Certain manufacturers have given up on the mid-size sedan segment, whereas others, like Hyundai, are getting ready to sound the death knell for this body style, which is slowly being buried by crossovers. Not Peugeot, though, which is keeping the tradition alive with the 508.
Deemed one of the prettiest cars in its class, the second generation will soon blow five candles off its birthday cake. Production kicked off back in 2018, not long after its official unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show (ah, the good old days!), and you’re looking at three body styles, liftback and estate, and sedan for China with the stretched 508 L.
If you haven’t been living under a rock these past few months, then you know that Peugeot is working on the mid-cycle refresh of the car. The 2024 508 will premiere this Friday, February 24, as per a short video shared recently online by the French company and embedded at the bottom of the page. At 15 seconds long, the clip puts the spotlight on some of the novelties of the Skoda Superb fighter, including the revised styling.
Full details are still being kept under wraps, but the facelifted Peugeot 508 will get a new grille, decorated by the automaker’s new logo. We can also see the wheels, with the uprated brakes behind them, beefy side skirts with canards at the rear, and not much else for the time being. Previous spy shots have revealed that it will also get an entirely new face, with cleaner overall looks, fresh head- and taillights, different bumpers, and the obvious updated emblems, likely joined by some novelties in the cabin.
Nothing is known about the engine family at this point, and it will probably remain like that until the grand presentation. Nonetheless, it should soldier on with the same small gasoline units, including the 1.2-liter three-pot in the entry-level model, and at least one diesel for the European market in all likelihood. Look for plug-in hybrid assemblies as well, including the one powering the 508 Peugeot Sport Engineered (PSE).
Mixing a turbocharged 1.6-liter unit with two electric motors, one at the front and the other at the rear, the current iteration enjoys 355 horsepower combined, or 360 metric hp/265 kW. Ask the lion brand how quick it is, and they will tell you that it needs a little over five seconds to hit 62 mph (100 kph) from a standstill. Top speed is electronically capped at 155 mph (250 kph). Transferring the thrust to the all-wheel drive system is an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The 508 PSE has a WLTP-rated electric range of 26 miles (42 km). Top speed stands at 80 mph (130 kph) in the all-quiet driving mode.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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