Peugeot 508 SW – Chic station wagon for the socket

The Peugeot 508 SW Hybrid GT in numbers:

• Engine: 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine + electric motor (system output 225 hp, 360 Nm)
• Drive: Front-wheel drive
• Transmission: 8-speed automatic
• Performance: 0 to 100 km/h 8.2 s, top speed 240 km/h
• Mass: Weight 1,959 kg, boot 530 to 1,780 litres
• Consumption: 1.7 l/100 km + 16.1 kWh/100 km, 38 g CO2/km, Energy A
• Test car price: 64,630 Fr.
• Base price: from 59,200 Fr.
• Competitors: BMW 330e Touring, Kia Ceed Sportswagon 1.6 GDI Plug-in Hybrid, Mercedes C-300 e Estate, Skoda Superb 1.4 TSI iV Combi, VW Passat Variant GTE, Volvo V60 Recharge.
• Last updated: July 10, 2020

Who likes the Peugeot 508 Kombi Hybrid

Style- and environmentally-conscious motorists who regularly charge the battery of the chic mid-range station wagon and often cover short distances will be delighted. Because with a full battery, the Peugeot drives a real 40 km purely electrically - this relieves the conscience and helps save fuel.

Plug-in hybrids in vogue

Of course, Peugeot is not the only company that is increasingly focusing on electrification. All manufacturers do this, because this is the only way to undercut the CO2 limit of 95 g/km, which has been in force since 2021, in the best possible way and thus prevent fines in the millions. In addition to the all-electric models, more and more plug-in hybrids are also entering the market. These have a combined combustion engine/electric drive with a battery that can be charged separately at a socket (plug-in). Almost 100 different models are now available.

A lot of power from a standing start

The 508 Hybrid is Peugeot's second plug-in hybrid after the 3008 Hybrid4. While the French rely on power (300 hp) and 4×4 for the SUV, the mid-range model has to make do with 225 hp and front-wheel drive. However, the double heart of our test car lifts 360 Nm, which still ensures quite fast driving performance. Especially since the power is available from a standstill and you don't have to wait for it to finally move forward, as with a diesel, for example.

2.5 l/100 km are possible

However, you should not drive too quickly with the station wagon. This means that the 11.6 kWh battery is empty faster than you would like – in full electric mode anyway, but also when the drive switch is set to hybrid and the system determines the ideal drive mode. If you drive reasonably normally, 40 km are always possible purely electrically, and so the factory consumption of 1.7 l/100 km is not as utopian as it sounds. With a freshly charged battery and on the first 100 km, the on-board computer showed 2.5 l/100 km during our test. Like all plug-in hybrids, the Peugeot can only be charged with alternating current. At a household socket, the charging process from 0 to 100 percent takes around 10 hours, at a wallbox with 22 kW charging power about 3.5 hours.

315 kg additional weight due to battery and electric motor

If the energy storage unit is empty and no charging station can be reached, consumption increases rapidly. On a distance of around 300 km without intermediate charging with city, intercity and motorway sections, it was just under 8 litres in the test. The fact that a plug-in without regularly charged batteries is thirstier than, for example, a diesel is due to the fact that you have additional weight on board with the electric motor and battery – in the Peugeot 508 SW, the technology weighs a whopping 315 kg – and you then drive it for a walk.

Riding pleasure thanks to low centre of gravity

Although the chassis has been adapted to the higher weight, you notice the extra pounds. The plug-in, which weighs almost two tons, logically looks a bit more cumbersome than its conventional sister models. But thanks to the Peugeot-typical small steering wheel and the low center of gravity of the vehicle (the battery is positioned in the underbody), driving pleasure does not fall by the wayside.

Comprehensive standard equipment

And of course not the security either. Like all new 508s, the hybrid also has numerous driving assistants, a full LED light and an optional night vision device. The i-Cockpit with the aforementioned small steering wheel, so that you can keep an eye on the displays without taking your eyes off the road, just like with a head-up display, is also included as standard. Speaking of standard equipment: In addition to the features mentioned, the GT also has health seats, mirror screen for networking smartphones and a top music system from Focal, among other things.

What we like less

The hybrid weighs 315 kg more than the conventional Peugeot 508 SW. Thanks to the low center of gravity, the extra pounds do not have quite as pronounced an effect on the riding pleasure. But if it weren't for these three extra hundredweights, the plug-in would travel much further than 40 km purely electrically.

What we particularly like

The Peugeot 508 station wagon is generally a very attractive car that attracts attention on the road. But with the plug-in version, the admiration of passers-by is particularly great - when you zoom along almost silently in electric mode, they almost can't help but be amazed.

source : Peugeot 508 SW - Chic station wagon for the socket | AutoScout24 Magazine