Peugeot 508: Company Car Owners Dream

The new Peugeot 508 is a direct replacement of the 407 and will be competing in the ‘D segment’ against cars such as the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia. One quick glance at the new 508 and you’d be hard pressed to realise it was a Peugeot; such is its departure from the styles of old. It looks utterly fantastic, with the redesign giving an instant feel of expensive luxury. I’d even go so far as to say it’s more than a match for some of its more expensive German rivals in terms of looks, as it’s simply so original and contemporary.

As is popular with car styling at the moment, it comes equipped with a huge front grill and angled lights intended to give it a mean edge. However it’s the overall sleekness of the front that makes it look so endearing - they’ve definitely captured the sporty edge with great finesse and you’d be forgiven for thinking it was Italian. Moving into the interior of the car there is again this distinct feel of class and radical departure, as everything has undergone a very premium makeover. A combination of leather and fabric lines the interior, with perforated trims running along the dashboard. Leather seat cushions expand to give you essentially a recliner, and there is plentiful storage space for cups and bottles located all over the car front and rear. A fantastic trip computer panel is placed right in the centre of the dials behind the steering wheel, giving you access to all the diagnostics of the car. It’s good to see that Peugeot have positioned it so conveniently - rather than other manufacturers who choose to integrate it all into the head unit, meaning you have to look away from the road to check vital information. Complimenting the panel is a true heads-up display that uses a piece of semi-transparent glass above the steering wheel to show key information; much better than others which are simply images beamed onto the windscreen. Four zone air conditioning and hands free start-up come as standard, with an optional 10 speaker sound system offered up from the likes of JBL should you be willing.

The 508 will be shipping in five different levels of trim, starting at as little as £18,150 for the Access model and only £28,750 for the top of the range GT model. Engine sizes will range from a 112bhp 1.6l to a 204bhp 2.0l, with a choice of diesel and petrol versions. Impressively the 1.6 e-HDi diesel engine manages to achieve a very low emission figure of only 109g/km, which means it falls into the cheapest Vehicle Excise Duty Bands A and B. For a car of its size that is a very notable achievement as the list for cars with 110g/km or less is mostly occupied by hatchbacks. It also means that company car owners should be in for a treat, as the overall tax and running costs should be far lower. Interestingly, the 1.6 HDi diesel engine will also include stop and start system when chosen along with their six speed automated manual gearbox, which cuts down engine idling and should further help to increase its already admirable fuel efficiency. Not surprisingly, Peugeot expect this particular model to be their best seller, as “demand for more fuel efficient models continues to increase”.

The new Peugeot 508 will go on sale April this year and its already looking like fantastic value for money. With lots of customisation options available and a fantastic fuel efficiency rating, this is definitely going to be one for the company car owners, who want an inexpensive but highly desirable ride, and could be taken on lease.

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