It’s official, the Peugeot 408 is finally unveiled! So half-sedan, half-SUV? Or SUV coupe? Here are our impressions around and especially on board this almost unclassifiable lioness. A new issue which will be marketed in January 2023 in France, before investing in China. Discovery.
We’ve been talking about the P54 project for months, since January 2020 precisely! The crossover sedan finally received, at the end of May, an official name: Peugeot 408. An appellation which logically positions it above the 308, but which above all responds to a Chinese logic.
If in Europe, at the beginning of the 2010s, the Peugeot 407 gave way to the very first generation of 508, within the Middle Kingdom there is indeed a Peugeot 408 in the catalog, inserted between the 308 and the 508. The Asian 408 is none other than a 308 notchback with an added trunk. A silhouette hitherto essential to meet the specific needs of local customers. But there, as here, fashions change… This is why, in order to adapt to new expectations, this 408, which will have a career in Europe and China (where it will be called the 408X), is adopting an original recipe that is not lacking in flavor. Place for tasting.
Peugeot 408, phantom threat for the 508?
In January 2023, the 408 will be inserted in the range between the Peugeot 308 saloon and the 3008 SUV. This original silhouette, marrying a dynamic line of the fastback type with SUV trappings, could just as well take on the role of a small 508. With its generous boot capacity, it would also be able to divert some of the customers from the 308 SW. We take stock of the multiple destinies of this potential Swiss army knife. Be that as it may, this type of vehicle remains rare on the market. Apart from the Volvo S60 Cross Country and the Polestar 2no other car has yet ventured into this territory which seems promising and – at present – the only possible salvation for family sedans.
“Without a generalist rival, the Peugeot 408 therefore has a card to play, an opportunity to seize! “
Dimensions Peugeot 408
| Peugeot 308 SW | Peugeot 408 | Peugeot 508 | |
| Length (m) | 4.63 | 4.69 | 4.75 |
| Width (m) | 1.85 | 1.86 | 1.86 |
| Height (m) | 1.44 | 1.48 | 1.40 |
| Wheelbase (m) | 2.73m | 2.79 | 2.79 |
| Trunk (l) | from 610 to 1,660 | from 522 to 1,611 | from 487 to 1,587 |
Because for the customer the benefit is immediate, both from the point of view of exclusivity and versatility. Larger than a 308 SW (4.63 m), the 408, 4.69 m long, is only 6 cm shorter than the 508. It also stole its 2.79 wheelbase from its big sister. m and its broad ways. The latter impose on it swollen fenders at the front as well as at the rear. If the hood, the windshield, the structure of the front doors, the headlights and the lights are taken from the 308, the rest of the elements no longer have anything in common.
Lamborghini style
Better than a 308 with trunk, the 408 sports a new dress. The designers had a field day, affixing here and there bodywork facets and very dynamic creases. In detail, the Peugeot logo that appeared on the front wing of the 308 has been moved to the door in order to balance the proportions and not compromise visual harmony. Every detail counts. Similarly, the design of the sills lightens the whole and removes a little height from the sides. At the rear, the stylists have also shown boldness and skill. They managed to visually erase the imposing overhang. An extension necessary to offer the 408 a comfortable hold volume, close to that of the 308 SW station wagon: from 522 to 1,611 l for the first, from 610 to 1,660 l for the second.
The trick is an inverted design of the black part of the shield like the modeled bottom of the tailgate flap. In addition, the aerodynamics have been optimized, with a reduced frontal area (SCx of 0.654 m2) and a Cd of 0.28. The two cat’s ears located at the very top of the tailgate have a dual function: on the one hand, they conceal the trunk hinges set back as far as possible so as not to encroach on the interior space, on the other hand they channel the air flowing over the roof towards the horizontal spatula positioned at the bottom of the rear window. Rear three-quarter view, the Peugeot 408 evokes the Lamborghini Urus SUV. Hard to get more aggressive. The lioness will not go unnoticed, and that is the goal.
In fact, the car deceives its world by being high on legs but low cabin. It is helped in this by wheels whose diameter can reach 20 inches and are shod with 245/40 tires. Its rims sporting an original asymmetrical design are a nod to a fashion of the 1980s. They can evoke those of the Citroën CX GTI. It’s very trendy right now. The Renault Scénic Concept is also built in this style. Could it be the “Gilles Vidal’s touch”?
A nice car with driver
On board the 408, no surprise, we find all the furniture of the Peugeot 308. The dashboard is rewarding with its digital instrumentation on a 10-inch panel, accompanied by a 3D display in high-end liveries. The central console also houses a 10-inch touch screen, underlined by keys that are also tactile and configurable: the i-Toggle.
The large wheelbase of 2.79 m (identical to that of a 508) and the very horizontal roof ensure good interior space in the rear seats.
But the novelty is in the rear seats, access to which is facilitated by long doors. Once seated, we benefit from a generous roof guard, ideal for an adult of 1.75 m. The space is also royal for the legs as for the feet, which have beautiful cellars to slip under the front seats. The latter have also been raised to offer a more typical SUV driving position. Would the 408 be a car that you enjoy with a driver? In China the question arises, in Europe not really.
A Peugeot e-408 approaching
Under the hood, the engine range of the 408 is logically based on that of the 308 and gives pride of place to rechargeable hybridization. There are two versions, one combining 180 hp, the other 225 hp. Those who don’t need a “plug-in” car will opt for the PureTech 130 hp version instead. This unique thermal version will serve as an entry-level model. Conversely, in 2024, a 100% electric variant will complete the offer, benefiting from the new Nidec engine and an ACC battery like the future 3008 and the DS4 E-Tense. The Peugeot 408 will ignore the diesel, as well as the manual gearbox. The eight-speed EAT8 automatic transmission comes standard. Choices dictated in part by the Chinese market, but above all by the electrification of the range at more or less high doses.
The 408 range will be reduced to three trim levels: Allure, Allure Pack and GT. The copies sold in Europe will come out of the chains of the factory in Mulhouse, Alsace. Production began there at the end of March 2022. The cars for China, which will be identical in all respects, will come from the Chengdu site.
Peugeot 408 review
Original and offbeat in the face of competition that is currently unable to replicate, this Peugeot 408 will not lack assets. It will seduce both those who are tired of SUVs and sedan enthusiasts looking for a change. This new number may also make eye to the clientele of statutory compact sedans (Audi A3 Sedan, BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé and Mercedes CLA), the preserve of premium brands, adding the exotic touch of a crossover.
So everything to please this Peugeot 408? Some will criticize her for a style that is too divisive, which she fully assumes. The 508 will not say thank you to him because it should delight him with customers fond of novelty. The prices of the vehicle will be revealed at the end of November 2022 when the orders are opened and the first dynamic tests. Before that, Peugeot will meet its customers in dealerships and at the Paris Motor Show (October 17-23), where the 408 will take pride of place.
