2 weeks Ago
PEUGEOT has form when it comes to coupes. For as long as I can remember it has offered a sleek three-door to complement its family-sized saloons. The 406 Coupe, launched in the 1990s, was widely lauded as being one of the best mass-market coupes and some critics even likened its looks to a contemporaneous Ferrari.
Its successor, the 407 Coupe, is commonly known as the ‘shark nose’ thanks to an inordinately long snout (a pointless response to new crash regulations which led to an entire generation of Peugeots which had a lot in common with fellow French export, Cyrano de Bergerac). And now we have the 408 – a coupe with four doors and a hatchback, an impressive amount of cutting-edge tech and a surprisingly wide range of engines. Interestingly, Peugeot bosses seemed unsure to which category the 408 belonged when the wraps came off a couple of years ago.
CEO Linda Jackson said it was a mixture of a saloon and an SUV but, to my eyes, it’s all coupe. Looking good: The Peugeot 408 - a coupe with no compromise (Image: Peugeot UK) Peugeot is betting that it won’t be a niche player, however, and offers a wide range of engines from a mild-hybrid petrol to a pure electric. The car sent for review was the hybrid which pairs a small 1.
2-litre three-cylinder petrol turbo with a 48V battery and a small electric motor for a combined power output of 136 bhp. That’s plenty for day-to-day and you’ll have no problem cruising the motorway with plenty in reserve (top speed is over 130mph). Around town, the electric motor fills in the lack of low-down torque for smart getaways at the traffic lights.
You can drive on the battery alone, just not very far. The tester arrived in metallic blue (what Peugeot calls Obsession Blue) and it looks fantastic. It’s a £750 optional extra but, I have to say, it suits the 408’s attractive lines perfectly.
The car got many an admiring glance as I wafted along in town. Big beefy 19-inch alloys fill out the arches nicely, and Peugeot’s ‘lion’s fang’ daytime running lights, paired with a massive 3-D grille, look dramatic. It's a very smart looking car and a refreshing change from hordes of identikit SUVs.
It drives like a proper Peugeot, too, with excellent damping on poorly surfaced roads, a flat cornering attitude, good grip and low-geared steering which gives it the kind of instant response Mini owners know and love. Hopefully, Peugeot will green light a GTi version of the 408 (or perhaps an Mi16) because the chassis feels as though it could handle a lot more than 134bhp. If it does, a manual gearbox option would be good.
The eight-speed automatic is generally smooth but saps acceleration and can sometimes be caught out if you demand instant acceleration. In bad weather, you’ll miss the lack of a rear wiper (something of a rare feature these days) because, despite careful aero management, the tail still flicks up dirt from the road and messes with your rear vision. No such concerns about forward visibility, though.
The view from the driving seat is good and even better at night thanks to the LED matrix lighting which react to on-coming traffic in real time to avoid dazzle but still, somehow, throw a full-beam light into the road ahead. They work, too, and I didn’t once get flashed by angry drivers who thought I was dazzling them. Every car should have a similar system.
Inside there’s plenty of room, although taller passengers may find headroom in the back seats slightly restricted due to the downward swoop of the roofline. The fascia looks modern but not at the expense of usability. The 3-D instrument cluster is clear and attractive.
I appreciated the large centre console/cup holder, which has a sliding cover to hide valuable objects, and the steering wheel controls (cruise/driver assist on the left, audio on the right) which are easy to operate. The tailgate opens to reveal a generous well-shaped boot space, making this a practical car and not just a good-looking one. The interior is modern, but simple to use.
(Image: Peugeot UK) For your cash you get a lot of kit: on the GT model that includes personalised ambient interior lighting (eight different colours to choose), chunky leather heated steering wheel, ‘magic flat’ folding rear seats with lever releases in the boot (v handy), dual zone air conditioning, an air purification system, full digi instrument pack, wireless smartphone charging, a foot-operated rear tailgate, parking sensor and colour reversing camera, full smartphone integration and USB-C charging sockets. The standard sat nav received live updates via the TomTom servers and speed camera alerts. A three-year subscription is part of the overall package.
The touchscreen is nice and responsive (although my Android phone’s screen was squeezed to fit the Peugeot screen ratio which meant some of the icons look a bit...
fat). This is an issue with several manufacturers and is down to how the Android Auto screen scaling protocol is implemented in software. Kudos to Peugeot for including physical controls for the heating and ventilation so you don’t have to stab around a touchscreen just to turn on the air conditioning.
Traditional wisdom goes that a true coupe shouldn’t compromise on style for reasons of practicality. That’s why drivers have been prepared to pay a premium for good looks even if it meant less space and a smaller boot. But the 408 proves you can have your cake and eat it.
It looks great from every angle, but the roomy interior and large boot make it a genuine family car. A coupe without compromise? I think it could be. SPEC CHECK: Peugeot 408 136 GT.
Price: £37,337. Engine: 1.2-litre turbo/48v battery/electric motor.
Max power: 136 bhp. Max torque: 170Nm. Top speed: 136 mph.
0-62mph: 10.2 seconds. Combined fuel consumption: 47.
9-58.8mpg. Luggage capacity: 536 litres seats upright.
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