Peugeot’s flagship - the Peugeot 508

The first Peugeot 508 models are now available in Finland, and we had the opportunity to take a short test drive during the press launch.

The Peugeot 508 is clearly Peugeot’s flagship and the largest and most representative model currently available.

Although the car is 8 centimetres shorter in length than its predecessor, the wheelbase (2.79 m) has been shortened by just 2.4 centimetres to ensure a sufficiently large cabin.

During the short test drive, the car did not surprise in either direction. The car is very Peugeot-like, with the i-Cockpit instrument cluster used by Peugeot, which you either like or you don’t.

Peugeot’s i-Cockpit concept includes a smaller than usual steering wheel, a touchscreen integrated into the dashboard and a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel at eye level.

The touchscreen is either 8 or 10 inches, depending on the model.

The idea is that the instrument panel is high enough to be visible above the small steering wheel. This way, according to Peugeot, the eye is closer to the road.

On the other hand, with windscreens becoming more common, this solution seems a little artificial.

The car is quiet and very responsive, and it steers well to the driver’s wishes.

The car has four driving modes: ECO, Sport, Comfort and Normal. The different driving modes affect, among other things, the suspension.

Thanks to the EMP2 chassis, Peugeot claims that the car is 70 kg lighter than its predecessor.

A stiff centre console

The car is available in four trim levels: Active, Allure, GT Line and GT.

The high centre console is a bit surprising, but on reflection it’s a good solution. It provides good storage space, but at the same time feels like sitting in a pit.

The centre console has a screen on the dashboard and small push buttons below it. However, the switch labels are above the buttons and the text is not visible to the driver.

This is a surprising ergonomic flaw, especially if you drive the car infrequently and don’t remember the purpose of the switches from memory.

The test car was powered by a 177 hp diesel, and the car ran briskly enough. The gearbox was an 8-speed automatic.

The car was equipped with, among other things, a night vision camera, which on cloudy days reacts in unexpected places. In the garage yard, the camera showed that the truck’s wheels were still hot.

A lot has been invested in the cab’s appearance. In the middle of the dashboard is a shelf-like protrusion, but it’s not a shelf at all. It’s just design.

The air nozzles are also slightly ‘hidden’, with the nozzles split into two sections. The top part is an opening about a centimetre high and underneath it, slightly hidden, is the rest of the opening.

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There’s plenty of room in the back seat, but a 190cm passenger will probably find the space a bit cramped. There’s not much legroom either if the driver and front passenger seats are all the way back and as low as possible.

There’s enough width in the back to accommodate three adults temporarily. However, the centre seat is quite hard, both in terms of the seat and the backrest.

A wide range of luxury interior and upholstery materials such as Alcantara and nappa leather are available in the cabin. The interiors are available in satin chrome, black lacquer and real wood.

The seats are AGR (Aktion für Gesunder Rücken) certified for their ergonomics, seat adjustments, lumbar support and the massage options available.

There are 32 litres of storage compartments. There are also usb sockets throughout the cabin. The opening panoramic roof provides light and space in the cabin.

Large tailgate

The tailgate of the car opens up to the top of the rear window, making it easy to get stuff in and out.

The boot is big enough for most people, but it’s enough for a family of four on holiday, for example. Without folding down the seats, the capacity is 487 litres.

Convertibility is excellent, the rear seat backrest folds 2/3-1/3 and the centre rear seat has a ski hatch. With the rear seat folded all the way down, the boot increases to 1,537 litres.

The car is low – just shy of 1.40 metres high. The new 508 is 4.75 m long, compared with 4.83 m for its predecessor.

The Peugeot lion logo is positioned in the centre of the front grille and the 508 logo on the front of the bonnet, inevitably evoking the Peugeot models of decades ago.

A wide range of driving aids

The new Peugeot 508 is equipped with a range of latest-generation driver assistance systems.

The new Peugeot 508 features the latest generation of advancedadaptive cruise control. This system uses an infrared camera to detect living creatures in front of the car at night or in poor conditions up to 200 metres away
Adaptive cruise control with Stop & Go function (with EAT8 automatic transmission)
Lane Assist, which monitors the driver’s lane choice (in combination with the cruise control’s Stop & Go function) for the first time in the Peugeot range
Parking assist (for EAT8 automatic transmission). The system automatically controls driving, acceleration and braking when parking and
when leaving a parking space.
Latest generation emergency braking system (detects pedestrians and cyclists both day and night up to 140 km/h)
Driving speed monitoring and speed limiter
Advanced trafficsign detection system (stop, no-go, etc.)
Active blind spotwarning