Peugeot 408 Review

The new Peugeot 408 will arrive in Ireland in early 2023 and is a brand new model for the French car brand. It will join the 308 and 3008 in Peugeot’s C-segment offering.

The 408 is positioned as a more stylish and exclusive fastback-style model for buyers seeking an alternative to an SUV. It will go on sale in Ireland priced from €39,995 and will be available with petrol and plug-in hybrid engines from launch, with an electric version to join the range at a later date.

So what does the new 408 have to offer Irish new car buyers? Caroline travelled to Barcelona with Peugeot to drive the new 408 plug-in hybrid ahead of its official arrival in Ireland.

Styling

The new 408 is just one more in a long line of very stylish new models from Peugeot – but could be the brand’s most dramatic yet. It’s now the second model to wear the new Peugeot ‘lion shield’ logo. Styled as a fastback, the 408 measures just under 4.7 metres in length. It’s a bit wider than a 308 and has a slightly more flamboyant grille at the front that’s the same colour as the bodywork and framed by slim LED headlights (Matrix LED on GT) and fang-like daytime running lights. It sits a bit higher off the ground than a 308 with some crossover-inspired styling cues like cladding around the wheel arches and sills. At the back the roof slopes down to the boot lid in an elegant coupé-style and there’s a large contrasting grey bumper, which gives an aggressive and sporty stance to the car.

The 408 has a lot of presence and looks best in a metallic hue like Obsession Blue, which is available at no extra cost. Alloy wheel sizes will be available from 17-inch up to optional 20-inch with a special geometric design. In Ireland, there are three trim levels available for the 408: Allure, Allure Pack and GT.

Interior

Inside, the 408 has a similar cabin design to the 308 but the extra width of the car gives it a little more mature feeling behind the wheel. The cabin wraps around the driver for a cosy, driver-focused feel. The cabin quality is excellent throughout with elegant trim details in the doors and dashboard. A full digital driver display comes as standard, and a large 10-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard. It’s a latest generation Peugeot interior with the brand’s unusual ‘i-Cockpit’ arrangement where the driver looks over the compact steering wheel at the driver display. Always worth trying before you buy to make sure this is a comfortable driving position for you!

Fabric and leather-effect seats with mint stitching come as standard, while Allure Pack models get Alcantara and leather-effect seats with green stitching, and GT models have the choice of black or stylish blue ‘Naboo’ leather. High-tech driver assistance features include Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go function, Night Vision, which warns of animals, pedestrians or cyclists ahead before they appear in the high beam, long-range blind spot monitoring (75 metres), and Rear Traffic Alert.

Practicality

The wheelbase is longer than a 308 so the 408 scores really well for rear legroom. It’s a bit wider as well, so seating three should be more comfortable. Headroom is just slightly compromised for the sake of that sloping roof line towards the rear of the car. The boot is also a very good size. The petrol versions are best for boot space at 536 litres, but plug-in hybrid versions still manage 471 litres. The opening is wide and the sill quite low too for loading things in and out easily. A powered tailgate is standard on the 408 GT.

Engines

The new 408 will be available in Ireland with a 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine with 130hp or as a range-topping plug-in hybrid with either 180hp or 225hp. All models are front wheel drive and come with an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The hybrids can be charged to give an electric driving range of up to about 60 kilometres.

Charging

There’s a 3.7kW on-board charger with the option of a 7.4kW version for faster AC charging. With the standard charger it will take about 3.5 hours to charge to full from a wallbox or 5.5 hours from a 3-pin plug.

On the road

The 408 drives with maturity on the road, offering a big car feel from a compact model. It feels a bit more comfortable and planted in the corners thanks to a longer wheelbase and wider track than a 308. At the launch, I tested the range-topping plug-in hybrid with 225hp, which offers a pleasant delivery of power and responsiveness. It was a smooth drive over the Spanish tarmac and very quiet on the road, no doubt helped by an acoustic windscreen as standard and additional laminated side windows on Allure Pack and GT models. There’s some lean in corners but impressive amounts of grip and well-weighted steering make it agile and secure through bends for all types of driving. You can drive the hybrid in electric mode for up to about 60 kilometres, and it seems efficient even when running in the hybrid mode.

Pricing 

The 408 Allure 1.2 petrol will go on sale from €39,995. The same power option with Allure Pack will be available from €41,995, while the top of the range GT model will be available from €44,995. The plug-in hybrid with 180hp is available from €44,995. The range-topping plug-in hybrid with 225hp is available from €52,495 (GT only).

Summary

The Peugeot 408 is a great addition to the Peugeot range and offers a spacious and stylish alternative to an SUV. The fastback design is very appealing and the 408 will stand out as something very different on Irish roads for quite some time. There are plenty of SUVs hovering around the 408’s price range but this car has great presence and offers a lot of rear legroom and boot space that make it very practical as well. It might sport some very dramatic styling but it’s no folly. There are subtle differences to the cabin and driving experience compared to a 308 – all of them good. Peugeot has gone up in the world and the 408 will fill a very pleasant niche within the range.

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Written by Caroline Kidd

Founder and Editor of Changing Lanes, Juror for Irish Car of the Year