A family saloon or is it an executive car?
People dont buy French executive cars. It doesnt matter how good they are, UK drivers arent interested. Hence the 508. Its Mondeo sized, but styled and equipped to come on like something altogether more elevated. Not so much an exec, you might say, as a rep with ambition.
Whichever 508 you choose, the cabin feels very modern and well laid out. Its well built, too, and very easy to get comfortable, with lots of adjustment in the seats. You wont struggle for places to put your bits and pieces, and space in the boot is impressive, even if its limited by the amount of room in the back seats which is very good. In other news, we cant be sure just how many different warning noises the 508 is capable of making. Our favourite was what sounded like an air raid siren which went off when we tried to shuffle it forward a few feet in a parking space without shutting the door properly. Before long, your kids will be encouraging you to do things wrong for a laugh.
The 508 looks like it ought to be pretty smooth on the road, and by and large thats how it turns out. The 2.0 HDi tested here has plenty of oomph, and the optional auto box on our car is as slick as you like. Its quiet, too; the engine never gets intrusive, and theres no more than a touch of wind noise on the motorway. If you really want to have fun in a 508, is could be argued, you should go for the GT. But the standard model is more than pleasing enough. It handles quite crisply and, while ride quality isnt limo-like, its totally appropriate.
Youll see huge discounts being offered on the 508s list price. Which is good news, because its already decent value to start with. Buy a 508 with the lower-powered diesel, and itll also reward you with impressively low emissions and 75-plus mpg on a run. That makes for sensible tax levels to go with your low fuel bills, but balance this up against whats likely to be a fairly hefty rate of depreciation. Best of all, most people thought our 508 was an executive car, such is its presence in saloon form. And thats a lot of prestige for your cash.
