So, as you may already know the D Segment car is dying. The Vauxhall Insignia is discontinued, the Ford Mondeo is discontinued, the Volkswagen Passat Saloon has been Discontinued. The only car that is still available is this, The Peugeot 508. the question is though is the D segment really dead or can it be revived with a new range of vehicles.
Exterior – Front
So, lets start with the front. The design is a typical 3 box design but this car has a French twist. This car has the current Peugeot front end with the tooth fang LED Daytime Running Lights. We also get these very slim headlights with a slim grill. The lower central air vent is also discrete. The overall design has a sporty look as it comes together at a point at the front of the car.
Exterior – Side
Moving round the side we have a sleek profile which gives this car an almost Volkswagen Arteon or Audi A5 Sportback style. We do get some sporty creases and some frameless windows which again adds to the premiumness of this car. You also get some sporty wheel options.
Exterior – Rear
So, the sporty design continues round the back. We have these thing taillights with the claw marks in them. These taillights are connected with a black bar. Lower down we have some big dual exhausts which again gives this car a sporty look and to finish this car off there is almost a duck tail boot lip spoiler which again gives it a sporty edge.
Car and engine specs and price
So, with the Peugeot 508 there are loads of engine choices to choose from. You can have either Petrol, Diesel or Plug in hybrid. Lets start with the petrol. So you can get the usual Peugeot 1.2 litre turbo 128 bhp engine mated to an 8 Speed auto only. Next up is a 1.5 litre diesel unit which again has 128 bhp and is again mated to an 8 speed auto only. Next up is the plug in hybrid engines which I would highly recommend. This get a 1.6 litre turbo engine and an electric motor to create 223 bhp and this has an electric only range of 35 miles. I would highly recommend this engine as the petrol and diesel engines don’t really have enough power for this type of car. Finally the last plug in hybrid engine is the 1.6 litre turbo mated to 2 electric motors creating 4 wheel drive. This has 358 bhp and this can do 26 miles of range. This engine though is only available on the Peugeot 508 Peugeot Sport Engineered or PSE for short. The price of the Peugeot 508 starts at £29,635.
Interior – Design
So, stepping inside we have an almost sports car feel. The centre console is positioned up high and with the Peugeot I Cockpit design the steering wheel is placed low down giving this car an almost sports car feel. We get some nice piano keys just below the infotainment system. This infotainment system is the well known one from the PSA range and it is not the best I will agree but it does what it needs to do. We do get a digital instrument cluster which again is easy to read. Some final touches are chrome bits around the cabin and a premium Focal sound system which gives this car a premium feel.
Practicality
So, getting in the back as you would expect with this type of car, legroom is fine but headroom is affected because of the sloping roof. You do get some airvents, an armrest as well as rear heated seats and some nice materials on the doors. Lets checkout the boot.
Boot Size
So because this is a hatchback, there is a big opening area and it reveals a 487 litre boot space with the seats up and 1,537 litre boot space with the seats down. The Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport has 490 so this car is on par within its rivals. You also get a ski hatch which is very handy.
Summary
So, the Peugeot 508 is not just a car, it is a car that has style and keeps the D Segment alive the styling and overall proportions keeps this car very relevant in today's world. Because SUV’s are taking over the D Segment it is rare to find a car like this which makes this car even better. The D Segment is not finished though, to join the facelifted Peugeot 508 there may be a new Vauxhall Insignia that could take the style of the Peugeot 508 and it will look very similar to the Astra and will have the Astra Interior. It will also go more premium.
Exterior 5/5
Interior 5/5
Practicality 4/5
Total 14/15
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