn’t need to, as we already ranked it among our best estate cars. But the world it returns to has changed a lot. No more Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Insignia, Volvo S/V60 or VW Arteon. So far, so predictable – the traditional saloon and estate, and not quite so traditional coupe-fastback, have for years been failing to hold their own against the rise of the crossover-SUV.
But what’s less obvious is what’s been happening under the bonnet. The switch from combustion to full electric had seemed to be inevitable, and the sooner the better. But in fact the plug-in hybrid is enjoying a new lease of life, with sales seemingly coming at the expense of the EVs that many manufacturers have been putting into production as rapidly as they can.
And these latest PHEVs are delivering on the promise largely fluffed by earlier attempts. The best plug-in hybrids really do offer 50-odd miles of electric-only running, and reasonably swift charging. For some people – if they have easy access to a charger – that means the majority of their journeys don’t involve the engine at all.
So a refreshed range that involves an improved PHEV should be all the incentive that’s needed to get a new bunch of buyers into Peugeot showrooms and putting deposits on the 508… shouldn’t it?
At a glance
Pros: Looks and feels good; decent value
Cons: Hybrid ability outclassed by the latest wave of Mercs and VWs
What’s new?
This is still at heart the 2018 508, which replaced the frumpier-looking original 508 from 2010, which succeeded the 407, and so on thorugh a decades-long lineage.
The current line-up is pleasingly straightforward. There’s no 508 saloon; instead there’s the Fastback, which is a coupe-ish hatchback, and there’s the SW estate. Both body styles are available with the same powertrains and trim levels.
The most obvious change is to the grille, which has the boldest and most accomplished manifestation so far of Peugeot’s family look, with the new logo front and centre on a busy grille, flanked by triple-claw daytime running lights, joined by squinty headlights. The headlights are now matrix LEDs across the range.
Inside, the infotainment has been revised, and there’s more electronic safety tech.
The 508 remains a classically elegant shape, in both its forms. Clean at the sides, strong at the front, sleek at the rear, it’s also low in a way that so few new cars are. Just shift your gaze a fraction within the Peugeot range and compare it with the 408. That boldly styled coupe-ish crossover is very of-the-moment but also very fussy and inelegant. A hyperactive mess, it could easily be wearing any manufacturer’s badge. It looks like it should be electric, but it isn’t.
If the likes of the 408, along with the MPV-turned-SUV 3008 and 5008, are meant to banish traditional estate cars to the bin, the move may have backfired, because the 508’s traditional proportions and taut, simple surfaces are flattered by the comparison.
What are the specs?
The range-topping Sport Engineered performance PHEV is reviewed separately. That leaves Allure and GT trim, and a choice of a 1.2-litre petrol triple, dubbed PureTech 130, or the 1.6-litre Plug-In Hybrid 225.
The 130 manages a 10.0sec 0-62mph time and a top speed of 129mph (132mph for the Fastback) from its 129bhp and 170lb ft. Its official combined fuel consumption figure is a reasonable 42.7-50.0mpg, with CO2 emissions in the range 128-150g/km.
The 225 engine tops that with peak outputs of 221bhp and 266lb ft with its engine and e-motor working together. The 0-62mph time is 8.0sec for the SW, 7.9 for the Fastback, and the top speed 149mph (or 84mph using the e-motor alone, albeit briefly).
How does it drive?
It’s stylish, comfortable, a bit quirky, and embracingly soft. The contrast is with the typical German car, which is firm, harsh, brutal, spartan. You pay your money and you pick your stereotype.
We recently spent several days in the SW in Allure spec with the 225 plug-in hybrid. It’s nice. It has quick, precise steering from the small steering wheel. It has a slight squidgyness to the pedals, and a largely smooth powertrain.
Switching into Sport mode brings an extra firmness to the ride and a greater degree of urgency to the powertrain, but once the novelty had worn off we found ourselves happier in its more comfort-orientated default setting.
As ever with plug-in hybrids, the official economy and range figures are of limited relevance, as so much depends on how close your journey habits are to the WLTP testers’ assumptions about how often you charge and how far your typical journey is. The official figure for range is 34.2-42.3 miles (slightly further than before, thanks to a slightly bigger battery), although we saw closer to 25 miles. And when driven with the battery empty, using only the engine, we averaged around 46mpg.
The 508’s low stance is no illusion – compared to a crossover-SUV, it really is low, and even by estate standards the driver sits unusually close to the ground, which instantly makes the 508 feel more driver-focused. And unlike some attention-seeking SUVs, with their unnecessary bulk and heft, everything on the 508 is there for a reason.
It’s not just estate and saloon traditionalists who will find much to admire about the 508; it has that possibly imaginary Frenchness about it. Aside from prioritising comfort and plushness in a way that’s alien to German manufacturers, this Frenchness is hard to pin down, but you know it when you experience it – and the 508 SW has it in good measure.
So there are many positives. But even in this facelifted form, there are also certain shortcomings that might give you cause to question whether the old ways really are still best.
What about the interior?
Passengers in the back are the losers here. There’s very little legroom for an adult sitting behind an adult, which seems like a mistake in what is not a small car. That’s not helped by the gloominess that can come from a combination of tinted windows and dark upholstery, although it’s alleviated if you have the optional sunroof.
Up front, it’s really rather lovely in how it feels and looks – a classy, comfortable car. The boot space is okay, although the low roof and protuberant wheel housings will make some bulky objects tricky to accommodate. The rear seat folds down with a 60:40 split, and there’s a small ski hatch that allows long objects to poke though the armrest/middle seat from the boot.
If you’re okay with the restricted rear room, the overall ambience is very agreeable: comfortable, quiet, with good-quality materials.
The i-Cockpit instruments and small steering wheel take some getting used to (and some people never do). The infotainment has had a modest upgrade to its software, allowing more customisation. But it’s only fair to note that in our time with the car it was frequently at odds with Android Auto, leaving the driver distracted, ill informed and listening to the wrong radio station.
Before you buy
The Allure is the least expensive 508, but there’s no way it feels or looks like an ‘entry level’ choice. The styling isn’t something that only looks good in photos or under the carefully controlled lighting of a showroom – it has great presence, and sits on the road like it means business.
It has 17-inch alloy wheels, tinted side and rear glass, lots of safety tech, front and rear parking sensors, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and more.
Paying an extra £2650 for GT spec adds adaptive cruise, lane-positioning assistance on top of the regular lane-keep helper, plus 18-inch alloys, black mirror shells, even fancier interior trim and ambient lighting, and front seats that are heated, massaging and multi-adjustable.
Options include a big glass sunroof for £1100.
Verdict
The recent changes have tweaked the consumption, emissions and e-range figures for the PHEV in the right direction, but they don’t look great next to the latest generation of PHEVs from BMW, Mercedes, VW and others, which promise much longer distances with the engine off.
The 508 line-up starts at £34,185 on the road at the time of writing, which isn’t bad considering that some pretty ordinary EVs cost considerably more.
The big problem – putting aside the attraction SUVs exert over a baffling number of buyers – comes in the shape of the Skoda Superb, which starts at just a few hundred pounds more. When the plug-in hybrid version of the Skoda arrives, it will offer an official e-range of 60-plus miles. It has much more rear legroom, and in estate form its luggage capacity is significantly bigger than the Peugeot’s. That’s a series of hard, well-targeted punches.
The Peugeot used to be able to shrug off this assault to some extent by relying on its looks and its general good vibes. But actually, that latest Superb is a rather handsome vehicle.
Gallic flair will only get you so far.