Almost a year after its global debut, the all-new Peugeot 508 has finally reached the ASEAN region. As SUVs and crossovers are all the rage these days, Peugeot thinks that there’s still life in the traditional sedan segment, and its way of convincing customers to continue buying sedans is by offering desirable style and dynamics that no SUV or crossover can match.
For starters, the 508 packs a very bold design. Whereas the majority of successive new models get incrementally bigger than the cars they replace, the new 508’s dimensions is noticeably smaller. It’s shorter and lower than the model it replaces. The width stays largely the same from the outgoing model, but its lower height makes the new model appear wider. Many of the 508’s provocative design cues are inspired from the Peugeot Exalt concept and Peugeot Instinct concept car. The resulting design makes the 508 extremely distinctive when compared to other sedans on the road regardless of price. The vertical LED daytime running lights give the 508 a very dynamic fascia, while the LED rear lights are fashioned out of claws, a typical Peugeot design trait. Continuing on its sports car theme are its frameless doors and dramatically sloping roofline. Lastly, you may think the Peugeot has a trunk, but actually, the trunk and rear windshield are a single piece, which means the 508 utilizes a tailgate. This classifies the Peugeot 508 as a five-door vehicle.
The interior is just as distinctive as the exterior. Continuing on with the i-Cockpit design seen with other Peugeot models, the interior features numerous surfaces and design details that emphasizes the 508’s sporty character. A wide range of plush materials such as Nappa Leather, full grain leather, Alcantara, genuine wood, and satin silver trims are available as standard or upon request on various surfaces of the vehicle. Front and center is a 10-inch infotainment system, while the main highlight of the i-Cockpit is the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, replacing all analog gauges inside the vehicle and is offered as standard regardless of variant. The 508’s i-Cockpit debuts a new feature called Amplify. Basically, the feature offers two customizable ambiences – Boost and Relax. It adjusts three parameters, which includes sight (ambient light brightness and color), hearing (various adjustments with the equalizer), and touch (seat massage settings). i-Cockpit Amplify can also change the driving characteristics of the vehicle, with settings ranging from the usual eco, sport, and comfort modes. If fitted with the adaptive dampers, the suspension can be softened or stiffened accordingly.
Globally, the Peugeot 508 will has a choice of five engines, all driving the front-wheels. There are two petrol engines that produce 177 hp and 222 hp for the GT, and three diesels producing 128 hp, 158 hp, and 176 hp. All but the base diesel come standard with an 8-speed automatic, with the base diesel having the option for a 6-speed manual.
Riding the EMP2 platform that’s also shared with the Peugeot 5008 and 3008 crossovers, the Peugeot 508 benefits from a 70 kg weight reduction. As expected, the Peugeot 508 comes with the latest high tech driver aids that include Adaptive Cruise Control, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning, etc. What’s unique to the Peugeot 508, however, is an infrared night vision camera that can detect pedestrians during low visibility situations at night.
Given the popularity of SUVs nowadays, do you wish Peugeot will offer the new 508 in the Philippine market?
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