TEST DRIVE: 2015/2016 Peugeot 508 THP - The taste of something French every once in a while is good for you.

I got to try the facelifted Peugeot 508 a while ago. I was a bit too busy running around with so many things to do and test drives that it is only now that I found some time to string a few words together for this write-up. The model I got to try was the 2015/2016 Peugeot 508 THP.

The Peugeot 508 THP is a premium level full sized sedan (D segment). It was first launched back in 2011 and in 2014, Peugeot facelifted the car with a redesigned front end incorporating the new Peugeot family face. I actually like the 508 when it first came out and replaced the 407. The thing with the 407 was that Peugeot was trying to style it as a supercar with four doors. I think the 407 failed as it looked like they just grafted the nose from something like a Ferrari to the passenger cabin of a normal car. You got a flat nose attached to a normal height cabin making the car look slightly awkward from some angles. 

This 508 is a better, more grand looking design, befitting its new role as the largest, most premium Peugeot sedan you can buy. The facelift's new front end actually makes the car even more majestic looking actually. There is an air of proper style that emanates from it now. The pre-facelift front end was sportier, but this new look brings a higher level of class to the 508 which I prefer. I mean you're trying to capture the D segment or managerial level of buyers. Most want some sense of prestige in their cars at this stage. So this looks better. New front end and new rear lights too on the outside (with full LEDs front and rear – front gets cornering assist and smart beam too). The whole car looks good and I'd have to say this is how one should design a premium looking large sedan.

The facelifted car is equipped with a lot of goodies. You get a heads up display which displays the speed. Keyless go with push start, quad zone climate control, a nice sounding JBL/Arkamys sound system for the infotainment unit (which has USB, Bluetooth, Navigation, reverse camera), 8 way adjustable front seats and a whole lot of safety systems – hill assist, park assist, 6 airbags, blind spot information system , stability programs, ABS and more. This car is well equipped with a premium looking and feeling interior.

 If there is one major complain I have with the interior of this car is that there are no cubby holes in the center console for you to store your phone or cardholder in aside from opening the armrest box or the slightly small glovebox (due to the fuse box taking half the space in all right hand drive Peugeots). The cupholders in the center console are small sized and can only fit a can of cola easily but nothing larger. So large modern smartphones can be stored in a small nook beside the cupholders but not one as large as the latest Robot or Fruit Phones. Which have grown to over 5.5inches wide these days. So I suppose this is the only complaint I have about the interior actually.

As for the drivetrain, it is still powered by Peugeot's 1.6liter turbocharged 4 cylinder engine. This engine is seen in most petrol powered Peugeots, from the 208GTI, the 308, 408, 3008, 4008, RCZ and this 508 use this same engine in various state of tune. This 508 THP version makes do with 165ps and 240Nm torque. It is enough to take it to a tested 0-100kmh time of 9.5seconds and onwards to a speed of about 220kmh.

So how does it drive

In an around town the 508 THP is just like any other modern full sized sedan. The seats are comfortable and there is tons of space for the passengers too (with a big enough boot to carry a lot of stuff too). The driving position is good. It is easy to drive and maneuver. Parking is easy with front and rear Park Assist as well as it having a reverse camera. No complaints about steering the car around town at all or its all round visibility (the blind spot assist helps when you are driving it but it isn't as sharp as the one Volvo and Ford uses). The car's suspension copes well with the bumps around town well and it isn't overly firm riding. There is a bit of freeplay in the steering wheel off centre which I will elaborate a little bit more a paragraph or so below. There is also a nice low speed woofle tuned by the Peugeot engineers at the 2,000-2,500rpm range when you have the accelerator around half throttle. This is quite a nice bit of sound engineering making the 1.6liter four feel like a larger capacity engine. It adds a sense of mechanical warmth to the car and also masks the transmission resonance most Peugeot 1.6 equipped with the automatic likes to make. However, Peugeot has not masked that resonance this what the Peugeot engine likes to make at high rpm. All 1.6liter turbocharged Peugeots here has that sound that resonates at around 5,000rpm to the redline. It isn't irritating per se. It is not loud nor intrusive. It is just there. It is a characteristic of the engine but one that does not make this torquey and powerful small sized engine. So it only get an A-minus for refinement in my books.

