2021 Peugeot 508 GT Fastback 1.6 Turbo Review

The fall from grace for the medium sedan and wagon segment has been much publicised in the past decade. Previously selling thousands of cars in Australia in the early 2000s, both the sales figures and amount of choices available for mid-sizers have declined significantly and former buyers of cars such as the Honda Accord Euro, Subaru Liberty and Ford Mondeo have had to look elsewhere for their next automotive purchase. Thankfully, there are still a few mid-sizers around and some manufacturers are continuing to renew their mid-size efforts. One such car is the 2021 Peugeot 508 GT Fastback, which is currently the flagship Peugeot in Australia. Is it proof that light still exists in the mid-size segment? Let’s find out. 

Price & Equipment: 7/10

Priced at $57,490 plus on-road costs ($62,490 drive away), standard kit on the 2021 Peugeot 508 GT includes 19-inch wheels, all-LED lighting, auto lights and wipers, dual-zone climate control, Nappa leather upholstery, heated 12-way electrically adjustable front seats with massaging and driver’s memory functionality, keyless entry and start with an electric tailgate, heated and auto-folding mirrors with puddle lamps, a 10.0-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation, digital radio, a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display, front and rear parking cameras with parking sensors, a Focal 10-speaker sound system, adaptive dampers, floor mats, privacy glass, wireless phone charging and four USB ports.

Safety kit includes six airbags, auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind-spot monitoring, lane keep assist with lane trace assist, adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality, auto high beam, driver attention monitoring, adaptive taillights (which are on all the time and increase their brightness in rainy conditions), automatic parking and speed sign recognition. Notable absences include rear cross-traffic alert, automatic rear braking, Matrix headlights, rear occupant alert and intersection assist for the auto braking system.

Only available fully loaded in Australia in the top-spec GT, the 508 is only available optionally with a $2,500 panoramic sunroof and premium paint that ranges from $690 for ‘Nera Black’, ‘Ink Blue’, ‘Artense Grey’ and our test car’s ‘Platinum Grey’ to $1,050 for ‘Elixir Red’ and ‘Pearl White’. The only no-cost colour is ‘Celebes Blue’ and the only interior colour available is black. If the liftback sedan is too small for your liking as well, a five-door wagon variant is also available for an extra $2,000.

Competitors to the 508 GT include the $58,119 drive away Volkswagen Passat 162TSI and the $54,990 drive away Skoda Superb 162TSI. Both the Passat and Superb use the same platform, same engine and a lot of their available technology is the same as well – plus, like the Peugeot, they’re both available in wagon form as well. Yet despite being less expensive than the 508 GT, especially the Superb, they’re also better equipped – especially with safety kit. For example, the Superb has nine airbags, rear-cross traffic alert, Matrix headlights, auto rear braking and even a system called emergency assist, which will slowly stop the car and call emergency services if the driver becomes completely unresponsive behind the wheel. 

The other issue with the 508’s value equation is that it used to be priced from $56,990 drive away – a full $5,500 less than now. Standard kit has improved slightly with newly-standard 19-inch wheels replacing the former 18s, and all manufacturers have raised their pricing using COVID-19 as an excuse, but it’s a tough pill to swallow for a brand that already offers expensive cars. 

We think offering a lower-spec 508 GT-Line would also offer better value for money – use the same 133kW 1.6-litre turbo engine as the 3008 GT Sport, price it in the low $50,000 bracket and more Australians would definitely flock to it. 

Performance & Fuel Economy: 8/10

Under the bonnet of the 2021 Peugeot 508 GT Fastback is a 165kW/300Nm 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that’s mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and driving the front wheels. It’s actually the same engine that features in the 3008 GT Sport, but with 32kW more power and 50Nm more torque. While that may not sound like much to some, the 508 only weighs 1,385kg (tare mass), which is light for the segment – a Passat weighs 150kg more, for example.

So while the performance figures aren’t amazing, the 508 does feel quicker than you’d expect thanks to its lighter weight. Its peak torque is at 2,750rpm and that means you don’t have to rev it to get the most out of it. But when you do, it sounds nice and the quick-thinking eight-speed automatic transmission has you in the correct gear almost all the time – it can be caught by quick successive changes in throttle, but it’s otherwise great.

By contrast, the VW Group twins feel more muscular – their peak 320Nm hits at just 1,500rpm and they’re faster at just 7.0 seconds to 100km/h as well – but the 508 still feels quick. Overseas, Peugeot claims that the 508 with this engine will hit 100km/h in 7.3 seconds and we think that’s more on the money than the 8.1 second claim locally.

But the lightness of the 508 pays off in fuel economy – Peugeot claims that the 508 GT will use 6.3L/100km on a combined cycle, which is around a litre less than the Passat and Superb. We achieved 7.4L/100km in mostly urban driving, which isn’t too far above the combined claim and less than both the Passat and Superb in our testing. The 508 features a 62-litre fuel tank and uses minimum 95RON premium unleaded fuel – and it must be filled with that fuel as it has a petrol particulate filter (PPF). 

