The 508 replaces the 407 in Peugeot’s European lineup, but will also be marketed and built in China to compete with the best-selling VW Passat.
Given this global brief, it’s perhaps no surprise that this is a more diluted design than the 407 was at its launch in 2002. In addition, although the design direction was previewed earlier this year with the SR1 concept at Geneva, the 508 is the last car designed under the studio leadership of Jerôme Gallix so it may not represent the latest thinking within Peugeot design.The front end introduces Peugeot’s new corporate face, with the new grille and a slight depression in the hood center that houses the Lion of Belfort logo. From head-on, the lamps appear very much on the side of the face, giving a non-aggressive bovine look, not unlike the Volvo S60. Indeed, to some people it could be said to be a French Volvo in its design execution, with a high shoulder line and a broad hood leading into the bluff grille at the front.
At the rear, we noted a new flush surface treatment around the trunklid and a nice composition where the trunklid and bumper shutlines curl back and lead directly to the rear wheel, with the rear door shutline running parallel – all very classical stuff.
First impressions of the interior are that it’s perfectly competitive for this segment. There’s a broad, horizontal feel to the slush-moulded IP, although the way the top pad meets main dash volume reminds us a bit of the Passat. There are nice highlights too, such as the boomerang-type door grab handles and a hi-tech HUD information display available and it’s certainly better quality than its new French rival, the lamentable Korean-built Latitude model that Renault also launched here at Paris.
In many ways the 508 represents a return to the traditional values of big Peugeot models of the past such as the 505, which were sober and restrained cars. In a market dominated by assertive designs, that may be no bad thing.