On the highways, the car tracks well with little road or wind noise at higher speeds. It has good stability too and you can easily blast up and down any highway without any issues. Mid range is pretty good and you have ample performance up to about 190kmh where the acceleration slows down a bit. Of course, this is expected from something with about 165hp. But it is more than enough to despatch most of the traffic. When doing the usual 110kmh cruise, things are as serene as the best in its class. At 150kmh it is also pretty good with something like a more expensive Ford Mondeo being quieter.

On a B-road thrash, something most of this car's owner would never do, but which I did, taking the Gombak road all the way up the Genting Highlands via the old Genting Sempah road I found the car's steering a bit vague. There is a little bit of freeplay off centre too. But like any other car, I got used to the steering somewhere after Genting Sempah and GohTong Jaya. So once that was settled, you try absorb what else can the 508THP do.

On the uphill stretches the 1.6liter engine and gearbox combination worked quite well. The 240Nm worth of torque enabled me to haul its 1410kg mass up with relative ease. On the tighter corners I did wish I had a little bit more torque to slingshot me to the next corner but this is actually subjective. I was already hauling some serious speed up hill. This large sedan can easily do the point and shoot thing quite well but I was really hauling it. For something that looks so grand or managerial it actually tries to be sporty too.

So in-extremis the 508THP is lacking in front end grip from those wide 235/45/18 tyres. It may be wide but the car when you really belt it up and down Genting Highlands will start to run wide earlier than I hoped for. You take the racing line with it (which is outside of the corner to the inside and then out again), lift off the accelerator and then trail brake into the corner shaving off some speed. If you are still carrying on a bit too much speed, the front end starts to drift wide at the apex of the corner. But if you have enough road, you can keep on applying power where the rear would come into play shortly after making the whole car enter into a slightly four wheel drift which actually aids the car in making the turn. That little detail makes the 508 THP quite an exhilarating drive up and down Genting actually. Heck, anything that allows a bit of drift at speed is fun. Of course, this detail allows you to have fun and you note that this chassis is predictable and playful. But it isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. It lacks the precision to carve B-roads. But again, this is a full sized family sedan and not a hot hatch. And if you look at it that way, and how it allows its driver to be playful with it, then it could be the toy for a family man when he wants to have a bit of fun occasionally.

So the Peugeot 508 THP facelifted model is quite fun to drive. It also looks darn good too.

Pros: premium spec equipment levels, premium looking and feeling interior, JBL/Arkamys audio is good, spacious cabin, comfortable, high speed stability, low speed woofle or burble (engineered or not, who cares if it sounds nice), fun to drive...

Cons:... to a certain extent, small cupholders up front, not enough cubby holes in the center console to store small stuff, typical Peugeot resonance at high revs shaves off a point from ultimate refinement

Conclusion: 

This car makes it worthwhile to drive a Peugeot again. It has a certain grandeur to how it looks and it feels well built when it comes to what you get to touch and feel inside. The performance is adequate (more than adequate if you just intend to use it like a large family sedan) and it is quite economical at the pumps too – 9.5liters/100km. Of course, there are certain quirkiness like how the engine performs and why the cup holders are only meant for cola cans but then again, the car is French. They still do things slightly differently these days you know. And this is a good thing. It is nice to have croissants instead of the usual bratwurst or sushi sometimes. 

2015/2016 PEUGEOT 508 THP (Facelift)

Specification (and more photos below)

Price as tested (for private ownership):

from-

RM179,888 with insurance – Peninsular Malaysia

RM182,888 with insurance - Sabah

RM182,388 with insurance – Sarawak

Engine: 1.6liter DOHC twin scroll high pressure (THP) turbo with direct injection

Transmission: 6 speed hydraulic (torque convertor) with paddle shift, tiptronic and sport mode

Performance

0-100kmh – 9.5 seconds (tested)

Top Speed: 220kmh

Fuel Consumption

Combined drive cycle (EU): 7.1liters/100km (manufacturer's figures)

Tested : 9.5liters/100km

Warranty & Packages Given: 5 years Unlimited mileage warranty (3 years manufacturer's +2 years extended warranty), Peugeot Assistance 24 Hours, Peugeot Privilege Card, Peugeot Lounge (Airport lounge at Skypark Subang for Peugeot Customers)