Peugeot 508 SW PSE, the French hyrbid tiger
If I’m honest, I was really looking forward to testing this Peugeot 508 SW PSE! If we look at the history of Peugeot, there’re some doubtful moments but certainly a lot of “that’s what heroes are made from”-memories. Combine that history with the fact that this Peugeot 508 SW Peugeot Sport Engineered is the most powerful production Peugeot EVER and an instant smile is created.
PSE
… or Peugeot Sport Engineered is the name added to a Peugeot 508 SW with a 200 HP 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbo petrol in combination with 2 electric engines good for 360 HP and 520 Nm of torque. The e-EAT8 (8-speed electrified automatic gearbox) makes it possible to launch the car from standstill to 100 km/h in just 5,2 seconds and on to a limited (!) top speed of 250 km/h. Don’t forget: this is still a 1.6! Feeling-wise, I had guessed the car was slower to 100 km/h. It doesn’t feel explosive fast or turbo-kicks the hell out of you but just delivers the power very very very smooth.
Fun fact: you -with your big family station wagon- will kick the ass of the Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI and BMW 128ti! And not only in a straight line but also through the twisty bits.
It’s unbelievable what Peugeot did with this 508! The chassis is one of the best I have driven in the past year, even more: one of the best in … ever. I know that’s a big thing to say, but the car gives you so much information and confidence about what’s happing on the road underneath the wheels. POETRY! In your butt, you can feel what animal you just drove over and in your hands, you can feel if that animal had a light or heavy breakfast! The downside for all that information is the fact the car is pretty rigid and that doesn’t contribute to the comfort of the car. Keep in mind that this is a family car after all.
The golden chassis in combination with the four-wheel drive (petrol to the front and electric at the back) gives you grip from here to the moon and back! Powerslide: NO. Talking a corner at a speed I wouldn’t dare even to think about in a Mercedes-AMG GT: YES! Hitting the corner with that speed is probably caused by the “I-don’t-trust-them-anymore” brakes. How I wished those hooked up better!
Talking about the average consumption of the Peugeot 508 SW PSE is a pretty difficult object! With a full battery, I managed to do 20 kilometers of emission-free driving. But where is the fun in that? If you combine the 2 drivetrains in a rather normal usage, around 3.5 liters/100km and 15.2 kWh/100km could appear. (if you manage to charge your battery properly)
French art
Impression, Soleil levant from Claude Monet is a good example of beautiful French art and this Peugeot 508 is a good example of modern beautiful French art! It was unanimously decided that this Peugeot 508 SW PSE is like Amy Sonck. The front, the back and all in-between look pretty much perfect!
The front is so sharp and so extremely aggressive with those sabertooth tiger teeth. Adding the little acid green details and extra lip to give it that little bit extra! Forgetting about the fact this Peugeot is … a Peugeot and just looking at the lines on the side of the car and you will see what we see. And again, some little extra lip with something that looks like it gives a bunch of downforce -just in front of the back wheels-.
The back looks as aggressive as the front of the car. The tinted rear lights with fun Nightrider welcoming spectacle complement the back with 2 exhaust tips nicely. 10 out of 10 for styling, Peugeot!
Didn’t we see this somewhere else?
Yes, you did. Don’t get us wrong. The Peugeot 508 SW PSE is a nice place to be in and gets some little interior tweaks to make it just that tag more special. Just think about the PSE logo on the steering wheel. But there’re a lot of things you can find on other (and cheaper) Peugeots, that are already 7 years old. For a special car - like this 508 PSE is- that’s a little bit of a shame.
That said, it does work well. Okay, the infotainment system isn’t at the level of the Germans, but that’s with all non-German cars. The infotainment system works easy and fast enough, the stereo sounds better than average and the middle console looks just so sick! We feel like a jet fighter pilot!
Furthermore, the Peugeot is equipped with all the safety features, it has heated seats that can massage you and storage room for all the stuff your kids decide to bring! Let us not forget the immense 530-liter booth space for your daddy things.
Expensive French men
A basic -and slow- Peugeot 508 SW will set you back an easy 35.000 euros, but if you go loco and you decide to pull the trigger on a PSE. Wow, that price jumps to an eyewatering 68.000 euros! Adding the white color and the panoramic sunroof, the “70.000 euros”-border is broken. But if you go for a less powerful, less rare and less cool German you will lose the same amount of money. And don’t forget, they don’t drive this awesome.
