Peugeot 508 SW vs rivals

Mixing value pricing with brilliant quality is no easy task – but it’s a combination that has made John Lewis a big success. With its ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’ pledge and high-class image, it occupies a unique place on the high street.

Peugeot is aiming to perform a similar feat with the launch of its new 508 family car, which promises better quality than ever before. The French firm hasn’t abandoned its attractive pricing policy, though, while the practical SW estate will arrive in showrooms at the same time as the saloon. We put the sleek five-door through its paces in mid-range diesel guise.

However, rivals in this sector come thick and fast, and they all share the Peugeot’s upper-crust aspirations. The Skoda Superb is our pick of the current crop. For only a few hundred pounds more, it matches the 508 for performance, and comes with plenty of kit.

The new-look VW Passat isn’t as well equipped, 
but it has a desirable badge, an efficient engine and is the cheapest car in our line-up.

If that wasn’t enough to contend with, the recently revised Ford Mondeo is put under the microscope for the first time as an estate.

Last but not least is the Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer. It won our Estate Car of the 
Year award in 2009, so clearly there are no pushovers for the new 508 in this test...