RE: 508 Peugeot Sport Engineered unveiled

[tonyb1968]

Ron99 said:

I test-drove a 308GTi when they first came out and the turbo lag was dreadful. When rolling up to a roundabout in 1st or 2nd gear hoping to slot into a gap there was dangerous hesitation (two or three seconds) between pressing the accelerator and the engine actually responding.

I also didn't like every dash button or control being removed and accessible only via the various sub-menus of the touch screen.

208GTi was better but the big 'grab handles' on the doors made it feel cramped inside even though it's a fairly wide car, with the side of my thigh pressing on it a lot of the time.

I have the same engine in my RCZ R, i don't get 2-3 seconds of hesitation, its pretty instantanious when you put your foot down, lag is minimal for its engine size, the climate controls are a bit annoying though, the i cockpit 2 is better with a short cut button.

[tonyb1968]

Simonium said:

Dale487 said:

But by going premium, we seen the best Peugeots for a generation - these cars aren't perfect but they have design, personality, offer an alternative to the obvious VAG products. The French's home brand loyalty may have kept them alive but else where they were only bought because of the no hassle package not because they were any good.

I like the idea of this, other than I'd like a manual.

The best cars for a generation? after the 07s that's hardly an acheivement. Peugeots are like Star Trek films, if they end in an even number, they're good less bad. Personality? What does this even mean in car, unless it's a twee way to explain away dreadful design details. Touch screen OS that is comically unintuitive, ergonomics that are quirky, if you're being hugely magnanimous. Engines that are appallingly rough, and build quality that'd embarrass Chinese cars. And that's without even touching upon the grotesque overpricing. There are some hidden gems - as previously mentioned the 208GTi is great. The 308 GTi is ok, but appallingly expensive to maintain. The RCZ R would have been good if it didn't have a hand-me-down interior from the 307.

No, There is no chance they will build this. The only 508s you will see will be dealer principals coerced into having them as core demo stock.

Why is the 308 GTI 270 appallingly expensive? It cost no more than most other hot hatches to run, yes you have to replace the spark plugs every 10k but that's about it, otherwise its pretty cheap to run. Maybe 5 years down the line when you wear the front discs and pads out, that will hit you hard but most people would have sold the car by then and have moved onto their next one, its not a killer cost wise considering its performance.

Also i'm not really sure you have sat in the new models, or driven them, the latest i cockpit is a great place to be, the touch screen could be better but its not the worst in its class and at least the sat nav works better than some of its german rivals i've been in.
The look over smaller steering wheel feels far more natural than the look through wheels, less intrusive, also makes it feel a little sportier to drive, of course having won the european car of the year in 2017 for the 3008 and what car class leader for the 5008 this year, they are doing pretty well overall, being different and still making money, which if you look back 9 years and see that this was a company on the verge of bankruptcy, they have done well to get where they are.

Oh and the RCZR's interior is based on the 308 mk 1, as is the car itself

[st4]

RicksAlfas said:

I see a 508 most mornings and it looks really good on the road.
It looks much more striking in real life than these "worm's eye" views.

They’re a nice car. Far nicer than these silly little cross overs people buy.

[bridgdav]

Resolutionary said:

Looks like Peugeot took design elements from every current VAG product and put them in a blender.

And several styling lines and features from tha Ford Mustang.

[Nickp82]

Kinda reminds me of KITT, I like it. A lot.

[Ron99]

tonyb1968 said:

Ron99 said:

I test-drove a 308GTi when they first came out and the turbo lag was dreadful. When rolling up to a roundabout in 1st or 2nd gear hoping to slot into a gap there was dangerous hesitation (two or three seconds) between pressing the accelerator and the engine actually responding.

I also didn't like every dash button or control being removed and accessible only via the various sub-menus of the touch screen.

208GTi was better but the big 'grab handles' on the doors made it feel cramped inside even though it's a fairly wide car, with the side of my thigh pressing on it a lot of the time.

I have the same engine in my RCZ R, i don't get 2-3 seconds of hesitation, its pretty instantanious when you put your foot down, lag is minimal for its engine size, the climate controls are a bit annoying though, the i cockpit 2 is better with a short cut button.

Maybe the one I drove was a different version of engine software trying to meet some emissions target. Maybe there was something wrong with it.

The salesman accompanying me noted it but implied it was a 'characteristic' of the car. This was within the first few months of them arriving at dealers and the car was only a couple of months old.

I travelled 50 miles each way to try it so you can tell I was serious about the car.

[RobDickinson]

Interesting, I'll never see one over here tho.

