The Peugeot 508 SW has to be one of the best looking wagons on sale anywhere in the world. It just oozes sporty style, but it doesn’t forget practicality, and when you step inside, the interior will wow you with its flamboyant design and premium feel. However, is it a good base for a 355 horsepower sports wagon?
But regardless, Peugeot went and did it anyway, and what resulted is the 355 horsepower 508 SW PSE (Station Wagon / Peugeot Sport Engineering). Believe it or not, this car’s main source of motivation is a 197 horsepower 1.6-liter turbocharged engine, but it is helped by a 109 horsepower electric motor that’s built into the eight-speed gearbox and a 111 horsepower electric motor that drives the rear wheels (and occasionally makes the vehicle all-wheel drive).
According to Peugeot, it sprints to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.2 seconds and its top speed is limited to 250 km/h (155 mph). As these figures suggest, Peugeot didn’t want to create a vehicle that will scare you or be suitable purely for the keenest of drivers, so think of it as the 508 GT hybrid that is already on sale, but with an additional electric motor and a bit more performance; it retains the same effortless grand tourer character the lower-powered GT.
Carfection’s Henry Catchpole drove the 508 SW PSE and while he found it very handsome and loved the way it handled, he argued that there’s no point to buying it over the PHEV GT model, because it isn’t significantly sportier (and it costs a lot more). Jonny Smith of The Late Brake Show concurs and even though he too enjoyed his time with the vehicle, he agrees that the cheaper GT plug-in wagon is the 508 to go for.
More Peugeot news
Related video:
