Peugeot 408 review

It’s a good question really – and no one is entirely sure. It’s a sort of hatchback meets coupe meets SUV. Have we reached Peak Crossover and we’re sliding down the other side of a baffling graph? Who knows, but we applaud Peugeot for at least offering something different. 

And something that's lasted, too. Launched alongside the Citroen C5 X, with which it shares a platform and powertrains, it's still on sale whereas the Citroen (sadly) has snuffed it. Selling posh French cars outside of France never was easy...

What are the engine options? 

There’s a 1.2-litre 3cyl petrol (with mild-hybrid boost), offering 143bhp. A plug-in hybrid which pairs a 1.6-litre 4cyl petrol with an e-motor and larger battery for a 222bhp peak and over 40 miles of electric range. Or a fully electric E-408 with 211bhp of e-power and a 280-mile range. All cars get an auto transmission and front-wheel drive.

It's quite the looker, isn’t it?

Well, we think it is. There’s barely a flat surface anywhere on the car, and it provides a chic antidote to some of the samier output from other carmakers in recent years. The 408, to most eyes, carries things off with a bit of panache.

Inside, the dash is like the Peugeot 308's, itself a pretty angular assembly of screens and switches. As usual for a Peugeot, the driver's screen (dubbed 'iCockpit') is above the steering wheel rim, almost like a head-up display. The centre touchscreen has its own additional mini touch bar (dubbed 'iToggle') where you can configure your own shortcuts. The trim is reasonably plush, too.

It feels more spacious than the old Peugeot 508 saloon (RIP, like that Citroen) inside, too. It’s decent up front, rear legroom is impressive, and head space is okay for the outer two. But only two, really. But when did you last see a car with all five seatbelts in use? More on all this in the Interior section of this review.

Any good out on the road?

The Peugeot PHEV system isn't the best integrated. It occasionally drops the ball, hesitating between petrol and electric power if you come on and off the throttle suddenly. But the engine cuts in and out quietly, so you don't realise how big a proportion of a journey might be made with it switched off.

Anyway, the hybrid and battery system adds 300kg so the performance boost over the little pure petrol engine isn't that great, and the electric set-up isn’t a fan of slow corners or accelerating too hard. But then the 1.2-litre MHEV might have you craving just a bit more 'go' if you're really honest. It's impressive how much engine-free running it manages in slow traffic, though, given it's not a full or plug-in hybrid. Just a petrol with bonus e-power.

Full e-power is reserved for the new E-408. With 211bhp it's reasonably spritely, if a long way from the most whipcrack EVs out there, but progress is smooth, quiet and it does a decent job of pretending it doesn't weigh almost 1.9 tonnes. Launched several years into the 408's life, it's probably the new pick of the range - edgy, modern power to echo the looks.

As for handling? The 408's steering is sharp but the suspension rolls a bit. Use smaller, more gradual inputs and it's actually quite engaging and fluent. It's not an outwardly sporting car - but it's still evident how much Peugeot currently cares about ride and handling. If the engineers went wayward and made a GTi version, it'd probably be rather good.

Is it expensive?

Prices start at £35,565 for the 1.2-litre MHEV in entry-level Allure trim and, thanks to the current UK government grant, the E-408 costs only a few hundred quid more. The PHEV kicks off at £45k owing to the fact it only pairs with bougier trim levels. But it might prove a smarter choice financially as a company car, something the plush interior and refined gait pervading all 408s feel ripe for.

In aiming to touch so many bases, Peugeot was in danger of smashing none. But the 408 turns out to be a tempting concept. The rear space is a good step up from the slightly cramped 308 hatch, and the boot has a lot of floor area.

It drives more engagingly than most crossovers, especially in petrol form, but the PHEV version struggles to justify itself unless it's a company car tax play. Or unless your regular radius from a home charger is little more than 10 miles (in which case do you really need a new car?).

Perhaps it's the new E-408 that's the most obvious choice of all, however, especially with the UK government grant ensuring it's currently the best value. A space-age design deserves a swish powertrain beneath, after all.

But in any guise, the 408 is arrestingly different. As a rule we admire brave design, and at the very least, this qualifies for your shortlist.