The Peugeot 408 is smooth. It’s a car you could comfortably cross countries in. Its damping works wonders on even roads, and with little tyre noise you feel as though you’re behind the wheel of something much more expensive. It easily eats up the tarmac on long motorway drives, cruising effortlessly above 70mph in a manner reminiscent of luxury grand tourers. Sit inside and you’ll immediately notice the soft nappa leather of the seats, and the supportive bolstering which hugs you reassuringly. Go for the range topping spec and you’ll get a race car-like flat bottomed steering wheel with the letters ‘GT’ inscribed. Unusually small, the wheel lends the car a feeling of agility that belies its relatively large footprint. This feeling of opulence is only furthered by the car’s impressive array of tech.
What's going on inside?
The large 10 inch HD touch screen display is clear and bright like the latest tablets, and while its menus will take some getting used to, there is plenty to be found in them. There is driving assistance, which will steer, accelerate and brake for you should you want; multi-zone air conditioning, for customised climate control; ‘configurable i-Toggles’, giving quick access to essential features, and 360 degree parking assistance, which makes short work of the smallest of spaces. You can also spec massaging driver and passenger seats with modes such as ‘cat paw’ and ‘wave’. More importantly though, there are buttons. You know, physical, analogue buttons. This is more than can be said for many new cars, which often eschew them for the endlessly inferior haptic touch. All this combines to create a package that is surprisingly luxurious.
Family cars can look cool
The Peugeot 408 is a family car at heart. The new ‘fastback’ shape sits between a fully fledged SUV and an estate, and takes the pros from both. It rides confidently high on the road, with its large wheels and upright driving position allowing you to see over smaller hatchbacks. And its large boot is plenty deep, making light work of shopping, suitcases or a pram or two. Where it does suffer slightly is with rear leg room. It’s not as generous as it could be, and despite comfortable seats, taller passengers might find their knees touching the front. Speaking of practicality, despite looking slick, the steep slope of its behind means you won’t be able to see much out of the back. The upside is, if you squint the car’s rear looks like a Lamborghini Urus, if that’s your thing.
Engines at the ready
Powertrain wise, you can configure the 408 in either petrol or plug in hybrid, with an all electric model to follow. I tested the Hybrid 225 engine, which comes with 179bhp and an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The 1.6-litre four cylinder turbo unit is mated to a 12.4kWh battery, with the latter able to power the car alone for up to 40 miles. In electric mode the car is impressively quiet, but it never lasts for quite long enough, and the engine quickly drones to life on anything longer than a fifteen minute drive. Economy is up there with the best though, with this particular model able to hit up to 270 mpg. This comes in handy for the aforementioned continental jaunts.
I picked up the 408 for a drive down to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in which Peugeot competed with the striking 9X8 Hypercar. There aren’t many similarities between the two cars, but both feature versions of the French brand’s signature ‘claw’ front lights, which dominate the front end and help Peugeot stand out amongst the competition. Both Peugeots performed admirably. The 9X8 led the race for moments, much to the delight of the team, for whom this is the first year back racing. And the 408 made the journey look easy, eating up the miles in effortless (and comfortable) fashion. It’s two cars in one. A capable and practical car that can cart around four with plenty of space in the boot. And a long distance tourer that can traverse the length of the country with ease and absolute comfort.
