Peugeot’s new medium-large saloon comes to Singapore in June. But here’s a funny thing – the Singaporean buyer is as far removed from the average 508 owner as you can get.
Peugeot expects 90 percent of worldwide 508 sales to be for the diesel version, and at least 50 percent of this figure to be for the estate – meaning the typical 508 will be a diesel station wagon. But Singaporeans will only get (initially, at least) the 1.6 turbo petrol, with the saloon forming the bulk of local sales.
So, from the looks of it, Singapore is hardly Peugeot’s target market. Notwithstanding this, the new 508 still impresses on several fronts.
It has a big interior, for starters. The 508 saloon is 10cm longer than its 407 predecessor (at 4.79m, it’s now just 10cm shy of the E-Class/5 Series big boys), and this translates into a noticeably larger cabin. Interior space is, in fact, now on par with the larger 607 (which the 508 also replaces).
Refinement and standard equipment in the Peugeot 508 are nearly Germanic, while interior space is generous.
Rear legroom has grown by 5cm and is now ample, and headroom all round is also particularly impressive. Even the boot is larger by almost 20 percent over the 407’s.
The cabin is also better made, with sturdy, tasteful materials and a tactility to the controls and switchgear not far off German standards. The fascia is attractively styled, ergonomic and effective.
There’s lots of oddment space, although one thing missing is somewhere to stow your mobile phone.
It’s a pity the vehicle looks so nondescript. It is modern-day generic, with no distinguishing features save for the large lion symbol on the nose and perhaps the swept-back headlamps.
Smooth 6-speed automatic is just one of several modern conveniences located between the comfy front seats.
Park it next to its 407 predecessor, however, and you’ll see where Peugeot has made big changes: to the proportions. The wheelbase is now 9.2cm longer, the 407’s long nose has been superseded by a much shorter front end and the rear overhang has been increased, so the car’s entire visual balance has been altered. It now looks more squat and purposeful. Still, a little more distinctiveness would have been welcome.
Despite the increased size and higher equipment standard, its weight has actually decreased, with the saloon being about 25kg lighter than the 407 model-for-model. Peugeot engineers employed a raft of measures to achieve this, such as incorporating an aluminium bonnet and a magnesium fascia cross member, and careful weight management of every possible part. The petrol model weighs just about 1.4 tonnes, which is very lithe indeed for something this size.
Perhaps the most significant contributor to the weight loss is the downsized engine. The petrol unit we’ll be getting in Singapore is a mere 1.6 litres in cubic capacity, but it’s turbocharged to produce a healthy 156bhp – almost as much as the naturally aspirated 2.2-litre unit in the defunct 407.
This 1.6-litre, jointly developed with BMW and already servicing the entire Mini range as well as various Peugeots and Citroens, is a real peach. Throttle response is soft but not lethargic, and it oddly seems to suit the engine’s calm nature and easy, torque-rich delivery. There’s useful urge from way down in the rev range, surfing the car effortlessly along as you approach the mid-range.
You don’t need high revs, and indeed the engine doesn’t thrive on them, running out of puff before 6000rpm and hitting its limiter at 6500rpm. But so smoothly does the motor spin that the only clue you get of rising revs is a distant, slightly hard-edged purr.
Given the reduced weight and smaller engines, efficiency is much improved, too, the automatic 1.6 achieving a keen 14.08km per litre in the combined cycle.
The engine in the Singapore-bound 508 will be mated to a 6-speed auto, which over the past year made an appearance in various mid-range Peugeot-Citroen models.
Our test car was a manual (which incidentally is deliciously slick-shifting), but from my prior experience with the autobox on existing Peugeot models, its smoothness will prove a good complement to the torquey engine. It lacks paddle shifters, though, which some rivals have.
All the comforts of a premium French four-door plus genuine continental quality.
Top-end models (presently only the 2.2 diesel, but more powerful petrol engines are in the pipeline) get a different 6-speed autobox (a brand-new item developed by Japanese gearbox specialist Aisin), which comes with steering-mounted paddles.
We briefly tried one example, and while there’s no fault to be found with the actual gearchanges, the shifters themselves are cheap-feeling items which are fixed to the steering column, making it tricky to grab a gear mid-bend.
Equipment levels are high, our 1.6 test car featuring a head-up display (HUD). Peugeot’s HUD is unusual in that it projects the readouts onto a pop-up polycarbonate panel that rises from the top of the fascia, instead of “onto” the windscreen.
But it doesn’t provide the same depth of field as a conventional setup – the readout appears much closer, requiring you to refocus to read the display (which defeats the purpose of having a HUD in the first place).
Thanks in part to the pleasant engine as well as to detailed measures such as an insulated windscreen, acoustic “encapsulation” of the engine and vibration damping, cabin refinement is top-notch. The 508 is very quiet about town and at a cruise, although there is slight A-pillar wind noise at three-figure speeds if you listen for it.
Further helping its mile-munching capabilities are relaxed, long-legged gearing (made possible by the engine’s ample low-end torque) and a supple ride, almost old-school French in the way it adeptly wafts over everything from cobblestones to motorway expansion strips.
It’s a refreshing change from the sporty, firm-riding approach preferred by the German marques.
The Peugeot 508 burnishes the French carmaker’s reputation for beautifully balanced ride and handling.
Impressively, dynamics don’t seem to have been compromised. The 508 handles sweetly and fluidly, flicking between bends with great composure. The steering is direct and fairly quick, although a bit more weight would help.
There’s some body roll but it remains well contained, and the damping is excellent – relaxed enough not to inhibit that pillowy ride, yet alert enough to quell any hint of bounce or wallow.
This being a French car, you’d expect some sort of quirk, and Peugeot has duly obliged by equipping the 508 with two different types of front suspension – MacPherson struts for most of the line-up and more sophisticated double wishbones for the range-topping models.
The Peugeot 508 will succeed both the Peugeot 407 and 607 models in Singapore.
Peugeot explains that due to their extra weight (12kg heavier) and cost, the wishbones are more suitable for the range-toppers, and given how well the 1.6 rides and handles, it’s hard to argue with that.
Overall, the 508 is a real achievement – it’s spacious, supremely comfortable, swift, frugal and handles with real verve. Target market or not, the car absolutely deserves to do well in this country.
Peugeot 508 1.6 (A)
ENGINE 1598cc, 16-valves, inline-4, turbocharged
MAX POWER 156bhp at 6000rpm
MAX TORQUE 240Nm at 1400-4000rpm
GEARBOX 6-speed automatic with manual select
0-100KM/H 9.2 seconds
TOP SPEED 220km/h
CONSUMPTION 14.1km/L
PRICE INCL. COE To be advised (as of April 2011)
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