Is Peugeot's 508 Australia's Best Kept Secret?

2021 Peugeot 508 Fastback Review

The MY 20 Peugeot 508 is a stunning exercise in classy, cutting edge, design. Rarely does such a concept translate from pen to the showroom. Usually, men in cheap suits and pocket protectors, would slice and dice, until the end product is nothing more than a tacky pastiche.

Second generation 508 comes in a single trim level, the GT, with a selection of fastback or Sportswagon.

We reviewed 508 at the launch HERE

The front end is a thing to behold. Bejewelled in dazzling LED lights, its arrays flank a waterfall grille topped by a stylised version of the 508 insignia. 508’s DTRLs cut deeply into the bumper, only to transform into indicators at the touch of a lever. Its face has the aggressive, angry, look of a suited butler that asks you in, using wielding a tomahawk as a tray for your champers.

Behind the grille is a modest, unassuming little engine, of a mere 1.6 litres of turbo charged gorgeousness. It spins freely, to put its 165kw/300Nm to the front wheels, via an 8 speed automatic.

The sleek side profile, featuring a low roofline, sweeps gracefully rearward to form a single arch over the rear hatch. As chic as this may appear, it makes rear passengers slightly more hugged than they might like.

The rear end is a triumph.

With power off, lights retreat into an inky blackness, and on our grey 508, looks positively evil. Once lit, they are nothing short of spectacular. I’d try to describe it, but words only be insufficient.

Finally, a cross cut design makes the optional 19” alloys fill the wheel arches in a rather shouty way. There is just a hint of weaponised kitchen utensil about them, if you squint just right.

See the full list of features HERE>Peugeot 508 Specifications 2020

Above: This Week 2021 Peugeot 508 GT Fastback (MY20) FULL Review

Help Support Gay Car Boys Subscribe to our Youtube Channel

Top GayCarBoys Stories:

ABOVE: 2021 Kia Stonic GT Line FULL Review

The cabin:

I’m trying to remember how I felt after experiencing 508’s interior for the first time. I believe I described it as a sacred shrine to elegant design, or words to that effect. I drooled over the pics in the press releases, and imagined caressing the voluptuous curves. Could this be as good as it looked? Or, would it be a folly of form over function. I learned the hard way that such unbridled enthusiasm is frequently followed by bitter disappointment.

508 however, exceed expectation. The interior is a finely tailored suit that sits very easily with someone who is as equally at home in a gentlemen’s club, as he is in a biker bar.

I abhor the rampant insouciance that results from accountants bludgeoning the creativity from the very last crevice of aspiring designers. There is no sign of that here. 508 looks like no expense was spared. To make this good news all the more piquant, there are one or two areas where a corner may have been cut. I’m not at all fussed on the carbon-fibre-effect. It looks ok on the dash, but the doors don’t seem to have quiet the same quality feel. The same goes for the section of body normally concealed by the rear door’s ¼ window. Let’s forgive these minor transgressions and move on.

Rear seats are cosy, whether its occupants want to be or not. The low roof looks fabulous on paper, but taller folk are going to want to duck mighty low as they fling their Choos in.

In any case, I’d rather be up front with the adults.

The cockpit feels as tailored as the rest of the cabin. It wraps around the driver, and i-Cockpit lays out instruments and controls as if every driver on the planet was personally measured up. Peugeot says HUDs are not required, but I beg to differ. It is the only blight in an otherwise pristine concept.

Seats gently massage, and have presets for powered adjustments. They’re quilted in genuine cow, and the front bolsters slide forward for added support.

But there are quirks aplenty.

There are 2 X usb sockets under the main console. You can’t get at them unless you’re a Cirque du Soleil escapee. One connects to USB streaming and the other to CarPlay, and you have to find out which is which. What’s annoying is that whenever you connect to USB, the system switches from what ever entertainment you had previously been using. Once is funny, but it gets old fast, and you have to enter the system to switch back. Both front USBs charge, plus there is a Qi wireless pad for good measure

Then there is the climate control. Why, oh why, oh why, when you start the car is the driver’s side control disabled? You either have to operate the passenger’s side to leave “mono” (Peugeot-Speak for sync) or use the climate menu to deactivate then reactivate “mono”. Only then is the driver side slide control working again. Only the French…..

The lights come on at night, and switch to-and-from high beam. The wipers have both an intermittent and automatic function, but unlike most other brands, the driver is committed to the durations set at the factory with no option to alter for lighter or heavier rain. I thought that nonsense went out with the 406.

The rest is sublime. The interior is bliss, and once underway, you feel like you could travel the farthest reaches of the continent, while simultaneously crocheting a rug, and reciting Hamlet.

See the full list of features HERE> Peugeot 508 Specifications 2020

The drive:

Once you pull the lever into reverse, the cameras concoct a simulated 360° surround view. What’s behind is real enough, but the rest doesn’t appear until you’ve gone back a couple of metres.

The selector has a button for semi-automated parking, but I fancy it will be rarely used. It is a feature passing slowly into redundancy.

You may think a puny 1.6L is not up to snuff, but it is, in spades. It is supremely smooth and linier, but 165kw has its limits and as high-revving as it is, it runs out of puff. That doesn’t mean you can have fun in the bends. Paddle shifters keep things tight, and if your belt runs to pulling in another couple of notches, sport mode has the big saloon dancing like a princess.

For me, comfort mode is oodles. The steering is light and ethereal, and active suspension sorts out the foibles that decades of government neglect has visited on us all.

Automated driving has come far, and the 508 does a near perfect job of watching you like a hawk. Auto steering has a habit of deserting you when you least expect it, so never ever rely on it, ever, you hear? If you do, I promise you, you will find yourself spearing backwards into the nearest shrubbery.

There is plenty of power when you need it. 508 cruises highways with the ease and comfort of a private jet. It handles far better than a big ol’ gal has any right to, but it does so with all the class and dignity of an elegant ocean liner.

508 proves the halcyon days of motoring are alive and well.

Conclusion:

The drive is serene.

I love 508 for all its wonderful complexity. Its quirks only make it more lovable, like that uncle who always slipped you an extra couple of chokkies at Christmas, but told the filthiest jokes after a sherry or ten.

There is no sunroof, for that is frippery, and besides it won’t fit in the fancy curved exterior roof profile.

One thing for sure, every single moment of your journey will be emblazoned across your memory

See the full list of features HERE> Peugeot 508 Specifications 2020

Specifications:

Price $61,475 Sedan, $64,517 (Drive away price NSW)
Engine 1.6L 4 cylinder Petrol
Drivetrain 8 Sp automatic
Power165kW @5,500rpm
Torque 300 Nm @2,500rpm
Safety 5 star
CO2 142g/km
Economy 6.3L/100k
Servicing 3 yr free service (offer)
0-100KMH 8.1 Seconds fastback, 8.2 Sportswagon
Warranty 5yr / Unlimited km, 5yr Roadside Assist

Tags:

2021 peugeot 508, gay 2021 peugeot 508 fastback, peugeot 508 wagon, peugeot 508 sportswagon, 1.6L turbo peugeot 508, my 20 peugeot 508 review, 165kw peugeot, gay favourite peugeot, grand tourer peugeot 508, peugeot 508 gt review

#2021peugeot508, #gay2021peugeot508fastback, peugeot508fastback, #peugeot508wagon, #peugeot508sportswagon, #1.6Lturbopeugeot508, #my20peugeot508 review, #165kwpeugeot, #gayfavouritepeugeot, #grandtourerpeugeot508, #peugeot508gtreview