Peugeot 508

The Peugeot 508 really stands out. It has a sweeping shape with a distinctive nose that incorporates Peugeot's new grille and headlight combination. Peugeot appears to have tried to make the 508 look like a four-door coupe like the Mercedesrather than a conventional saloon - and it works. What's more, entry-level Access models are the only cars not to get alloy wheels as standard.This is where the 508 has really moved on. The cabin is made of high quality materials - much better than a Ford Mondeo, for instance, and approaching those ofthePassat and Vauxhall Insignia – and is very plush with lots of room for frontoccupants. Equipment levels are good too. Access models get air-con and electricwindows,versions add sat-nav, cruise control and 16-inch alloys, while Alluretrimmed cars have electric leather seats and rear parking sensors. Top spec GT models boast a head-up display, adaptive Xenon headlights and sports suspensionfor sharper handling.
If you want a sporty family car, go for a Ford Mondeo - but the Peugeot 508 still offers a good drive. It has precise steering, a comfortable ride and is very good at insulating occupants from road and wind noise. As such it is excellent over long motorway distances. The fastest engine in the line-up is the 201bhp 2.2-litre diesel which does 0-62mph in 8.2 seconds. But it does cost £28,750. Petrol optionsinclude 1.6-litre units with up to 156bhp, but the best bet is the 110bhp 1.6 diesel which is surprisingly punchy. It gets a slick six-speed manual gearbox in Active trim. The same engine in frugal eHDI is hampered by a jerky automatic transmission
Most Peugeot 508 models will be bought by business drivers who will make a beeline for the 1.6 e-HDi diesel, which gets standard stop/start and emits only 109g/km CO2 while returning 64.2mpg. The downside is the awful automatic gearbox it is saddled with. With a manual box it's not as efficient but still returns 124g/km and 60.1mpg. By comparison the petrol units return around 40mpg. If you can wait until later in 2011, a diesel hybrid is due which promises 99g/km - in other words no road tax. Running costs for all models should be reasonable for the class, although residual values on top-spec models are likely to be poor.
Much bigger than its predecessor, the Peugeot 508 stands at 4.8m long – about the same as a Ford Mondeo. That means lots of cabin space, with acres of room in the front, while rear seat passengers have lots of head and leg space. There is a shortage of cubby holes for mobile phones etc. while the 473-litre boot is not as big as that of the Ford Mondeo. You can fold the seats flat to increase load space, though.Peugeot has made huge leaps in both areas over the years, and the car has earned a maximumcrash test rating. All models get front, side and curtain airbags as standard, along with traction and stability control. As for reliability, the 508 is very new so we have heard of no problems yet. Peugeot models have not performed well in the Auto Express Driver Power Survey in this area, but the 508 is very well made and we hope for a strong showing.