Yahoo Autos Peugeot 508 GT: A Look at the Future, Just Not Our Future
French cars traditionally have served up rather unique driving experiences through novel and funky solutions to engineering problems, soft suspensions, and, more often than not, futuristic designs. For Peugeot, however, its styling efforts have devolved into downright boring cars since the elegant, Pininfarina-styled 405 it last sold in the United States in the early 1990s. A conservative approach is unlikely to help the brand reestablish itself as it plans its return to the U.S. market in the near future. Thankfully, a new generation of models is coming to reestablish Peugeot's previous design mojo and is spearheaded by the shapely 2020 508 GT, a car that squarely aims at the sports-sedan establishment dominated by the Audi A4, BMW 3-series, and Mercedes-Benz C-class.
The front-drive-based 508 is a stunner—low, wide, and compact, with an aggressive, chiseled look created by tightly drawn lines and hard creases. The new face of Peugeot incorporates two vertical driving lights that look like fangs. The obnoxiously large mouth of recent Peugeot models has been scaled back. There also are frameless windows, and the 508's flowing tail hides a large liftgate. For those who want even more space, a 508 wagon is available.
The forward thinking continues inside, but just because it looks like a spaceship doesn't mean it's impractical. Getting in and out is easy. Once inside the cabin is spacious, and the area under the hatch is massive. The center console is wide and tall, and the small-diameter, two-spoke steering wheel sits low in the dash. The main instrumentation in front of the driver is positioned above the upper rim of the steering wheel, which allows it to work as sort of a head-up display. The digital gauge display can be configured in various styles, including a drum-type speedometer and tachometer, as in a classic Citroën. Below the center touchscreen for climate and infotainment functions, there is a set of piano-style keys that accent the angular and sleek gear selector. Higher trim levels gain open-pore wood trim.
A Range of Powerplants
Peugeot's current top-of-the-line engine for the 508, a turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four, is based on the venerable Prince architecture. Codeveloped with BMW and best known in the U.S. as the engine in the 2007 to 2014 Mini Cooper, the turbocharged 1.6-liter engine has been reworked to produce 222 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque. According to Peugeot, that's enough for an unremarkable zero-to-62-mph sprint of 7.3 seconds and a terminal velocity of 154 mph. Combined fuel economy in the European cycle is impressive at 44 mpg, but it's easy to manage at least 30 mpg, even with prolonged high-speed driving.
