2015 PEUGEOT 508 Review

At first I wasn’t too fond about the 508’s shapes, which look a bit outdated compared to other cars in its class. Now however, the much awaited facelift seems to have dealt successfully with most of the visual aspects.

Changes include a pair of slimmer, more chiseled headlights, embracing a redesigned, more robust grille, a reshaped bumper with integrated daytime running lights, retouched LED tail lamps as well as a new rear bumper and boot lid.

The lion badge has also been moved to the center of the grille to create a sleeker hood and help with the aerodynamics a bit. New rim designs help complete the visual enhancement and yes, it does look in trend now to keep the candle to its competitors.

The designers managed to achieve quite a lot with these changes. The 508 now looks more planted and serious, exactly how a large sedan should be. Get it in white or our dark blue shade and it will turn heads around. I guarantee it.

With the exterior part solved, let’s move to the place you’ll spend most of the time interacting with the new 508 - the interior.

The dashboard still imitates the one on the VW Passat B7, with the top part being separated from the lower half via a strip of contrasting plastic imitating carbon fiber in this case. However, if you look in the middle, you’ll see the 508 now comes with a new 7-inch infotainment screen. It’s the same you get on the new Citroen Cactus and yes, it’s touch-enabled.

This means the lower console is less cluttered, with the dial and extra infotainment buttons being gone now, leaving some space for the much awaited phone cubby hole. Still there’s a problem with it, because you can’t fit anything bigger than an iPhone 5 in there (the manual transmission version comes with a bigger tray though).

It’s painful to see automakers miss the point so badly when it comes to designing a special holding space for these devices nobody ever leaves home without anymore. How hard can it be? Just leave me a tray somewhere easy to reach to put my phone in and not worry it will slide under my pedals or seat during cornering.

And if you plan to design such a nest, please make sure it fits most phone sizes. We live in an era where most people go around with TVs inside their pocket. Small phones are going extinct and you should act accordingly.

Other than that, I was glad my smartphone managed to create a Bluetooth link with the infotainment without any problem and it even let me stream both stored and Internet music, unlike other systems out there having no idea what online music is. The sound system is quite good and its menus will let you tinker with all sorts of options.

Speaking of the infotainment, this is structured in few, easy to access tabs regarding key features like navigation, radio, car parameters and some Peugeot apps. Easy to use menus with intuitive pictograms make things easy and won’t distract you much. However, do take some time to see what’s what before driving the car for the first time.

On the same note, if you’re searching for the buttons that deactivate the ASR (Antriebsschlupfregelung which in German basically means traction control system) and start/stop systems, don’t look on the dashboard or central console. No, they’re not in one of the infotainment’s menus either. You have to open that little lid under the parking brake switch on the left to find them.

A bit strange for those accustomed with German cars, where that lid usually shelters a cubby hole for receipts, cards and other small things. Peugeot decided the storage bin inside the central armrest will be enough so it used the tray to hide some buttons there to de-clutter the dash. Interesting, but without reading the user’s manual, that’s the last place to think of.

In a similarly extravagant manner, the Engine Start button is also located in a Porsche-like pattern on the same part of the dash, so don’t be tempted to look for it anywhere else on the right hand side.

The overall interior quality is quite good, with touch-friendly plastics and even glossy ones adorning the dash, console and door cards. There are few gaps in between different parts and a sturdy-built feeling about the whole environment reaches your senses. It actually fells as solid as the Passat B7 it tries to copy.

Seats are great for long driving distances and rear legroom is more than enough for an average-sized person. Same goes for headroom and lateral space, but there is a small problem regarding storage spaces. The glovebox is partially occupied by the car’s manual, the central armrest will take about a big wallet and a mini pack of tissues. Same goes for all the door cubby holes which can take a small water bottle and a candy bar.

If there’s anything to be upset about are the cup holders and the interior chromatic. The former comes in the shape of two adjustable holed trays that extend from the dashboard right under the infotainment screen. Put a cup in there and you might not be able to see the sat nav or interact with the system.

The only colors you’ll see are on the infotainment screen and the instrument panel. That’s it! I understand Peugeot wants the driver to focus on the road and not get distracted by flashy things inside, but graying everything out makes you feel a bit sad and colorblind. Or you can see the full half of the glass and imagine you’re starring in a new Sin City flick.

