Peugeot has refreshed its 508 sedan and 508 SW wagon with the company’s latest grille and badge, but both miss out on the new mild hybrid engines recently added to the 3008 and 5008 SUVs.
The revised D-segment compacts that will hit showrooms in June are easily distinguished from the models launched in 2018 by their narrower LED Matrix headlights (standard across the range) and three DRL claw marks below each light unit instead of the single fang seen on the current cars.
The lower grille has champed shape and now turns down rather than up at the ends, giving the car less of a smiley face, but the biggest change is reserved for the grille, which flows into the bumper below it and features Peugeot’s latest badge.
Changes at the rear are less obvious, but the Peugeot lion mascot fitted to the dark panel between the LED taillights is swapped for ‘Peugeot’ lettering. And the tweaks inside are also subtle, but you might spot that the old gearshift handle has been replaced by a toggle, something that happened to the 208 and 2008 last year, and the chunky steering wheel also features the latest Peugeot badge.
Related: Peugeot Launches 3008 And 5008 Hybrid, Details Electrified Powertrain
Not immediately obvious from the pictures of the i-Cockpit interior is an update to the 10-in infotainment system that allows over-air updates and is fully customizable with widgets and scrollable windows. The 12-in digital gauge pack visible above the steering wheel rim has new display modes showing navigation, media and driving aids and the 508 now has improved voice recognition software, Peugeot says.
If you’re not bowled over yet by the changes to the 508 we’ve detailed so far nothing you’ll find under the skin is going to change your mind. The big disappointment is that the 508 doesn’t get Peugeot’s new 134 hp (136 PS) 1.2-liter mild-hybrid engines that have just been added to the revised 3008 and 5008 and will make their way to the 208, 2008, 308, 308 SW and the company’s new 408 crossover soon. Peugeot claims the 28 hp (21 kW / 28 PS) electric motor can cut fuel consumption in the 3008 by 15 percent.
Instead, the 508 makes do with the older-tech 128 hp (130 PS) 1.2-liter triple in base cars, or buyers can pick a 1.5-liter diesel with the same power output, again delivered to the front wheels though an eight-speed automatic gearbox. But many will skip both and go for one of the three plug-in hybrid options, and most likely one of two front-drivers which combine 109 hp (81 kW / 110 PS) electric motors with 1.2-liter combustion power for a choice of 178 hp (180 PS) or 222 hp (225 PS).
The sole all-wheel drive option is the 508 PSE (Peugeot Sport Engineered) Hybrid4 flagship that whips up a combined 355 hp (360 PS) by mating a 197 hp (200 PS) 1.6-litre inline four and 109 hp (81 kW / 110 PS) electric motor in the nose with a second electric motor pushing 11 hp (83 kW / 113 PS) though the rear wheels. The sporty all-wheel drive PSE gets a speedy 7.4 kW onboard charger that can fill the battery in 100 minutes, but you’ll have to pay extra for that on the lower-spec cars or be content with a 3.7 kW trickle that takes twice as long to charge.
Peugeot hasn’t released prices for the revised 508, but a very small increase on the £33,945 / €43,420 base price for the entry level 508 Allure and £35,695 / €44,720 fee for the wagon equivalent seems likely. At the other end of the scale the most expensive of all 508s, the PSE SW, which currently costs £56,575 / €72,470, will probably inch even closer to the scary £60k mark.
