Road Tested by Hugh Maguire.
It is interesting that more and more of the cars I am road testing recently are petrol powered ICE (internal combustion engine) mild hybrids.
Why?
Because as we all know the EV market has not grown at the rate that was expected. Buyers have become cautious about EV’s for a multiple of justifiable reasons, namely, they are not as green as we were told, range anxiety, high depreciation levels, a poor public charging infrastructure, the high cost of public charging and the availability or lack of it of home charging to many households.The result is many manufacturers are investing in developing petrol hybrids and these cars may offer a really good solution to reducing emissions offering electric and petrol power in one.
This is borne out by the new car sales figures here in Ireland. At the end of October 26.32% of new car sales have actually been petrol engined cars, 22.35% petrol hybrid, 17.79% EV, interestingly almost the same for diesel at 17.26% and finally plug in hybrids at 14.72% .
PHEV’s have come under scrutiny as European regulators consider changing their WLTP assessment. The reason behind this change is that many owners benefit from the lower tax on PHEVs but actually don’t plug in resulting in higher fuel consumption and therefore emissions as they carry around all the weight of a battery and electric motor that they don’t use often enough.
So to the Peugeot 408 mild hybrid that I am reviewing here. The car I am testing this week is the Peugeot 408 in Allure trim, mild hybrid.
I spent one week and some 500km behind the wheel of the 408 hybrid in a variety of traffic, a variety of weather ( its Ireland after all) and with and without passengers. By the end of my week I came way feeling that Peugeot have managed to produce a car that is very well rounded in all areas.
So has it got real street cred?
This 408 certainly cuts a dash. It’s a substantial car boasting the latest Peugeot badging and Peugeot “Face”. I think it is a very attractive design with a coupe-like profile. The black unpainted plastic rear bumper on the Allure model is a bit disappointing though. There are some great colours. But colours aside this is a distinctive and attractive design. So yes this 408 has serious street cred!
What is it like inside?
The new 408 boasts the next generation of Peugeot’s i-cockpit which includes a 3 D effect to the main configurable digital instrumentation. Overall the digital instrumentation is very good with analogue style round dials. The 10 inch central touchscreen boasts excellent graphics and beneath it a row of i-toggle haptic touch buttons for shortcuts to the screen as well as some really beautifully machined high quality buttons for some main climate functions. Full marks to Peugeot for a lovely dashboard. They have not followed the awful trend of a massive iPad style screen perched in the centre, but rather integrated the whole display into the dash. The cabin is very nicely finished with a general feeling of real quality throughout. Soft touch materials and a well built solid feel to the interior make this a top quality cabin. The driving position is just about perfect and the level of standard safety and comfort kit is very good indeed.
Accomodation is very good though the lower rear roofline may restrict headroom somewhat for tall adults while there is a decent sized boot accessed via a large rear tailgate.
What’s under the bonnet?
A 1.2 litre, 3 cylinder petrol turbo combined with a 48volt mild hybrid system. Power output is decent 145 bhp. The car performs well and will run on electric power alone but only at very low speeds and not for long. Nevertheless this obviously helps economy and I returned an overall petrol consumption of 6.1 litres per 100k over my road test and of course no plugging in needed!
What is it like to drive?
Peugeot always made great handling cars and the 408 is no different. The are three drive modes. Sport, Normal and Eco. Sport mode simply steps up the engines response to throttle inputs. There are paddles on the steering wheel if you feel like getting more involved but the 6-speed auto gearbox is not particularly responsive. The ride is well controlled more firm than for example many SUV’s but the trade off is a car that boasts agile handling and a more rewarding driving experience.
Overall the 408 is a pleasant drive though and covers the KM’s quietly and smoothly.
Hugh’s Verdict.
It is a car that is hard to place really as it is a five door hatchback with the lines of a saloon or coupe. The slightly cheaper Renault Arkana springs to mind as an obvious comparison. But I would choose the 408 for its more rewarding driving experience. So the Peugeot 408 mild hybrid is an attractive package that offers style, a welcoming cabin, reasonable standard kit and its good to drive. Prices start at €37,995.