The handsome Peugeot 508 THP

‘True style never shouts’, says Peugeot in the 508 THP's brochures. Shout, sing or whisper, the saloon is one tastefully good-looking car, with sleek and muscular design, as far as we are concerned.
Its stimulating drive, spacious rear passenger space and the overall interior ambience with lavish enhancement provide outstanding premium specs for those who want a touch of luxury continental family car.

THERE'S something about the French grandeur Peugeot 508 THP. For some reason, it has the aura of elegance, style and distinctive character that sets it apart from the rest of its rivals in the large sedan segment.
The facelifted Peugeot 508 1.6 litre THP (Turbo High-Pressure) is easily recognised with its majestic contours – benefiting from a new front grille, re-sculpted rear with a chrome strip across the boot lid and new lights. It is safe to say that the new sleek and muscular design represents the new direction of the French automaker.
As a driver, I enjoy the classy design of the instrument cluster which certainly put this car on par with other premium grand tourers; it is not only enjoyable to drive but offers a high performance luxury travel and comfort.
With a range of safety features such as the blind spot warning system and navigation system that include the head-up glass display showing the travelling and auto cruise speed, the THP model was also awarded 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating five years ago.
Placing my kids in the Britax child car seat hooked onto the ISOFIX anchorage was a breeze and the rear passenger centre slot was a welcome feature since we could fit in two bottles of drinks, some crackers and Hari Raya titbits.
My wife and the kids concurred that it was a quiet ride during our trip down south even while travelling in triple digit speeds on the highways. We were also impressed with the cabin build quality and plush interior.
However, for future improvement, I am pretty sure that car owners would appreciate for the front centre console to provide sufficient slots for bottled drinks, mobile phone and SmartTag. Also, it is so unique that to unlock the huge 545-litre boot, you have to press the ‘0’ of the 508 emblem.
The car also offers a quad zone climate control for all its front and rear air-conditioning vents (left and right) and the remarkable sound systems of JBL and Arkamys 3D sound processing.
Night vision was brilliant; thanks to its full LED headlamps and whenever I navigated a corner or intersection, the lower lights of either side automatically presented an extra radiance.
If you are a light right foot driver, you can be assured of a good fuel economy. In a real world test, the 508 THP clocked a respectable 7.3 litres per 100 km with 70% on highways and 30% on country and city roads during the 934km journey in this 1,410kg sedan.
Mind you, the fuel consumption was quite impressive considering that at the start of the outstation journey, the car had to endure a two-hour crawl in the typical Kuala Lumpur’s Friday evening traffic.
Once the traffic was clear, gearshifting was effortless. The electro-hydraulic power-assisted steering and paddle shift responses were predictable. On the North-South Expressway, the 508 feels most at home without having to activate the Sport mode and body roll was kept to the minimum on the trunk roads.
This is a full-sized family sedan but it is a fun car to drive and can be bit sporty too. One thing that pleases me is that the 508 rides on most tarmac conditions with composed ride quality.
During a short drive around Johor Baru, an old pal stated that he was impressed with the car’s stimulating drive, spacious rear passenger space and the overall interior ambience with lavish enhancement of this CKD model.
He reckons that the THP model is a more compelling alternative than the Japanese and Korean variants in the D-segment.
He was surprised when I told him that this French car is powered by a turbocharged 1.6 litre twin scroll THP 4-cyclinder engine with 6-speed transmission. “Seriously, you are kidding right? This car feels like a 2.0 litre engine!” he exclaimed.
If I consider the 508 THP saloon as already adequate for a family, I wonder how much acres of space we would enjoy if I were to take my family to ride in the 508 THP SW (stationwagon), dubbed as Peugeot’s flagship family touring car (I was informed that the 2.2-litre GT turbodiesel variant is able to go beyond the 1,000km mark on a single tank!).
In the past, a Peugeot might not stir up a strong presence in the large saloon segment in this part of the world but this latest French grandeur certainly provides outstanding premium specs for those who want a touch of luxury continental family car.
This big Pug may still sound conservative to some petrolheads but this is one of the cars that caught me by surprise and I must say the 508 THP is the most underrated car in the D-segment.