Peugeot 408 review

The elephant in the car with all Peugeots these days is the steering and control concept. You get a flat-topped steering wheel and high-mounted instruments that you look at over the wheel rather than through it.

Some people like it, some hate it – opinion is divided on the TG team, but provided you sit upright and adjust the steering column downward like a sensible person, the dials are in clear view and you don't have to drop your sightline very far.

If you tend to sit reclined or are shortish and keep the seat base low, your eyes won't be able to peer over the wheel rim and the dials will be more or less cut off. The whole idea also depends on a small steering wheel, which makes the steering feel direct, because Peugeot hasn't installed a low-geared steering rack to compensate.

So does the 408 handle well? 

The small wheel means that small movements of the rim give you a rapid turning effect, making the car feel agile into turns. The heavier hybrid and electric versions of the car seem to have more roll, so you get a bit of lean through the corner.

Once into the corner, it's grippy and keen, and resistant to hog-squealing understeer. In short, the 408 exhibits a decently set up front-wheel drive chassis. If you could pair the higher power of the EV or PHEV versions with the light weight of the entry petrol, it'd be more of a firecracker. But it's a refined, satisfying and just well developed car as is.

And the ride?

It's not soft-riding like a Citroen (and surprisingly different to the departed C5 X) but the springing and damping do let the body breathe, giving it a long-legged and relaxed feeling. Yet there's enough control on big undulations and dips. Even with big alloys, you don't suffer too much; they still have decent sidewall, and you hear the action of them thumping through ruts and potholes rather than feel it.

What’s the performance like?

The 1.2 petrol feels perkiest off the line and offers some of that revvy 3cyl thrum, while the PHEV has the advantage at a motorway cruise when it comes to overtaking. The hybrid doesn’t like it if you mash the throttle – the initial response takes a while, then the car clumsily drops a load of gears and you wait for the performance to filter through to the road. Take it easier and it’s nicely refined.

There are steering wheel paddles to control the transmission's indecision, but they're pretty much a waste of plastic. The override lasts only a couple of seconds before it defaults back to auto, so you can't successfully hold a gear through a sequence of bends.

Is there much difference in efficiency?

Not really – we saw around 45mpg in real world driving in both. You'll probably manage around 20 miles in EV mode in the hybrid around town. As ever, it’s really only worth considering if you can charge at home; it just doesn’t make sense to charge a PHEV on public points. The mileage it adds will be covered more frugally by petrol, sadly...

And the E-408?

Its 0-62mph time of 7.6 seconds might have previously seemed brisk for a premium, five-seat family car, but in the world of EVs, it’s pretty tame. Don’t let that put you off – like the (even slower) Peugeot E-308, it lends the big Pug a smoother, more laidback approach that’s thoroughly satisfying in day-to-day life. And it’ll still do instant, electrified torque for the brief moments you need to slip keenly into traffic.

A range of 280 miles is arguably pretty tame too. Especially paired to 120kW charging. But the modest 58kWh battery will fight back in that regard, making your slightly more frequent stops compared to rivals that little bit swifter.

Peugeot claims 4.09 mi/kWh; in torrid conditions, with all the heating on and the car frequently three-up, we scored 2.9. In more summery weather you might get closer to the official claims, and with a wall box at home – something painless EV ownership realistically relies upon – it’ll all be much less of an issue.