Depending on the market, you can choose an optional beige upholstery, but that’s also an overkill as everything except the steering wheel and the upper dashboard will be the same color again and make your eyes weary. Or maybe it’s just me...

Regarding the equipment, depending on market, the standard €26,850 Peugeot 508 facelift should come with manual air conditioning, multifunctional display in between the main gauges, LED daytime running lights, ESP, Hill assists, tire pressure monitoring, electric windows, USB and AUX connectivity, height adjustable driver seat, illuminated vanity mirrors and audio controls on the steering wheel.

However, we went with the much better Allure trim, which for about €32,500 comes with the nice infotainment system with satellite navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, 17-inch alloy wheels, electric exterior mirrors and electrochromic interior equivalent, LED interior lighting, cruise control, dual zone climate control, electric operated handbrake, LED fog lights, leather trimmed front heated seats, Nappa leather wrapped steering wheel with paddle shifters as well as keyless entry and start/stop button.

We also had some extras, like a rear view camera (which, by the way is useless in the dark and sits quite low to the ground), full LED headlights with auto beam switch and extra adjustable front seats, ramping up the price by an extra €2,000, up to around €34,500.

Anyway, you will most probably forget about the bland interior if you choose to go with the new 2-liter BlueHDI four-cylinder diesel engine cranking 180 hp and no less than 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque. We strongly recommend it if you like a bit of a thrill behind the wheel from time to time or want to feel confident while overtaking.

The range also includes an updated 1.6-liter THP gasoline engine pushing 165 hp to replace the old 156 hp unit, a 2-liter BlueHDI doing 150 hp as well as a hybrid system which combines a 163 hp HDi diesel unit with a 37 hp electric motor fitted at the rear wheels. Some engines from the outgoing model could also be offered depending on market.

But we don’t really care about them because the updated 2-liter paired with the new EAT6 six-speed automatic gearbox pulls like a train and you will reach 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.5 seconds. The latter is also the number you’ll see on the fuel consumption meter for driving in the city a bit sporty. However it will come as 8.5 l/100 km (27.6 mpg). The automaker says you can go as low as 5.1 l/100 km (46 mpg), but that means ideal conditions and we never met them to be honest.

For the combined cycle, Peugeot labeled this model with a 4.4 l/100km (53 mpg) rating. Strange, because going for a short trip on the highway and then some country roads in the real world will raise that figure to about 7.5 l/100 km (31 mpg). Though I should mention it was cold, raining and the AC was ON the whole time.

The suspension is carried over from the pre facelift model, but the car feels solid on the road, doesn’t roll much around corners while absorbing bumps and potholes with ease. The extra insulation material makes the ride quite comfortable for both city driving and the long run.

However, you should be careful with the thing I like to name the “confident French brakes” phenomenon. I’ve noticed it on other models and Citroens too so it must be their thing...

Simply pressing the brake pedal with your foot, like you do on a normal city car or an older car, will jerk you forward pretty hard. The brakes bite really fast and it might be annoying at first but after a few kilometers in city traffic you will train your foot muscles to operate it more gently.

But this sedan here is obviously made for the open road, unless you take the segment’s only diesel-hybrid version which should be more city-friendly. The 74 liter fuel tank means fewer stops at gas stations while the 473 l boot means you can take a lot of things with you during your trip.

While this is a facelift, Volkswagen brought the all-new Passat around the block. Sharper, bolder, cooler, it has them all and seems to be more of a luxury car now compared to the last generation. Still, if you need the same amenities we had on our test car, you have to pay about €1,000 more on the VW and it also comes with a power shortage.

Maybe the biggest enemy of the Peugeot is the Mazda6, which for the same €34,000 comes with a bit more torque and the fully-loaded top trim level, which adds a few other neat things and is also the most elegant sedan around for now.

The list could go on like that with other similar models in the D-segment, but I don’t want you to get the idea that the refreshed 508 is not a great option. For the money you get a perfectly good, spacious sedan, with plenty of power for daily needs, good fuel consumption and a bucket load of equipment.

Want to spend your €34,000 on a more upscale sedan? Go ahead and throw them in for a new Audi A4, but you get a less powerful engine, manual gearbox, ugly halogen lamps and a lot less interior amenities. Think that going down in size will solve the problem? The Mercedes-Benz CLA is as unsightly in its lower trim levels as well and if you’re not careful when ticking the options, you might end up having a Renault engine under your hood.