Road Test: Peugeot 508 SW 2.0 HDI Active

Price as tested: €30,600

In brief: Need a family car but can’t bear the thought of an MPV? Here’s your answer. Slinky looks, high quality, good to drive and very economical.


51.3mpg. Or to put it in more up to date figures, 5.5-litres per 100km. Now, it's important to note that that's not a claimed manufacturer's figure, nor the result of some feather-footed economy run with the aircon off and the tyres pumped up to 50psi. That's the average fuel economy I got from a 2.0-litre Peugeot 508 SW, complete with a full load of family and associated bags, buggy and clutter. Now that is impressive.

Peugeot has been something of a diesel-meister ever since the original 205 XRAD and 405 HDI re-programmed our brains as to what a diesel car could be capable of. Since then, Peugeot has won the  Le Mans 24hrs with the awesome diesel-powered 908 race car and, better yet, has given us the most enjoyable-to-drive diesel car on the market in the shape of the gorgeous RCZ 2.0 HDI coupe.

But what Peugeot hasn't had for a while now is a proper rival to the likes of the Mondeo, Passat and Avensis. The 407, introduced in 2005, was decent enough but lacked rear seats space and its cabin was never quite up to the quality levels of the big Ford or VW. With the 508 though, Peugeot is right back in the game and this SW estate model is the best of the bunch.

€28k gets you an SW with the 1.6 HDI 112bhp engine but I'd seriously urge you to try and find the extra pennies to get yourself into this 2.0 HDI 140bhp, for €30,600. With that astonishing economy figure (close to bang on Peugeot's claimed figure of 5.0l/100km on the combined cycle) it'll cost you buttons to run, and with Co2 emissions of 130g/km, it's in the same Band B €156 road tax bracket as the 1.6.

And the SW is so much better looking than the saloon (which is hardly hideous itself). That long curving rear is very reminiscent of the Mercedes E-Class estate and the front looks so much neater and sharper than the tiresome gaping-grille Peugeots of recent years.

Inside, the news gets ever better. Yes, it's a touch plain compared to, say, the Opel Insignia, and the touchy-feely qualities lag just behind the Passat, but overall the quality of fit and finish is excellent, the seats are superbly comfy and little things like the main dials and the stitching on the leather steering wheel look and feel properly premium. There's lots of space in the back seat too, even when it's filled with hyperactive small people, and the boot is a gargantuan 660-litres.

And, and here is the best bit for the car-fancying family man, it's terrific to drive. Not quite as immersive as a Mondeo, perhaps, but beautifully balanced with especially sweet steering and bags of front end grip. Even with the kids and bags on board it swoops in perfect rhythm from corner to corner, and the ride quality feels a touch more supple in the SW than it does in the saloon.

And that economical diesel raises its game too, punching hard with 320Nm of torque and propelling the SW to a very respectable 0-100kmh time of 10.1secs.

Standard equipment on the Active model we drove includes Bluetooth phone, USB iPod connection, panoramic glass roof, 17” alloys, rear parking sensors, hill-holder clutch and split-zone climate control.

So if you've got kids to haul, and don't specifically need the seven seats of an MPV, then get yourself one of these. A proper, comfy, spacious family wagon that just happens to be handsome, fun to drive and exceptionally economical. Family life needn't be dull, after all.

Facts & Figures

Peugeot 508 SW 2.0 HDI Active
Price as tested: €30,600
Range price: €24,850 to €35,150
Capacity: 1,997cc
Power: 140bhp
Torque: 320Nm
Top speed: 210kmh
0-100kmh: 10.1sec
Economy: 5.0l-100km (56.4mpg)
CO2 emissions: 130g/km
VRT Band: B. €156 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: 5-star: 90% adult, 87% child, 41% pedestrian, 97% safety assist