The 508 is a newish model? This seems like it'd have been worth a go 3-4 years ago but going to be a little late by the time they get them near a road..

[John_S4x4]

What is the sticky out thing on the C-piller next to the petrol cap ? - Is it a pitot tube or a camera mount or something ?

[Roger Irrelevant]

I really like that, looks quite American in a very good way. I must admit I've never really got the big fuss over interiors - you can have people slagging something like this off but then waxing lyrical over the latest BMW or whatever, whereas to my eyes they don't look different enough to worry about - show me them again a day later with any badges blanked over and I probably couldn't tell which was which.

+1 to whoever called for an estate version.

[anonymous-user]

tonyb1968 said:

Why is the 308 GTI 270 appallingly expensive? It cost no more than most other hot hatches to run, yes you have to replace the spark plugs every 10k but that's about it, otherwise its pretty cheap to run. Maybe 5 years down the line when you wear the front discs and pads out, that will hit you hard but most people would have sold the car by then and have moved onto their next one, its not a killer cost wise considering its performance.

Also i'm not really sure you have sat in the new models, or driven them, the latest i cockpit is a great place to be, the touch screen could be better but its not the worst in its class and at least the sat nav works better than some of its german rivals i've been in.
The look over smaller steering wheel feels far more natural than the look through wheels, less intrusive, also makes it feel a little sportier to drive, of course having won the european car of the year in 2017 for the 3008 and what car class leader for the 5008 this year, they are doing pretty well overall, being different and still making money, which if you look back 9 years and see that this was a company on the verge of bankruptcy, they have done well to get where they are.

Oh and the RCZR's interior is based on the 308 mk 1, as is the car itself

All I say in response is, I worked at Peugeot Main Dealer until December 2018, from 2012, and saw the introduction of all of the "8" series vehicles, except the 208, which had already been lauched, and have attended too many training courses to accurately recall; and with respect, have probably encountered more Peugeots than you have. And I owned a 208 GTi, which I am adamant is one of the most enjoyable cars I have ever owned.

I stand by everything I have said. The 308 GTi is appallingly expensive to maintain. Peugeot's servicing in general in comically overpriced, largely by vrtue of the fact that for every service they insist on doing a "Vehicle Health Check" which adds 45 minutes to actual service work time. Thta's how a 16000 mile oil change takes 1 hour 15 minutes. To keep in line with Peugeot's pricing the dealer I worked at put truly enormous percentages (in the 100s of %) on cost, on some items. Admittedly other items had a normal amount of margin. Peugeot are notoriously fussy about service schedules and parts, therefore you're tied to main dealers if you want the warranty to hold up. I would not own a modern "8" car out of manufacturer warranty.

The new sat navs don't work as well as the one in my 2009 Scirocco. The touchscreen, until recently suffered, from being unresponsive in the cold. Updating the OS and sat nav is a masterclass in counter-intuitive process.

The ergonomics are challenging. I personally like the small steering wheel, but I am outweighed hugely by those who don't. If you get them, absolutely great, but Peugeot seem to think they are a premium brand which is patently not the case.

I would definitey have a 208 GTi by Peugeot Sport. But this 508? I maintain it won't be made.

[Burgerbob]

Simonium said:

I stand by everything I have said. The 308 GTi is appallingly expensive to maintain. Peugeot's servicing in general in comically overpriced, largely by vrtue of the fact that for every service they insist on doing a "Vehicle Health Check" which adds 45 minutes to actual service work time. Thta's how a 16000 mile oil change takes 1 hour 15 minutes. To keep in line with Peugeot's pricing the dealer I worked at put truly enormous percentages (in the 100s of %) on cost, on some items. Admittedly other items had a normal amount of margin. Peugeot are notoriously fussy about service schedules and parts, therefore you're tied to main dealers if you want the warranty to hold up. I would not own a modern "8" car out of manufacturer warranty.

I own a 308 GTi and I think it is a fantastic car. It is probably the most enjoyable of all hot hatches to drive hard, and apart from the CTR its' probably the fasted round a track. It is back to basics being manual and no driver modes etc, but it has been set up well by Peugeot Sport. It's lightweight and has a better power to weight ratio than most (including cars like the Golf R). It takes a bit of getting used to the i-cockpit and touchscreen which may explain the mixed reviews by journalists and people who have driven one. But own it and it feels very second nature after no time.

However, I would fully agree that it is appallingly expensive to maintain. It's a family hatchback at the end of the day not a supercar. So why do the spark plugs need changing at every service, and why are the plugs so specialist that you can only get them from Peugeot at £20 each. (The reason, the engine gets very hot so they have an 8 heat range).

