Peugeot 508SW – Elegance on the High Street

Try as I might, it is impossible to find an angle where the new 508 Peugeot estate does not look elegant and stylish. In its saloon form, the 508 is a stunning car, magnetising your eyes outside and in, delivering a very decent drive and with the same 1.5HDI, will not have you dipping into fuel stations with any great frequency.

Having shared the company of the 508SW across city and country, I found it very easy to live with, the sheer, easy practicality of the estate, coupled to one of the best interiors you could live with, made every journey a pleasure.

Amazing that our national reticence to consider, estates, combi’s, sportwagons, sportstourers, shooting brakes, is still so apparent. When it’s quiet, rattle-free, easy to access and as good to drive and look at as this new 508SW, it deserves serious consideration for the family and business user.

If you are someone who does not want to go high-rise, the 508SW is a legitimate alternative. With a very high level of standard equipment, it’s introductory price of €41,280 puts it within reasonable reach of many.

Make: Peugeot

Model: 508SW

Format: Estate – 5-door, 5-seat

Trim Level: GT Line

Engine: 1.5 Blue HDi

Power: 130bhp

Torque: 300Nm

Transmission: 8-Speed Automatic

Drive: Front-wheel drive

CO2: 135g/km

Tax Band: Band A

Annual Road Tax: €190

Boot Space: 530 litres – 1,780 litres with rear seats folded

Length: 4778mm

Width: 1859mm 

Height: 1420mm

Range starting Price - €41,280

Some of the Competition: Skoda Superb, Ford Mondeo, Mazda 6, VW Passat, KIA Optima Sportwagon, Opel Insignia Estate.

First Impressions

Oozing style from all angles, the new 508SW has the ‘It’ factor, capturing glances, both accidental and on purpose – a reflex reaction outside your control. The stylists at Peugeot have got it so right with this D-segment car, giving it the looks and design cues that set it apart from everything else in this diminishing sector.  

Inside Story

The latest Peugeot interiors deserve a round of applause every time you enter. Their bright, innovative and comprehensive offerings are very much their own flavour, with the now commonplace ‘iCockpit’ format of small steering wheel, raised drivers console facing the driver, an easy to configure 12.3” screen, while a row of piano ‘keys’ sit below the 10” centre console.

My GT Line trimmed car was very well equipped like all models came with three Isofix child seat points, located on the front passenger seat and the outer rear seats. It also came with their eight-speed automatic transmission, which allowed the designers to provide a very classy gear selector, giving the lower console a very refined, clean look.

Add to this the use of soft-touch materials and the 508SW is not shy about its intent. The seats are supportive and comfortable, the view out very good, and the overall feel of the car was one of quality and personality. Interior room will accommodate the many, but those in excess of six feet tall will find it snug in the back, the coupe roofline demanding its price.

Road Work

Running on 18” alloys and low-profile tyres, my 508SW kept those within isolated from the majority of road and tyre noise, not bad considering its frameless door design. The small steering wheel gives a feeling of sportiness and requires a bit of getting used to, so as to avoid over-using it, which can result in the car feeling fidgety and the occupants possibly a tad woozy.

Being a substantial car, the 508SW likes open road or good secondary roads to stretch its legs. Here the 1.5 HDi is better company than might be assumed from so meagre a unit, the eight-speed automatic responding smooth and slick, the paddle shift option well worth mastering for those downhill twisties.

In the modern world of high-rise, the 508SW flies the flag of independence for the conventional owner out there. Time was, French car would be looked on a quirky and a risky buy. All that is well back in the mirrors, as the fit and finish, the engine, the ride quality and the overall style, place this 508SW as a serious consideration for anyone purchasing in this segment. C’est magnifique!

SAFETY & SECURITY

·         ABS + Electronic Brake Force Distribution + Emergency Brake Assist + ESP

·         Advanced Automatic Emergency Braking System

·         Lane Positioning Assist + road edge detection

·         Active Blind Spot Detection

·         Advanced Driver Attention Alert

·         Peugeot Smartbeam Assistance

·         Speed Limit + Road Sign Recognition + Recommendation

·         Programmable Cruise Control + Speed Limiter

·         Self-levelling headlamps

·         Adaptive driver + front passenger rear airbags

·         Front side airbags

·         Front and rear curtain airbags

·         Drive Assist Pack: ACC Stop and Go (Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go function)

·         3 x ISOFIX child seat fixtures

·         Spare wheel

·         Aluminium boot rails

COMFORT & CONVENIENCE

·         Automatic dual zone climate control

·         Electric, heated and folding door mirrors

·         Electric parking brake + Hill Assist

·         Visio Park: front and rear parking sensors with 180 degree colour reversing camera

·         Driver/front passenger seat adjustable nose cushion, seat lumbar adjustment and tilt

·         Peugeot Open & Go: keyless entry and push button start AGR seats

EXTERIOR FEATURES

·         Nera black door mirrors

·         GT Line model designation badging

·         Chequered and chrome radiator grille

·         Stainless steel door sill scuff plates

·         18” diamond cut two tone alloy wheels

·         Aluminium roof bars, gloss black

IN-CAR ENTERTAINMENT

·         Peugeot iCockpit

·         Compact sports steering wheel 

·         12.3” head up digital instrument panel

·         10” HD capacitive touchscreen

·         Bluetooth telephony

·         Mirror Screen: Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, MirrorLink

·         Smartphone Charging Plate

·         USB sockets x 2 front

·         USB sockets x 2 rear

·         Voice Recognition (radio, navigation and telephone)

·         3D Navigation

·         8-Speaker radio, MP3 compatible

LIGHTING & VISIBILITY

·         Full LED headlights with cornering light function

·         LED daytime running lights

·         LED front indicators

·         Rear full LED 3D Peugeot signature claw-effect lights with daylight function

·         Auto lights + auto wipers

·         Electrochrome rear view mirror (auto dimming + frameless)

·         Follow-me home headlights

Tony Toner is a member of the Association of Professional Motoring Press and a voting juror on Irish Car & Irish Van of the Year.