How Good Does This Peugeot 508 SW Look?

Estate cars are a rare treat in today's SUV-obsessed world, and this new one from Peugeot is particularly pretty

06 Jun 2018

Given the surge in SUV popularity, we don’t expect to see many examples of Peugeot’s swoopy new 508 SW on UK roads once it’s launched here. And that seems like a shame - it’s a thoroughly lovely-looking thing, isn’t it?

It’s practical, too - with the rear seats up there’s a decent 530 litres of boot space available, but fold them down and you’ve 1780 litres to play with. Plenty for various pieces of Ikea flat-pack goodness and/or dogs, depending on which estate car load bay cliché you prefer.

Kicking off the range will be a 1.6-litre inline-four turbo petrol engine, which is available in two states of tune: 178bhp and 221bhp. There are two diesels - a 1.5 and a 2.0 - producing 128bhp and 178bhp respectively. All are hooked up to eight-speed automatic gearboxes.

In the cabin you’ll find a mix of delicious quilted leather and posh-looking wood, plus Peugeot’s curiously tiny steering wheel. If you want, you can litter the cabin with 10 speakers by upgraded to a Focal sound system.

There’s the usual range of driving assists including adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist, plus night vision. Fancy.

The car will make its public debut at the 2018 Paris Motor Show, before going on sale in the UK early 2019. Later in 2019, a plug-in hybrid version with a 31-mile electric-only range will join the 508 SW ranks.

Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.

Comments

No one wants a French car these days, the French should stick to cakes and baguettes

Why not? They make some very good cars..

It looks really really good. The only thing that I don’t quite like is the steering wheel and the gauge cluster.

I prefer a mazda 6 estate

I drive a 208 by Peugeot Sport. If you have the steering wheel and seat positioned correctly you have a perfect, unobstructed view of the instruments. Anybody who says otherwise has either never driven a modern Peugeot or is too stupid to set the steering wheel and seat correctly. I await the anticipated replies with my hard hat at the ready.

My parents have a new 3008 and everything is fine with the wheel. However when drove our works 208gti for a few months my sitting position meant that the steering wheel did cut off part of the dash.

It’s all down to the drivers size and sitting preference.

I tried both the 208 and the 308 on a Peugeot showroom. I just cannot get the position right. When I was at the perfect position, the wheel was exactly in the middle of the gauges ruining everything. In my defence, Im 1,92m with disproportionally long legs. so I have difficulty getting comfortable in most cars. I daily drive a 2011 Opel Astra and my right knee is almost touching the key, to give you a sense…