Strangely enough, the sight of this Peugeot 408 reminds us of the American car industry of the 1960s and 1970s. Yes, we don’t always keep track of our twisted thoughts ourselves, but we can explain them. That was the moment when ‘ordinary’ cars gradually no longer had to be so ‘ordinary’. In fact, that buyers gradually began to demand the same luxury that had become the norm in higher segments.
In Europe this was reflected in Ghia logos on Fords and vinyl roofs on Opels, but in the US it quickly spiraled out of control. In the mid-1970s, even in a humble Dodge, you were surrounded by so much plastic wood, thick velor seat cushions, and ornately scripted badging that you’d almost think you were in an intended Rolls-Royce competitor.
If everything is special, nothing is special
It was all Royale Brougham Executive Limited; everything went out of their way to be special. As a result, nothing was really special. The same phenomenon is now resurfacing in our society. After all, if you pick up the garbage for work, you’re a hero. And if you fill shelves in the supermarket at night, you’re an epic warrior.
That might feel pretty good, until you think a little further: if everyone already finds the most mundane things bizarrely über-iconic, how can you still stand out and achieve something really special? Peugeot thinks it has found the answer; within their corner of the car market, at least.
The Peugeot 408 Hybrid looks special
A few years ago, they started to do things a little differently with small steering wheels and prestigious design, which in no time elevated them above the traditional well-behaved middle class role they had fulfilled for so long. And now they go one step further: they come with a new and unusual body shape. (Yes, brother Citroën C5 X was there first, but it is a bit bigger and more expensive and therefore aims at a different class.)
‘You would prefer to fold its interior and carry it with you like a hip man’s bag’
Peugeot itself calls the 408 a C-segment sedan, but we cannot fully understand that. It has a fifth door, so it’s not a sedan. We would rather refer to it as a long, flat, roughened and jacked up cross-fastback, or something like that. If that description reminds you of anything: with a little imagination you could characterize it as a poor man’s Taycan Cross Turismo. And with that thought you understand why we strayed to the American velor story.
The Peugeot 408 is refreshing
Well, at least the 408 is not the umpteenth self-righteous pseudo-SUV, and that is quite a relief. We actually think it’s beautiful to look at – low cars that are a bit higher on their legs often strike just the right chord with us. It has a ground clearance of 188 millimeters, which should come in handy with the large number of thresholds in our corner of Europe.
You may think that its sloping roofline means bad news for rear passengers, but that’s not too bad. Even our editor, who invariably grumbles that with his 1.83 meters (but the leg length of a seventh grader) he can no longer sit properly, just brushes his crown against the sky.
The interior is neat
Incidentally, the upscale experience continues unabated inside the 408. Thick windows, nappa leather upholstery, electrically adjustable seats with massage function – especially in this GT version you will lack nothing. The finish is excellent and the whole environment looks so fresh and modern that you would prefer to fold everything together to carry it with you as a hip man bag. Did we really say that? Cough, barbecue and beer tonight.
Up front we find Peugeot’s evolved i-Cockpit with indeed that small steering wheel (half of our editors detest it, the other half like it, so tell me), a two-layer ‘3D’ counter screen and a central display with so-called i-Cockpit toggles.
We know these from the 308 and they are very handy: they are programmable shortcuts on a separate screen below the central infotainment. Underneath that, we actually also find some real buttons for a handful of important functions: car settings, window heating, recirculation, that kind of thing.
The interior of the Peugeot 408
It’s a good digital-analog mix and it looks great too. You have to get used to some facets of the operation, because if you don’t know that you can set your odometer screen with the buttons on the ends of the indicator and wiper rods, you’re looking for an accident. The screen in the middle also works a bit clumsy at times, but it’s okay in the base.
It includes excellent TomTom navigation that neatly warns you about traffic and speed cameras and has a shortcut to turn off assistance systems such as your lane assistant – Peugeot itself knows that that is annoying. Sometime in 2023 there will be an update for the active steering assistance: it can also change lanes semi-automatically from then on. Can we do it ourselves now?
