The Peugeot 508 2023 already has its generational replacement, a saloon with which Peugeot intends to deal with a segment that remains stable with very consolidated options. Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class, Volkswagen Passat, and Skoda Octavia are some of the strong rivals that the new French saloon will have to face.
Although successor models typically grow larger than their outgoing counterparts, riding on the PSA Group ‘s ‘EMP2’ platform, the new 2023 Peugeot 508 is slightly shorter than the previous generation. Its dimensions are 4.75 meters long, 1.85 wide, and 1.40 high.
The almost ten centimeters less than the sedan now measures are due to the change of bodywork, the Peugeot 508 is now a ‘fastback’ type sedan with five doors.
Line ‘fastback’ for the new Peugeot 508
The new Peugeot 508 is based on the design language that we have already seen from models such as the Peugeot 3008 or the Peugeot 5008. Added to these features are new details presented by the Peugeot Instinct concept vehicle.
The Peugeot 508 promises to be one of the great surprises of the 2023 edition of the Geneva Motor Show.
The new Peugeot 508 2023 inherits the front grille of its SUV brothers and adds to its sharp headlights an even sharper line of vertically arranged LEDs that emulate a lion’s claw or fang.
From the front, passing through the profile, nerves reach the rear and sharpen the entire figure of the car. At the rear, 3D light clusters stand out, joined along with the tailgate by a dark stripe. This strip, together with the diffuser and the double exhaust outlet of the ‘GT’ version, greatly enhance the dynamism and sporty character of the new Peugeot 508. The tailgate of this Peugeot gives access to a place that can fit up to 487 liters.
Interior that maintains the ‘i-Cockpit’ concept
Like a good sports saloon, the doors are frameless and give access to a futuristic interior with the ‘ i-Cockpit ‘ concept as its flagship. With this configuration of the cabin, the steering wheel becomes smaller than normal and is below the instrument panel. In this way, the indicators are displayed above the steering wheel and not through the rim, which in this case, being so small, would be impossible.
The ‘i-Cockpit’ concept is already present in the rest of the French brand’s models, now it is presented in the 508 in the same way but with an updated, more modern design and with anatomical improvements. This is one of the keys to this vehicle. In this article, you can learn the rest of the keys to the new Peugeot 508.
There are two digital screens to display data. On the one hand, the one that replaces the traditional instrument panel and, on the other, the one present in the center console. This screen, as standard, is eight inches. But an optional one measuring ten inches can be chosen.
All vehicle and infotainment functions are controlled by it: navigation, radio, climate control, vehicle, telephone, and other applications. Although Peugeot has eliminated almost all the buttons in the cabin, it maintains six under the central screen that acts as shortcuts to access the different menus.
From these menus, it is also possible to choose between the different driving modes available in the new Peugeot 508. There are a total of four and their names respond to the configuration applied to the vehicle: ‘Eco’, ‘Sport’, ‘Comfort’, and ‘ Normal’.
The sporty look of the new Peugeot 508 2023 hides a cabin designed to travel comfortably, a point at which it must fight with strong rivals. Its bodywork, with a drop in the rear part of the roof, does not deprive the rear seats of a good level of height for the tallest occupants.
In addition, the front seats of the new Peugeot 508 can have a massage function, and there are extras such as the panoramic roof, a premium sound system signed by ‘Focal’, or smartphone battery recharging by induction.
Peugeot 508 2023 : engines and technology
The new Peugeot 508 arrives on the new car market well dispatched with security systems and driving assistants, some of them new for the French brand. Protection for pedestrians in the event of being run over, the animal detector on the road, 360º radar, night vision camera, semi-automatic parking assistant, lane-keeping assistant, adaptive cruise control… these are just some of the systems that can equip the new Peugeot 508 2023.
There are five engines available for the Peugeot 508. Three are ‘BlueHDi’ diesel engines and have powers of 131, 163, and 177 hp. The least powerful of the three is the only option that can be accompanied by a six-speed manual transmission.
