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To prove its second generation 508 could be a real driver's car, even in heavier PHEV form, in 2021 Peugeot brought us this, the 508 PSE or 'Peugeot Sport Engineered'. It looks arresting, particularly in post '23-plate updated form, and there's no shortage of power or ambition here. But you might find the price tag formidable.
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History
Back in 2019, Peugeot announced a car that probably didn't register on your radar, the one we look at here, the 508 Peugeot Sport Engineered. Its subtle market presence was somewhat strange because at the time of launch it was the most powerful model the Gallic brand had ever sold. Delayed by the Pandemic, it took until 2021 for this car to go on sale here and just two years more before it was facelifted.
It's one of those used cars we like because it's different from anything else in its segment from its era and full of apparent contradictions: a PHEV that's all about performance. And a mainstream brand model targeted at the premium segment. From a sub-brand with virtually no market recognition.
The 2023 package of mid-term updates probably didn't go far enough but brought a sharper look and improved cabin screen tech. Plus an increase in PHEV battery size from 11.8kWh to 12.4kWh, which boosted Ev range slightly. In this form, the car sold until late-2025, when it was discontinued and not replaced.
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What you get
It's entirely possible that potential 508 PSE customer might be prepared to overlook this car's lack of a premium badge merely on the basis of the way it looks, especially in this SW estate guise, the alternative being the five-door Fastback.
Enter in across the PSE-branded door sills and you'll find sports seats part-trimmed in 'Mistral' nappa leather, with extendable under-thigh support and lime green kryptonite stitching that's extended onto the dash, the door cards and a perforated leather-trimmed steering wheel with the PSE three-slash badge. Carbon-fibre-look trimming decorates the central part of the dash, you get a large overhead glass sunroof and there's a big FOCAL speaker in the centre of the dash top.
As in an ordinary 508, this cabin is completely different in every way to the Teutonic sports saloon rival from this era you might previously have been considering. That's mainly because of the usual Peugeot 'i-Cockpit' dashboard design that sees you looking at the digital instrument screen over the top of the steering wheel, rather than more conventionally through its spokes. Said wheel is smaller than the norm too: don't worry, you'll adjust to it all quickly.
The rear seat space is reasonable, but three adults will need to be on friendly terms. With the SW estate, the powered tailgate rises to reveal a cargo area that's 530-litres in size (43-litres bigger than the Fastback version). Seat retraction catches are provided on the cargo bay sidewalls and when you operate these, up to 1,780-litres of space can be freed up in the SW model, 243-litres more than you'd get in the Fastback. These figures, (rather impressively) aren't affected by the PHEV system packaging.
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What to look for
Most MK2 508 PSE Hybrid buyers we came across seemed satisfied. But inevitably there were a few issues. We've heard of defective parking sensors. And thoroughly check the functionality of the centre screen, which has a reputation for freezing and glitches, plus navigation failures and software issues.
The wheel bearings on higher mileage models can make noise - look out for this on your test drive. There are also problems with the steering rack: it can knock and leak. Though the body is not prone to corrosion, red spots can sometimes be found in the wheel arches. Check the junction of the wings to the bumper for peeling paintwork. With the Fastback, water can get inside the boot when the rear hatch is raised, so inspect the inside of the trunk carefully for dampness and mould. Older cars can exhibit problems with the keyless entry system - usually caused through water getting into the door handles. Make sure that the charging lead functions properly and hasn't been run over and damaged. Otherwise, it's just the usual things; check the interior for child scrapes - and the wheels and rear bumpers for parking scratches. And insist on a fully stamped-up service history.
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Replacement parts
(approx based on a 2023 508 PSE 1.6 Hybrid PHEV excl. VAT - autodoc) Expect to pay around £5-£10 bracket for an oil filter, in the £6-£11 bracket for an air filter and around £4-£8 for a fuel filter. Front brake pads vary in price from £28-£63. For front brake discs, think in around the £38-£92 bracket. A timing belt and water pump kit costs in the £80-£150 bracket. A starter motor costs in the £112-£26 bracket. An alternator is in the £790-£930 bracket. A radiator is in the £66-£175 bracket.
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On the road
Peugeot Sport knows a thing or two about the 1.6-litre petrol turbo engine that beats beneath the bonnet of this 508 PSE, having tuned it in all kinds of special ways the memorable 208 GTi hot hatch that sold in the middle of the last decade. Here, that unit appears in 200hp form supplemented with a pair of 11.5kWh battery-powered electric motors, a 113hp one on the rear axle and a 110hp one built into the 8-speed auto gearbox at the front. That takes power up to 360hp - more than virtually all obvious rivals; hence the sprightly 5.2s 0-62mph time despite the prodigious 1,875kg kerb weight. To give you some class perspective, think a second faster than a rival BMW 330e. This Peugeot's top speed is 155mph.
That's with combustion power and of course the eager 'Sport' drive mode engaged. The other available drive modes are '4WD', 'Hybrid', 'Comfort' and 'Electric'. With the latter setting engaged, the top EV speed is 86mph but if you get anywhere near that, you'll decimate the claimed EV range from the PHEV system (rated at 34.2 miles with the 12.4kWh battery that replaced the initial 11.8kWh battery as part of the 2023 facelift). You can save some of that EV range for city driving you might need to do later in your trip via the car's incorporated 'e-SAVE' function.
But you won't be choosing this PSE model if all you have is frugality in mind. You'll want it to be fast - which as we've said it is. And good around the bends too - which is where this top 508 gains another tick. Having a motor on each axle means AWD, which combined with grippy Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres means tenacious traction through the turns. Paddleshifters are provided behind the little steering wheel, but they feel a bit plasticky and insubstantial. And on that subject, there are various little minor creaks and rattles from the cabin over poorer surfaces that you just wouldn't get from an equivalent VW Group product.
Suspension settings make up for this a bit. Adaptive damping is standard and, with the 'Comfort' drive setting selected, allows for supple standard of ride, despite the big 20-inch wheels. The electric steering rack isn't particularly feelsome, but the car changes direction alertly. It's really quite a different kind of 508.
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Overall
The glory days of Peugeot Sport - the Le Mans victories, the World Rally Championship wins - seem long ago now but this sub-brand evidently still has engineers with petrol running through their veins. What could have been just a 508 PHEV in a higher state of tune was here transformed into something more. The 508 always claimed - a little misleadingly - to be a 'sports saloon' but this one really was.
Actually, we think it's at its most alluring in SW estate form but either body style offers something refreshingly different in this period from the Teutonic norm. Which you're going have to really like to blow the kind of money necessary here. But in return, you're offered looks, power and rarity value. It's still not enough to compensate for the lack of a premium badge, but if despite that you still want this car anyway, we'd entirely understand.
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