Peugeot Gives 508 Mid-Life Refresh Ahead Of Onslaught Of New Models From Rival Manufacturers
2014-10-19 11:40:58
Whilst the large family saloon market (occupied by the mainstream brands like Ford (Mondeo), Citroen (C5) and Vauxhall (Insignia) is shrinking, the compact executive class, dominated by the Germans (BMW 3-Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class), is growing. When the original 508 was released four years ago, it was a direct replacement for the 407 family saloon and the larger 607 executive-sized car – and was intended to move the brand from mainstream to premium. Four years is a long time in the motor world, so Peugeot has decided to give its foot-in-both-camps 508 a refresh.
Peugeot optimistically refers to the revised 508 as a “new” model “that really stands out from the crowd”. It isn’t a new model – but the 508 has received new exterior styling tweaks, extra in-car tech and a refreshed engine line-up to ward off the competition – particularly with new versions of the Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat not too far off.
Like the pre-facelift model, the revised model is available as a 4-door saloon, SW estate and RXH off-roader estate with raised suspension and four-wheel drive.
The most obvious changes to the 508 have been made to its external features. The new model gains Peugeot’s revised grille-signature first seen on the company’s smaller 308. Compared to the sleek design of the old model, the new version gets a bolder face – which to us, is no bad thing. Looks are going to play a major part in Peugeot’s repertoire to draw potential owners away from the Mondeo and Passat. It will also try to provide the company with a classy alternative to the upmarket premium models in the same way as its key competitors will try and do.
The revised 508 starts in the UK from £22,054. For that you get a 4-door saloon fitted with a 1.6-litre e-HDi 113bhp micro-hybrid stop & start mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox in entry-level Active trim. A mid-range Allure-trimmed saloon costs £24,895 or for those who want the bells and whistles, then there is the £30,645 508 GT saloon which has a 197bhp 2.2-litre turbocharged diesel that sends its power via a 6-speed automatic gearbox.
The equivalent models in SW estate format are the £26,295 Allure and the £32,045 GT.
For the ultimate greener model, then the RXH sees its 2.0-litre 180 BlueHDi engine mated to a 37hp electric motor. It ranges in price from £30,295 to £34,645.
A pair of 2.0-litre e-HDi engines with 138bhp or 161bhp have been retained and sit alongside a pair of new 2.0-litre BlueHDi diesels. The lower powered unit produces 148bhp and costs just £20 per year to tax. The higher powered unit comes with 178bhp and will still only cost you £30 per year in tax. The higher output version will also be installed in the all-wheel drive RXH model from November.
Allure, GT and RXH models all get LED lighting at the front with fog lights that follow the direction of the steering wheel. The rear lights on SW estate and RXH models remain the same as the outgoing variants, but the saloons have been given a make-over and now make use of 36 individual LEDs.
Opening the door reveals that revisions to the 508’s interior have also been undertaken by Peugeot’s engineers. Even the base models now get a 7-inch touch-screen as standard to control items such as the satellite navigation system, air conditioning, hi-fi and smartphone connectivity. As is becoming increasingly common, the touch-screen system helps to rationalise the number of buttons on the dashboard to give an uncluttered and smarter look.
The aircraft-inspired Head Up Display (HUD) that projects driving and navigational information ahead of the driver in order to avoid them having to take their eyes off the road, has been retained on the top-spec GT and RXH models.
All models come fitted as standard with satellite navigation, dual zone air conditioning with separate controls for the driver and passenger, 18-inch alloy wheels, a rear parking aid, folding door mirrors, and LED daytime running lights.
This is an abridged article especially prepared by First4Auto on behalf of EcoCars4Sale.
Reported By
Andrew Merritt-Morling
Chief Editor