The brakes are great, but totally unnecessary for road driving and at £1,200 for replacement front discs...

The 1.6 engine is a real peach kicking out 272 bhp in a very driveble manner. But to do this it is fully forged, has an expensive turbo etc

Because of the fancy brakes, it needs 19" wheels and elastic band tyres, but careful of those wheels as they are specialist lightweight ones with a replacement value of £950 each.

Peugeot Sport has kitted the car out very well and I genuinely think it is more to showcase what they can do rather than be a mass market car. It is just a shame that Peugeot has done a poor job of marketing the car. It's not as fancy or noisy as an I30N, but it would leave it behind... But everyone loves the i30N due to the very well thought out way Hyundai launched the car.

My car runs out of warranty next month - whilst it has proved very reliable I will be extended the warranty.

[st4]

Burgerbob said:

I own a 308 GTi and I think it is a fantastic car. It is probably the most enjoyable of all hot hatches to drive hard, and apart from the CTR its' probably the fasted round a track. It is back to basics being manual and no driver modes etc, but it has been set up well by Peugeot Sport. It's lightweight and has a better power to weight ratio than most (including cars like the Golf R). It takes a bit of getting used to the i-cockpit and touchscreen which may explain the mixed reviews by journalists and people who have driven one. But own it and it feels very second nature after no time.

However, I would fully agree that it is appallingly expensive to maintain. It's a family hatchback at the end of the day not a supercar. So why do the spark plugs need changing at every service, and why are the plugs so specialist that you can only get them from Peugeot at £20 each. (The reason, the engine gets very hot so they have an 8 heat range).

The brakes are great, but totally unnecessary for road driving and at £1,200 for replacement front discs...

The 1.6 engine is a real peach kicking out 272 bhp in a very driveble manner. But to do this it is fully forged, has an expensive turbo etc

Because of the fancy brakes, it needs 19" wheels and elastic band tyres, but careful of those wheels as they are specialist lightweight ones with a replacement value of £950 each.

Peugeot Sport has kitted the car out very well and I genuinely think it is more to showcase what they can do rather than be a mass market car. It is just a shame that Peugeot has done a poor job of marketing the car. It's not as fancy or noisy as an I30N, but it would leave it behind... But everyone loves the i30N due to the very well thought out way Hyundai launched the car.

My car runs out of warranty next month - whilst it has proved very reliable I will be extended the warranty.

It’s a high performance car though. Bar the spark plugs nothing there looks that silly.

Good quality forged components, good expensive turbo and light wheels just sounds like an engineering lead approach.

[Don Roque]

Absolutely gorgeous and the interior is stunning. Top marks for styling.

[Tannedbaldhead]

GTEYE said:

Nerdherder said:

Pass. Could not live with that interior.

+1 The outside looks genuinely attractive but Peugeot please, that interior looks terrible and for many people it just doesn’t work.

I spent 2 days in a rental 308 (decent enough car) but however you move the steering wheel, it just doesn’t really work.

They’ve found a (bad) solution to a problem that didn’t exist.

I bought a 208gti a couple of years ago.
My intended car was a Polo.GTI but wasn't prepared to wait for the six month wait on factory order.
My local Pug had a 208 in the showroom and was able to put me o the road in 3 days.
I didn't really take to the steering wheel and dash set up.
To make things work I had to sit slightly higher but with the steering wheel slightly lower than I felt was ideal.
It didn't take long to get used to and now I feel every other steering wheel feels huge and cumbersome.
Was in a 508 today and found the interior a very pleasant place up be. Quite like the 3008 interior too.

[Howrare]

I was really looking forward to the 508. I've had two extended test drives now and it is full of flaws. The styling and interior looks great. I really struggled to get comfy and still see all the displays. The steering is awful. The ride is harsh at times. The gear change vague and notchy. The information systems are slow and clunky. For a large car it's tiny inside. I really wanted to like it, but it fell well short for me.

My Passat GT is a little dull at times, but it just works. Hit the personal settings and it can entertain too. Shame the BIK rates are going mental and the GTE doesn't stack up for me. Just requested a Corolla Tourer Excel to replace it.

[B10]

Good to see the model number on the bonnet again rather than the afterthought Peugeot name in addition to the lion.
Shame that there are no colours available; again the fashion for shades of grey and one insipid red.
I quite like the interior. They have paid homage along with Audi to the Austin allegro steering wheel.