1.5 BlueHDi 130 Active 5dr

A beautiful disappointment

The new Peugeot 508 in undoubtedly a stunning car and it was this distinctive design that swayed my decision to buy in 2020. At the time I had been looked at a BMW 3 Series 320d but this was the era when Covid was still ravaging car sales, with my 508 in white a new, car that had been a cancelled order. However it had been sitting on a forecourt for 6 months so was on a 19 plate and was offered for only £17,995 which offered a saving in excess of £10,000 on the new price. Nothing now or certainly with the recent increases in car costs post pandemic could come close. It even had a detachable tow-bar and electrics which means the possibility of a tower mounted bike carrier was too good to resist.

For the first year it was an impressive ownership proposition. The main let downs were that the refinement from the Blue HDI 130 was poor and despite the sporty looks, performance was lacklustre even for a car with only 130bhp. Ride quality at low speeds was incredibly poor, but at motorway speeds it really does float along, more like an old school Citroen than a sporty fastback. The biggest strength of the driving experience is the handling, which in my opinion was actually superior to the 3 Series. Grip levels are incredibly high and it turns in with a high degree of assertiveness for such a big car. It does have serious road presence with the triple fang rear lights having some serious admiring glances. Most people are staggered it is a Peugeot, with most thinking it is an Audi or Jaguar. Two people on separate occasions thought it was a Porsche or a Maserati. The manual gearbox is excellent, smooth and responsive.

The driving position for me is superb, many lament the I cockpit driving position, but this is truly brilliant.

Equipment levels for what is the base model car are good. However despite having seen other Active cars with electrically adjustable seats and it being on the official spec list, my car for some bizarre reason does not have them. It does however have black alloy wheels, which help to elevate the look of the car with white paint. Quality wise it feels solid, but over time numerous rattles and squeaks have emerged, not great on a still sub 50,000 mile car. The seats are comfortable, but feel cheap and have started to sag. Software updates are a bizarre USB led process that takes hours even over the fastest internet and will often cancel, I simply no longer bother and use Apple Car Play.

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