Peugeot 508 Touring

It’s the biggest Pug on sale today. And no, we’re not talking about the dog here. The Peugeot 508 has been welcomed by Peugeot dealers in rounding out their offering because it’s a genuine alternative to other large cars.

The cruicial difference with our test car this week is that it’s a diesel wagon. This means it’s a load lugger that’s economical, proving you don’t need to go out and buy an SUV to get the same capability

The 508 works best in Touring guise, as the styling flows better across the back end. The sedan tends to look a little front heavy with its rounded front end, but the larger backside of the wagon balances out the design very nicely. In the Egyptian Blue of our test car and with the contrasting silver wheels, it’s a very good looking jigger.

Inside, the curvy design continues with a flowing dashboard finished in soft plastics. It’s actually very Volkswagen-like in its presentation, echoing the Passat in many ways. It’s very pleasing to the eye, and although there are a couple negatives (the faux carbon fibre trim is very naff, and the cupholders above the stereo could lead to disaster if there’s a spill) the ambience is excellent. Gone is the very French audio stalk behind the steering wheel, with controls now on the wheel itself.

That said, there’s a good amount of room and with the entire roof being made of glass (one of the biggest panoramic sunroofs around) the feeling of spaciousness is tremendous. Boot space is rated at 612 litres, however if the seats are folded flat, the volume grows to a massive 1817 litres (to the roof height).

There are two engine options for the Touring (both in Allure specification). There’s a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel four. The diesel was in our possession this week, and as far as oilers go, Peugeot can do no wrong. It’s quiet, refined and pulls pretty strongly on the roll.

The six-speed auto is a little hesitant in changing down unless you’ve selected Sport mode (via a button near the shifter). It shows up a fair bit of lag from the engine, especially when accelerating away from intersections. The paddle shifters are superfluous on a car like this too as they don’t respond quick enough.