Peugeot 508 SW estate (2011-2018) - Interior & comfort

A lot of time has been spent ensuring that road, wind and engine noise are well suppressed in the Peugeot 508 SW, using plenty of sound deadening and some tweaks under the bonnet. All models ride well, although the GT’s bigger wheels mean it feels firmer than the rest of the range.

There’s plenty of adjustment in the two front seats and steering wheel, too, so getting comfortable isn’t an issue. It can be tricky to see around the thick windscreen pillars, though. The seats themselves are a good shape, albeit slightly soft and therefore not quite as supportive as they need to be.

Peugeot 508 SW dashboard

The Peugeot 508 SW signalled a move upmarket for Peugeot and because of this it has one of the best cabins in the manufacturer’s range. Although it’s still not quite up to the standards of the Volkswagen Passat, it arguably has more flair and a sportier appeal.

The centrepiece of the dashboard is a touchscreen display that controls all the car’s major functions, including infotainment, navigation and ventilation. The screen itself is reasonably sensitive and quick to operate, but the software behind it is confusing in some respects. Setting radio stations or simply pairing your phone is unnecessarily complicated.

It’s also annoying having to switch functions on the screen when you want to do something as simple as changing the temperature, then having to switch back to your original function. Regardless of how irritating or not it is to use, the Peugeot 508 SW’s interior feels like it’ll be in use for quite some time, because it seems suitably sturdy.

Equipment

The basic Peugeot 508 SW Active gets a seven-inch touchscreen sat nav, daytime running lights, dual-zone climate control, automatic lights and wipers, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, DAB radio and all-round electric windows.

Next up is Allure, which adds half-leather, heated, power-adjustable seats, as well as rear parking sensors, keyless go and a full-length panoramic sunroof, which brings light to the cabin and makes it seem even more spacious. GT Line trim adds LED headlights and some sporty design touches such as twin exhaust pipes, which doesn’t seem like much for the £1,000 more you have to shell out.

Choose the GT model and you get a leather interior and a colour head-up display that projects information such as your current speed into your line of sight on the windscreen. You also get a power-operated bootlid and 19-inch alloy wheels with this model.

Options

The Peugeot 508 SW is pretty well equipped as standard, so there’s really little need to trawl the options list. If you want the GT’s handy powered bootlid, you can specify this on Allure and GT Line models for £480, while the head-up display costs £310.