Peugeot 508

• Rating:
• Latest deal price: from £16,160 to £25,622
• On the road price: £19,050 - £24,700
• For : Good drive, cushioned ride, quality cabin, smart styling
• Against : Pricey flagships, sull drive, jerky e-HDi auto

Styling

The Peugeot 508 really stands out. It has a sweeping shape with a distinctive nose that incorporates its new grille and headlight combination. Peugeot appears to have tried to make the 508 look like a four-door coupe like the Mercedes CLS, rather than a conventional saloon - and it works. What's more, entry-level Access models are the only cars not to get alloy wheels as standard.

Interior

This is where the 508 has really moved on. The cabin is made of high quality materials - much better than a Ford Mondeo, for instance, and approaching those of the Volkswagen Passat and Vauxhall Insignia – and is very plush with lots of room for front occupants. Equipment levels are good too. Entry-level models get air-con and electric windows, SR versions add sat-nav, cruise control and 16-inch alloys, while Allure-trimmed cars have electric leather seats and rear parking sensors. Top spec GT models boast a head-up display, adaptive Xenon headlights and sports suspension for sharper handling.

Driving and Performance

If you want a sporty family car, go for a Ford Mondeo - but the Peugeot 508 still offers a good drive. It has precise steering, a comfortable ride and is very good at insulating occupants from road and wind noise. As such it's excellent over long motorway distances. The fastest engine in the line-up is the 201bhp 2.2-litre diesel GT, which does 0-62mph in 8.2 seconds. Petrol options include 1.6-litre units with up to 156bhp, but your best bet is the 110bhp 1.6 diesel which is surprisingly punchy. It gets a slick six-speed manual gearbox in Active trim. The same engine in frugal eHDI is hampered by a jerky automatic transmission.

MPG and running costs

Most Peugeot 508 models will be bought by business drivers who will make a beeline for the 1.6 e-HDi diesel, which gets standard stop/start and emits just 109g/km CO2 while returning 64.2mpg. The downside is the awful automatic gearbox. The manual box in the standard 1.6 HDI is much better but isn't as efficient – it still returns 124g/km and 60.1mpg. By comparison the petrol units return around 40mpg. A diesel hybrid is due later this year which promises 99g/km - in other words no road tax. Running costs for all models should be reasonable for the class, although residual values on top-spec models are likely to be poor.

Practicality

Much bigger than its predecessor, the Peugeot 508 stands at 4.8m long – about the same as a Ford Mondeo. That means lots of cabin space, with acres of room in the front, while rear seat passengers have lots of head and leg space. There is a shortage of cubby holes for mobile phones etc. while the 473-litre boot is not as big as that of the Ford Mondeo. You can fold the seats flat to increase load space, though.

Safety and reliability

Peugeot has made huge leaps in both areas over the years, and the Peugeot 508 has earned a maximum five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating. All models come fitted with front, side and curtain airbags as standard, along with traction and stability control. As for reliability, the 508 is very new so we haven'y heard of any problems yet. Peugeot models have not performed well in the Auto Express Driver Power Survey in this area, but the 508 feels very well made and we hope for a strong showing.

Model Variants and Specifications

• Peugeot 508 Access VTi 120 EGC £18150
• Peugeot 508 Access e-HDi 112 FAP Stop & Start EGC £19050
• Peugeot 508 Active HDi 112 £19950
• Peugeot 508 Active THP 156 £20650
• Peugeot 508 Active HDi 140 £20750
• Peugeot 508 Active e-HDI 112 FAP Stop & Start EGC £20750
• Peugeot 508 Active HDi 163 Automatic £22350
• Peugeot 508 Allure THP 156 £22995
• Peugeot 508 Allure HDi 140 £23100
• Peugeot 508 Allure HDi 163 Automatic £24700