Peugeot is well known for its outspoken design, and the latest version of the 408 sedan is no exception. We all know that we live in a time where imposing SUV’s are all the rage, but then Peugeot, with an eye towards automotive tradition, will always keep an attractive sedan in its range, and the 408 is the result.

Did you know that the bodywork definitions ”sedan” and ’limousine” are French? The definition “sedan” stems from the French town of that name. The definition ‘limousine’ comes from the French region “Limousin”. In automotive terms, it is a luxury saloon, in horse-drawn world, it is a utilitarian cart or any big cart with three lateral windows. 

But then, is this Peugeot a “classic” sedan? Well, no! Just read further…

Hans Knol ten Bensel

According to Peugeot, the 408 is a blend between SUVs, hatchbacks and saloons, and has been described as a “coupe crossover.” Indeed, with the Peugeot 408, the brand with the proud lion introduces nothing less than its own segment, that of a raised fastback sedan.  Actually the present day 408 is based on the EMP2 platform, shared with the third-generation 308.

The development of the vehicle, led by project manager Aurélie Bresson, PSA Group took several years due to its radical concept, codenamed as the P54 during development.  

The design was inspired from an internal concept car that Peugeot had worked on, which was known as the “2015 Advanced Design” manifesto. Its design concept is also featured in the Citroën C5 X, which shares the same platform (long-wheelbase EMP2 V3) and height with the 408. Indeed, the family resemblance is manifest, and the long-legged stable and very comfortable road manners are similar.

The 408 is bold and elegant. Peugeot calls it also a fastback (indeed, because of its fifth door) and places it at the top of the C segment. Peugeot also states that the car exudes “allure” and, as we said earlier in our article at the static presentation of the 408, we liked the angular shapes and its well accentuated contours , with remarkable styling details like the inverted cut-out of the rear bumper. We also liked the 20- inch rims featuring an interesting geometric design, and we already pointed out in our colums (see https://autoprova.be/2022/09/14/bold-and-beautiful-angular-and-elegant-the-new-peugeot-408-is-a-fastback-with-panache/) we appreciated that the tire rims protrude further than the alloy rims and thus protect them, so you cannot readily damage the beautiful wheels at the first high kerbed stone you meet.

The future smiles at you in the cabin…

The bold and angular futuristic styling continues in the dashboard and cabin layout. Indeed, the PEUGEOT 408 offers the latest generation of the PEUGEOT i-Cockpit®, instantly recognizable by its compact steering wheel dedicated to driving pleasure and controlled agility. The compact steering wheel puts you indeed in a sporting mood and encourages you to drive this 408 with slightly more verve, but then you have to concentrate on finding a proper seating position so that your vision on the instrumentation is not (partially) blocked by the enthusiastically shaped steering wheel.

Driving: the joy of French comfort, grace and speed… Peugeot attaches great importance on comfort combined with safe, superior and predictable handling. The 408 scores beautifully in all these points. The 408 takes comfort to a very high level, even on frost-ridden secondary roads, wet routes nationales or départementales, and floats over it at (high) speed with undisturbed stability, to take you swiftly and safely to your destination. Traveling big distances is a boon for this 408. As said here earlier, it bears resemblance to the road manners if the “big” Citroën C5 X.

The test car was equipped with the top-notch drivetrain, in the PHEV version we tested. The 1,6 litre efficient four cylinder petrol engine develops 180 HP at 6,000 rpm, with torque being 250 Nm @ 1750 rpm. But there is also an electric motor of 110 Hp @ 2500 rpm sitting between the petrol engine and the 8 speed automatic transmission. The impressive torque of this motor, namely 320 Nm, is developed between 500-2500 rpm. All this results in a system power of 225 HP, and a system torque of 360 Nm.

This results of course in (more than) excellent performance. It will sprint in about 7,9 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h, and its top speed is a stellar 233 km/h. Abundant torque at every speed makes for a delightful performance experience. This car is well and truly a fast Gran Turismo. Mind you, this is nothing less than the performance of the iconic Jaguar E-Type!

Consumption depends greatly on how often you charge its 12,4 kW battery. According to WLTP standards, it is set at 1,4 l/100 km. Running it on petrol power, you can expect anything between 6 and 8 litres, depending on your driving mix between town and open road. You are helped by the relatively low weight (1.781 kg) of the car, and its excellent aerodynamics.

A roomy and practical daily companion

The 408 offers a lot of legroom on the elongated platform it shares with the Citroën C5 X. Boot space is also abundant, with a volume of 536 litres, which can be increased to 1.611 litres, once the rear seats are folded down.

The 10 inch touchscreen gives you all the necessary navigation and infotainment info, and the 408 pleases with puttons and switches on steering wheel and below the touchscreen for all the usual functions.

Of course, this 408 offers all the thinkable driver assistance and safety functions. Powered by 6 cameras and 9 radars, the driver assistance systems include adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go function,  Night Vision, which warns of animals, pedestrians or cyclists ahead before they appear in the high beam, Long-range blind spot monitoring (75 metres) and last but not least Rear Traffic Alert, which warns of a potential hazard when reversing.

All this contributes to driving pleasure, which is indeed overall a very relaxing experience. Intuitively you will feel very much at home and rather sooner than later you will come to enjoy the excellent sound system and find every drive with this Peugeot a “Zen” moment in your (busy?) day…

Conclusion

Peugeot has truly succeeded to create a roomy four passenger comfortable Gran Turismo which gives you a soothing driving experience, where you can enjoy refinement, experience the unique panache of French comfort together with unerring stable handling and the sheer pleasure of the speed and performance of a “grande routière.”

Combine all this with responsible energy consumption, E-power capacity in town, smoothness and mechanical “raffinement” all packed in a bodywork with stylish “allure”, and you will agree that this Peugeot has a lot to go for…

Hans Knol ten Bensel  

Photographers’ notes:

The photos were shot with our Lumix Panasonic DMC-FZ1000 again. The versatile Leica 25-400 zoom lens lets you capture details of dashboard and bodywork, where of course wintry light conditions  ask for wider lens openings and this results in a narrower depth of field.

But the camera body lies beautifully in your hand, the controls are easy and intuitive, and the articulating screen is crisp. This can also be said for the ocular screen, which however does not readily reflect the changes in image aspect when one chooses between over- or underexposure. So to be safe, one always has to see the result of the shot on the articulating screen…