Peugeot 508 SW GT-Line 180 PureTech 2018 first drive

The roof-line’s growth spurt means there’s now a comfortable amount of headroom in the rear, too. Even relatively lofty individuals shouldn’t experience much in the way of discomfort here, although the same trick hasn’t been pulled with regards to legroom. Unfortunately, this is still just as tight as it is in the saloon. Still, for a family with two, perhaps three kids to cart about, the 508 SW more than passes muster.

And that’s certainly no bad thing, because the elongated Pug’ is still just as tidy to drive as ever. There’s an impressive suppleness about the manner in which the 508 SW’s MacPherson strut front- and multi-link rear suspension deals with undulating road topography. Compressions are progressive and comfortably cushioned, while vertical travel in the opposite direction is kept closely under control over crests, too. 

Select Sport mode and optional adaptive dampers tighten up the Peugeot’s body control even further, whilst also sharpening throttle response and adding a more athletic amount of weight to the steering. That steering is suitably quick off centre, too, and lends the car a reassuring sense of agility. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say the 508 SW feels like a genuinely entertaining car - even on the twisting coastal roads that made up our Portuguese test route - the additional handling confidence Sport mode seems to instill in the car’s chassis is by all means welcome. 

It’s pretty tidy out on the motorway, too. Comfort mode adds an even greater degree of cushioning to the 508’s already pliant ride, while the 1.6-litre four-pot ticks away in an impressively urbane fashion. That motor lends the Peugeot a respectable turn of pace, too, pulling enthusiastically and from 2500rpm.

It’s shaping up to be quite an enticing package, this. But that’s not to say it’s ointment is entirely fly free. The eight-speed automatic transmission, for instance, is a bit too eager to revert back to shifting gears itself after you’ve tugged one of the paddles, even in Sport. And while there is a dedicated manual setting, it’s accessed through its own drive mode, so you lose the benefit of the sharper powertrain response and improved body control if you want to exercise total authority over the gearbox. That said, those who like to tow things behind their D-segment estate - there’ll likely be quite a few of them - will find Manual mode useful for reigning the Peugeot’s speed in when travelling downhill.