The different versions of the Peugeot 408
On the center console is a prominent button for the driving modes – you can choose from Electric, Hybrid and Sport. Because yes, our 408 has the well-known Stellantis hybrid technology on board: 1.6 four-cylinder, electric motor, eight-speed automatic transmission and a comfortable 225 hp. There is also a 180 hp version and a 130 hp non-hybrid petrol version, but you know us. We have to go on the road again with the fastest in the stable.
As in other models of the group, this powertrain is not disappointing here either. The 408 reinforces its opulence by effectively keeping its efforts in the background: it is wonderfully isolated and muted to drive, with few annoying sensations from the outside. The seat heating and massage keep going until you turn them off yourself, and before you know it you’ve covered hundreds of miles.
The handling of the 408
But just because it invites a calm, carefree ride doesn’t mean it doesn’t have wild hair. When we come across some nice corners, we put it on Sport and we sit down for it. The electric motor provides the necessary urgency and the four-cylinder gets going with great ease. Where he normally does his work quietly, he now puts on a small throat.
The typical steering wheel and the fast transmission will have you chuckling in no time. The higher suspension brings some lean, but nothing excessive, and the amount of understeer is limited and predictable. Especially the balance between physical and regenerative braking is now remarkably well done; an improvement over the 308 we rode last year.
The brakes of the Peugeot 408 hybrid
The 408 slows down with conviction and confidence when we charge it just a little too smoothly into a corner. You notice that its higher hybrid weight has some effect, but we better get used to that in these times.
The transmission throws a little more spanner in the works, which sometimes reacts slowly when accelerating out, doesn’t always listen well to our flipper commands and occasionally chooses an unnecessarily low gear if we let it sort it out for itself.
Our car may still have some pre-production electronics issues; he sometimes seems unaware that his petrol engine is running, judging by the energy animation on the screen, and even cuts out for a second while driving – only to immediately restart himself and pretend his nose is bleeding . It’s Friday, we forgive him.
The consumption of the Peugeot 408 Hybrid
During all the antics, the 408 apparently knows how to manage its hybrid activities well, because the average consumption eventually comes out at 7.0 l / 100 km, with 10 percent of our varied drive fully electric. According to information, the 408 can drive about 64 kilometers electrically and in our experience it knows when that is smart (in the city) and when it is not (on the highway).
That’s what you hope and expect from a plug-in hybrid: that it thinks along with you to come to a good compromise in terms of consumption and performance, and that it doesn’t carelessly drain its battery in the first fifteen minutes of your journey.
The final verdict of the Peugeot 408 Hybrid 225 GT
How can we sum up the new 408? We think it’s a beautiful appearance that lives up to the high expectations in terms of finesse, tech and atmosphere. It offers a wonderfully quiet and refined driving experience and the necessary comfort, while also being up for a drink now and then.
All good news, but the big question is of course: will you leave an ordinary hatchback, station wagon or crossover for this chunk of fastback-like soft road style? Want to get past the velvet? Do you pierce the OMG epic iconic genius? If the answer is yes, then you have your own 408 in the Netherlands from 41 mille for the 1.2 petrol.
That is 10 grand more than a 308 – heavily exaggerated, but who wants to be beautiful, et cetera. For the 180 hp hybrid you have lost 46 mille, for the 225 hp just under 50. In Belgium the values are 34, 41 and 44 mille respectively.
Our GT version is slightly more expensive, but that is the version that you must have – if only so that you can, and we strongly advise you to, buy this completely crazy 20-inch Mono-lithe for a paltry 500 euros. rims can be ordered. Now that’s a heroic act.
Specifications of the Peugeot 408 Hybrid 225 GT (2023)
engine
1,598 cc
four-cylinder turbo hybrid
225 hp @ 6,000 rpm
360 Nm @ 1,750 rpm
Drive
front wheels
8v automatic
Performance
0-100 km/h in 7.8 seconds
top 233 km/h
Consumption (average)
1.3 l/100 km
28 g/km CO2 A label
Dimensions
4,687×1,859x
1,478 mm (lxwxh)
2,787mm (wheelbase)
1,681 kilograms
40 l (petrol)
471 / 1,545 l (luggage)
Prices
€ 52,370 (NL)
€44,329 (B)
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