Ride & Handling: 9.5/10

Using the same EMP2 platform as a number of other Peugeot Citroen products, the 2021 Peugeot 508 GT Fastback is an accomplished driving car that’s worthy of its GT badging. It manages to blur the lines of sporty and comfort really well, and we think it’s one of the best driving cars in the class. It doesn’t pretend to be a lap time chaser – leave that to the 508 PSE – and instead focuses on maximum everyday comfort with a dash of weekend backroad run for good measure.

For starters, it has proper suspension – so many French cars use a simple torsion beam rear suspension layout, but the 508 uses a fully independent set up that gives it a broader range of talent in dealing with Australia’s rubbish roads. It’s also got adaptive dampers, which are much less floaty in comfort mode than VW Group cars.

But its suspension doesn’t get to a super firm sport setting either as its five driving modes – eco, comfort, normal, sport and manual – offer up a broadly similar suspension tune that’s very well sorted and very comfortable.

The handling of the 508 GT Fastback is aided by its low weight, and it feels light and delicate as it dances from corner to corner. It’s not as sporty as a Skoda Octavia RS, but it can still more than hold its own with excellent grip from its Michelin tyres and quick steering offering more than enough detail for the driver. It must be said though, visibility is not great, but its road noise levels are comfortably low – definitely lower than the Passat and Superb. 

Interior & Practicality: 9/10

Unlike the Passat and Superb with their Germanic and conservative – but high quality – interiors, the 2021 Peugeot 508 GT Fastback offers a bespoke and somewhat exotic cabin that surrounds the driver in luxury. The design is radical with plush materials and sharp corners, while the use of technology is strong as well. Quality is excellent – most surfaces are soft touch and stitched too, while the soft Nappa leather that covers the seats is wonderful.

Centre of the 508 GT’s cabin is a 10.0-inch touchscreen that serves in other new Peugeot and Citroen products. In cars such as the 3008 and C5 Aircross, the screen quality is poor but the 508’s screen has seen a big improvement in this area, making it easier to use. The system itself is largely identical however, and could still use improvement with usability. It is well featured though, with inbuilt satellite navigation, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and digital radio. 

Although it’s not that spacious, the 508’s cabin is surprisingly practical. There are reasonable front cup holders and door pockets, a nicely sized centre armrest bin, a tray next to the gear selector for items such as sunglasses and even a big tray mounted at the back of the centre console which houses the car’s wireless phone charger and two USB ports. The glovebox, though, is minuscule in the typically French way – they don’t bother moving the fuse box to the right side of the car in converting it for Australian roads. 

The rear seat of the 508 GT is well featured with an arm rest with cup holders, air vents, two USB ports and map pockets, though not a separate climate zone or heated seats like the Passat and Superb. Its rivals have the legs – literally – here as well as their legroom far exceeds the somewhat tight 508, and that’s the case with headroom as well. But the 508 is definitely more coupe-like in its styling than those cars.

The boot of the 508 GT is a healthy 487-litres with the seats up and 1,537L with them folded. It features a few hooks and the seats fold almost flat, and it also features a power tailgate that can be activated with your foot under the bumper. However, the boot is like the back seat in that the Superb and Passat offer much more space – the Superb’s boot is 625-litres and the Passat’s is 586L, and they are more featured as well with nets and more hooks to hang bags off. Like the Superb and Passat, the 508 features a space-saver spare wheel.

Service & Warranty: 7/10

Like other Peugeot products locally, the 2021 Peugeot 508 GT Fastback is covered by a five-year/unlimited km warranty with five years of roadside assistance included too. The 508’s service intervals are once yearly/every 20,000km, which is 5,000km longer than the VW Group cousins, and five years/100,000km of servicing costs an expensive $3,394 ($678 per service). The 508 is quite expensive to service but its long intervals make it better value for those doing lots of driving. 

The Volkswagen and Skoda also come with five year/unlimited km warranties, though only a year of roadside assistance that’s topped up by 12 months with each dealer service. Servicing the Passat 162TSI over five years/75,000km costs a still-expensive $3,191 ($628 per service – and that’s with 5,000km less distance each year than the Peugeot), while the Superb 162TSI costs $2,829 ($565 per service) over the same distance as the Passat. You can pre-pay for five years/75,000km of servicing with the Passat for $2,400 ($480 per service) and the Superb for $1,800 ($360 per service). 

The 2021 Peugeot 508 GT Fastback DiscoverAuto Rating: 8.1/10

Like the Citroen C5 Aircross we reviewed recently, the 2021 Peugeot 508 GT Fastback is a really great entrant into its segment that offers a lot to Australian buyers. It’s very handsome, it’s great quality with its bespoke feeling interior, it’s well equipped, drives very well, is reasonably practical and features a peppy turbocharged petrol engine that’s capable of diesel-like economy. Unlike its most direct rivals too, the 508 features a lot of character.

Of course, it’s not perfect – the interior can be cramped for taller people, the boot in competitors is larger, it’s expensive to buy and service and it lacks some active safety features that are present in less expensive competitors. But if you’re able to look past those negatives, the 508 GT Fastback is a genuinely excellent option in the mid-size segment that really proves that you don’t need an SUV. In our eyes, it’s at straight to the top of the segment and with a better value equation – like other recent Peugeot Citroen cars – it would be even stronger.