Peugeot 508 prices released

Peugeot has released prices and outline specifications for the 508 saloon and estate which go on sale in the UK in April. The new range, which starts at £18,150 will replace the company's current 407 models.

The 508 will top out at 29,975, and will be available with seven different drivetrain choices. The emphasis is on diesels, but two 1.6-litre petrol options will be offered. The first is a 120 horsepower unit paired with Peugeot's electronically-controlled “automated manual” EGC gearbox, while the second is the company's turbocharged 156 horsepower THP engine in combination with a conventional manual.

Diesels are available with capacities of 1.6 and 2.0 litres. Two 1.6 options will be offered, both with 112 horsepower; the first of these is a normal manual, the second is an economy-oriented set-up fitted with Peugeot's e-HDI package; this includes a fuel-saving stop-start system and the EGC 'box, and allows this variant of the 508 to slip below the important 110g/km mark for CO2 emissions and achieve a combined cycle fuel consumption of 64.2mpg.

Three different 2.0 litre diesels will be available, with 140, 163 or 200 horsepower; the first is paired with a manual transmission, the others are automatics. Even the top-of-the range 200 horsepower diesel emits only 150g/km (154g/km for the estate version). It is a sign of these economy-conscious times that this most powerful diesel is badged GT and positioned as the sportiest car in the range; it gets a special double-wishbone front suspension set-up designed to improve road-holding and steering accuracy.

Five different trim levels will be available; Access, SR, Active, Allure and GT, although Peugeot hasn't yet released detailed specifications for these. Access, Active and Allure are new trim designations, but the SR badge was applied to the better equipped versions of many of the company's models in the seventies and eighties.

While the 508 is a direct replacement for the 407, the decision to badge the new model as a “5” series car will recall the popular 504 and 505 models that formed the mainstay of Peugeot's range between the late sixties and the early eighties. If the 508 worms its way into the affections of buyers in the way that those cars did, the company will have cause to be very pleased indeed.