The Peugeot 408 is on sale now, giving you a family-friendly alternative to the likes of evergreen crossovers like the Nissan Qashqai. Prices start from £31,050.
Update: Since this guide was published we have driven the new Peugeot 408. Click here to read our full Peugeot 408 Review
Peugeot 408 Exterior and Interior Design
The Peugeot 408 has been designed to offer an alternative to family car buyers looking for the practicality of a boxy crossover, but in a more stylish package. It blends coupe looks with a crossover-style raised driving position, and the practicality of a hatchback boot.
You get all the styling cues you would expect of a modern Peugeot. The gaping grille, bookended by spiky LEDs, makes the 408 look like a lion (the company’s mascot) yawning, with sleek LEDs taking the place of eyes.
Body creases and chunky cladding give the 408 big-cat muscle in profile, and the car’s raised ride height versus a conventional large family car – like the Volkswagen Passat – will prove useful over speed humps and deteriorating road surfaces.
Around the back, a tapered roofline makes the 408 look more crossover than SUV, but the hatchback bootlid – which rises to leave a huge boot opening – means it’ll be easy to make the most of the Peugeot’s 536-litre boot.
In terms of dimensions, the 408 is 4699mm long and 1480mm tall, making it slightly longer and shorter than a Nissan Qashqai.
Inside, all versions of the 408 get a 10-inch digital instrument binnacle and 10-inch central infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Peugeot 408 Engines, Plug-In Hybrid tech and Performance
The Peugeot 408 will be available with a choice of one petrol and two plug-in hybrid petrol engines. An eight-speed automatic gearbox is fitted as standard.
The petrol is the same 1.2-litre 128bhp PureTech that has been used in everything from the 208 small car to the 5008 large family SUV. Expect it to deliver the same, surprisingly punchy performance in the 408, which on paper delivers 0-62mph in 10.4 seconds and has a top speed of 130mph. Fuel economy of around 45mpg should be achievable in a mixture of driving.
