What is it?
Proof, if anything, that the bods within Peugeot’s design department really know their way around a sketch pad. The Peugeot 508 saloon is already a sharply dressed example of gallic cool, but to this tester’s eyes the new 508 SW (that’s station wagon, or estate to you and I) is an even prettier sight to behold. Bravo, Peugeot.
Anyway, that a more practical estate version of the French firm’s new offering within the D-segment would eventually be rolled out was something of an inevitability. After all, within the wider European market, estates account for 60% of all sales within this sector. The Germans, it seems, have a particularly voracious appetite for wagons.
And so, at this year’s Paris Motor Show, the world received its first glimpse of the new 508 SW. Measuring 4790mm in length, the estate is 40mm longer than its saloon counterpart (this extension largely being concentrated at the rear), while the roofline is some 17mm taller. It’s also porkier to the tune of 40kg.
This minor swelling of the 508’s proportions has obviously been induced to increase the amount of useable boot space, because an estate with a smaller boot than its saloon sibling would be a bit of a pointless exercise, wouldn’t it? The load bay floor is now 25mm longer than the saloon’s, and seats-up capacity has been increased from 487 litres to 530 litres, which to Peugeot’s credit is more than you get from a BMW 3 Series Touring (495 litres) or a Mercedes C-Class Estate (490 litres). Collapse the second row, and you’ll liberate up to 1780 litres.There is going to be a price to pay for this extra flexibility, mind, and while exact figures are yet to be confirmed for the UK, Peugeot has said a £1600 premium over the comparable saloon is probably in the right ballpark. So for this 178bhp, GT-Line petrol model - which is expected to be the most popular variant back in Britain - you’re going to be looking at a before options price of £32,830 or thereabouts.
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Moronic list price
PSA Group need to get real on pricing and market position. The 508 is very nice but at best this is a Mondeo, Insignia, Passat rival. It's not aspirational junior exec 3-series, A4 and C-Class level. Perhaps Peugeot hopes it will occupy the similarly expensive market position as the alternative Volvo S60/V70 and Alfa Romeo Guilia. Both nice cars below the top three brands. It brings to mind Subaru UK as a classic example of stupid high pricing = low sales. It's just greedy and the public won't fall for it. Makes me wonder who comes up with the price points. Residual value will play a big part for fleet and PCP deals. I really want Peugeot to return to the glory days of the 505 GTI which was a great value car.
True
Check out more ice chests like Yeti on the market.
Estates anno 2020
This is a SUV era. D-segment shrinks. PSA chose to breathe new life is this class by offering style, substance and ..... lots of space. In case one complains "but it can't haul six friges!" buy another class leasing Peu, the Rifter. Problem with that name? Buy a Transit. Peugeot's Tavares couldn't care less.