The rest of the engines, along with the petrol ones, are always equipped with an eight-speed ‘EAT8’ automatic transmission. The two variants of the new Peugeot 508 2023 equipped with gasoline engines have 181 hp and 230 hp. The latter is the one that is mounted on the ‘ GT ‘ line of equipment, the most complete and with the sportiest aspect.
For the year 2019, Peugeot has already announced a hybrid and plug-in variant that completes the range of the new Peugeot 508.
Its predecessor: the first generation Peugeot 508
The Peugeot 508 saloon began to be marketed in 2011 and dates from a restyling carried out in 2015. It is marketed with three possible bodies: a saloon, a family variant ‘ 508 SW ‘, and the version ‘ 508 RXH ‘ which is a variant of the familiar, but with greater ground clearance.
Peugeot supports the reasons for selling the saloon on four fundamental pillars: design with character, efficient engines, enhanced technology, and light signature. We will not deal here with the design, which is more to the user’s taste, but we do have to mention its available mechanics, which are gasoline, diesel, and hybrid variant engines.
The gasoline engine is a 165 hp 1.6 THP associated with a manual gearbox or an automatic transmission, both with six relationships. With the saloon bodywork, the 2011 Peugeot 508 is capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.8 seconds and reaching a top speed of 210 km/h.
Mixed consumption stands at 5.8 liters per 100 km and announces CO2 emissions of 134 g/km. If we look at the 508 SW family configuration, the maximum speed is the same, it is somewhat slower in acceleration (9.1 seconds) and announces the same consumption and slightly higher emissions.
The variety of diesel engines is much wider. Access to the range is a 120 hp 1.6 ‘ BlueHDI ‘ that can be associated with a manual or automatic transmission; one step higher we find the 2.0 ‘BlueHDI’ of 150 hp that is only coupled to the well-known six-speed manual transmission; and at the top of the range, a two-liter with 180 hp, also ‘BlueHDI’, available coupled, according to finishes, to both manual and automatic transmissions.
Finally, the most outstanding engine, due to its novelty, is the hybrid model that combines the electric motor with a 163 CV diesel engine and whose performance is as follows: 213 km/h top speed, 9.5 seconds of acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h and low consumption of just four liters in the combined cycle.
Versions and dimensions of the 508 range
‘Active’, ‘Allure’ and ‘GT Line’ are the three finishes available for the Peugeot 508 which, combined with the aforementioned engines, and with the manual and automatic gearboxes, allow an offer in Spain of almost thirty different versions and totally adaptable to the needs of each user and their family.
In terms of exterior dimensions, the saloon is 4.83 meters long, the width of the saloon and the family is 1.82 meters; height is where there is more difference: while the sedan measures 1,456 millimeters, the family grows to 1,476 and the hybrid, even more, reaching 1,525 millimeters.
In the trunk capacity of the first generation Peugeot 508 there are also notable differences: 515 liters for the sedan, 550 liters for the family configuration, and just 400 liters for the hybrid model.
Technology and equipment of the 508
Peugeot calls reinforced technology, and we are now talking about the third pillar on which Peugeot supports its value proposition with this 508, how the technology is located around the driving position to make driving much more intuitive.
The 2011 Peugeot 508 offers information without taking your eyes off the road through the ‘ Head-Up Display ‘ option or devices as important from the point of view of safety as the blind spot monitoring system, or comforts such as the rearview camera, connected navigation, or the seven-inch touch screen.
In addition to the well-known ‘Peugeot Connect Nav’, which offers traffic information thanks to ‘TomTom’ services, location of the nearest service stations or available parking lots; and the ‘Mirror Screen’ technology, which is already fitted to more basic models in the series range, and which consists of replicating the smartphone screen on the touch screen of the Peugeot 508 and managing the compatible ‘apps’ from there.
The luminous signature that, let us remember, is the fourth pillar on which Peugeot supports the reasons for the acquisition of this saloon, refers to the front that has been totally redesigned and that has that expressive look of the headlights; It also refers to the rear on which the drivers draw three claws to underline its belonging to the range of the French firm of the lion.
