Major revisions for Peugeot 508 revealed

Peugeot has revealed a refreshed Peugeot 508 in London today that gives the big family car a look closer to the firm's latest models, including the new Peugeot 308. The revised 508 gets updated engines and an improved interior, with a seven-inch touchscreen.

The revised model gets a more imposing grille than the car it replaces, giving it a classier appearance to rival the Volkswagen Passat and the next Ford Mondeo which will go on sale later this year. The 508 also gets bright LED daytime running lights fitted as standard and at the rear there’s a new bumper and altered taillights.

Inside, the most obvious change is the addition of a new seven-inch touchscreen – it is used to control most of the car’s systems and has allowed Peugeot to cut down on buttons. That means the new car has a cleaner look inside and plastic quality has also been improved upon.

It also means the 508 can now be offered with Peugeot Connect Apps that can do everything from find a free parking space in the area to forecasting the weather and relaying fuel prices from local petrol stations.

The new model also gets a lidded storage space on the centre console. As before, the 508 can be had with a fighter jet-style head-up display and sat-nav. New equipment includes Blind Spot Sensors and a reversing camera.

Mechanically, the Peugeot remains largely unchanged, but gets a revised 150bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine that emits just 105g/km of CO2, for a £20 annual road tax bill. The car can also be had with a more powerful 180bhp 2.0-litre diesel that produces 111g/km, for tax of £30 per annum.

Petrol engines include a 165bhp 1.6-litre, which replaces the old 156bhp engine and reduces emissions from 144g/km to 133g/km of CO2. That translates into road tax of £130 per year.

As before, the 508 can be had as a diesel-electric hybrid that allows it to return emissions of 85g/km, to get free road tax and combined fuel consumption of 85.6 mpg. MPG figures for the rest of the range have yet to be confirmed.

Peugeot sold 407,000 vehicles in 2014, which represents an increase of almost 14 per cent year on year and twice the market’s average growth. The 508’s biggest market is in China, which accounts for 30 per cent of sales.

Although prices have yet to be confirmed, we can expect the new model to closely match the current line-up, which starts at £19,545. The model will go on sale in September, after its formal (simultaneous) unveil at the Moscow and Chengdu Motor Shows in August.

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