2024 Peugeot 408 GT Plug-In Hybrid Review

These days, in an era of plethora of synergy sharing and every car looking the same, it’s difficult to make a car that is truly different or something that you’ve never seen before. Everywhere you go – in Sydney at least – there are dark-coloured SUVs everywhere you look and standing out in traffic is easy if you’re brave enough, but not many people do. For those wanting to feast their eyes on something unique, however, there is an answer: the 2024 Peugeot 408 GT PHEV.

Striking, isn’t it? In the four years we’ve run DiscoverAuto, we’ve not noticed quite so many stares from those passing by, clearly interested by the 408’s sharp design. Trust modern era Peugeot to create something this distinctive and handsome. In truth, the coupe SUV formula is nothing new, but the way that Peugeot has styled its new mid-sizer is remarkable – and clearly, critics agree as it won a Red Dot Design Award in 2023. But is there more to the 408 than just styling? Let’s find out.

How much does the 2024 Peugeot 408 GT cost to buy?

For now, there’s just one model in the 408 range in Australia: the GT plug-in hybrid, which is priced from $67,990 plus on-road costs (or around $74,000 drive away, depending on location). As we’ve seen with a lot of other new Peugeot models in Australia, the 408’s local specification level is quite high and only a few pieces of equipment missed the boat to Australia: a Focal sound system, a higher-rate 7.4kW onboard charger, night vision and a wireless phone charger. Hopefully they’re offered locally at some stage.

2024 Peugeot 408 GT PHEV standard equipment:

• 20-inch alloy wheels with a tyre repair kit
• Dusk- and rain-sensing all-LED exterior lighting
• LED front and rear daytime running lights
• Rain-sensing automatic wipers
• Keyless entry and push button start
• Electric tailgate with hands-free functionality
• Rear privacy glass
• ‘Mistral’ black Nappa leather upholstery
• Heated leather steering wheel with paddle shifters
• 12-way driver/10-way front passenger electric front seats with driver’s memory functionality
• Heated and massaging front seats
• Dual-zone climate control with an air quality sensor and rear air vents
• 10-inch digital driver’s display
• 10-inch touchscreen with live services and over-the-air updates (free for the first three years)
• Wireless and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring
• Satellite navigation with TomTom mapping and live traffic
• AM/FM/DAB+ digital radio
• Six-speaker sound system
• 4x USB-C charging ports
• Mode 2 cable for charging from wall sockets
• Sport, hybrid and electric driving modes
• Eight-colour LED interior ambient lighting
• Auto-dimming rear mirror
• Alarm

408 GT PHEV safety equipment:

• Auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection
• Driver attention alert
• Automatic post-collision braking system
• Lane departure warning with lane keeping assistance
• Active lane follow assist
• Blind-spot monitoring (up to 75 metres) with rear cross-traffic alert
• Adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality
• Matrix adaptive high beam
• Driver attention monitoring
• Traffic sign recognition
• Front and rear parking sensors
• 360-degree camera
• Tyre under-inflation detection

The 408 received a four-star Euro NCAP rating in 2022 based on testing of the smaller 308 with scores of 76 per cent for adult occupancy protection, 84 per cent for child occupancy protection, 78 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 65 per cent for safety assist.

408 GT PHEV colour range:

• Obsession Blue (fitted to our test car)
• Nera Black: $690
• Okenite White: $690
• Sellenium Grey: $690
• Elixir Red: $1,050

408 GT PHEV options:

• Sunroof: $2,000

In our opinion, there aren’t many competitors to the 408, especially as a plug-in hybrid. The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV is probably the most similar to the 408 in that it’s a coupe-styled plug-in hybrid small-to-medium SUV but it’s also much cheaper to buy and its interior isn’t anywhere near as luxurious as the 408’s cabin. Therefore, we consider the Audi Q3 40 Sportback ($70,800 plus on-road costs) and BMW X2 xDrive20i ($75,900 +ORC) to be the 408’s main rivals based on price and size.

It’s here that the 408 is good value for money as it includes a lot of equipment not standard or even available on its German rivals, and it offers some features not available on them in Australia, like a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. Buyers of the X2 must select a $4,700 optional package to match some of the 408’s equipment list with features like a heated steering wheel and electric front seats with heating and massaging, plus $2,000-optional 20-inch alloy wheels and it’s similar for the Q3.

Overall, while the 408 is missing a few features we’d expect for the money like automatic braking in reverse, a proper 360-degree camera and a premium sound system, we think it’s reasonably good value for money, especially against those German competitors that don’t offer plug-in hybrid drivetrains, have less special feeling interiors and are smaller inside as well. We’d also love to see Peugeot Australia offer the 132kW version of the same drivetrain that’s sold in Europe or even the 160kW non-PHEV 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine sold in some markets to widen the 408’s appeal to more buyers.

How efficient is the 2024 Peugeot 408 GT?

Under the bonnet of the plug-in hybrid 408 is a 132kW/250Nm 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that’s combined with an 82kW/320Nm electric motor driving the front wheels for peak outputs of 165kW and 360Nm. The electric motor draws power from a 12.4kWh lithium-ion battery that provides up to 60km of range (WLTP), which can be charged at up to a slow 3.7kW on an AC charger for an approximate 0-100 per cent charge in 3.5 hours. A full charge on a 10A cable will take around six hours, which means overnight for most owners. We’d like to see the higher-rate 7.4kW onboard charger in Europe offered locally to increase charging speeds or DC fast charging ability added like the Eclipse Cross, especially for those who don’t have easy access to charging infrastructure.

The claimed combined fuel consumption for the 408 is 1.3L/100km with claimed CO2 emissions of 30g/km, but like all other plug-in hybrids, that will depend on how much it’s charged. In our first 100km of driving, we recorded 4.2L/100km and an electric-only range of 42km, but that included a reasonable amount of highway driving where electrified vehicles are typically less efficient. We didn’t charge the 408 and settled on a reasonable 6.6L/100km figure over our week with it. The 408 PHEV has a 40-litre fuel tank and needs minimum 95RON premium unleaded fuel.

What is the 2024 Peugeot 408 GT like to drive?

Based on the same ‘EMP2 V3’ platform as its 308 sibling, the 408 GT is mostly quite comfortable and offers a good balance between comfort and sportiness. The only dynamic issue with the 408 is that its standard 20-inch wheels make the ride a touch too firm at lower speeds and bigger bumps are felt in the cabin, but at higher speeds, it softens nicely but still provides a good amount of road holding feel. The 408 is not as keen a handler as the X2, but we think that it provides an excellent grand tourer ability and pretty good handling ability for a 1,684kg (tare) coupe SUV.

The 408’s drivetrain provides more than sufficient thrust for most drivers, even in 81kW EV mode – in sport (hybrid) mode, the 408 is capable of a 7.8-second 0-100km/h sprint, which is perfect for its mission as a luxurious grand tourer. In hybrid mode, which switches between the electric motor and petrol engine for the best efficiency, the 408’s drivetrain is also largely refined and switching between the two propulsion sources is barely noticeable aside from a slight jolt through the accelerator pedal to inform you that the petrol engine has kicked in. The eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission is generally seamless too, and is more than sharp enough for most driving situations.

As for refinement elsewhere, the 408’s road noise levels on coarse chip roads is a bit high thanks to the large 20-inch wheels, but everywhere else, it’s nicely quiet – especially in EV mode. The 408’s rear visibility isn’t great however, and the 360-degree camera – which isn’t a true 360-degree camera, rather, uses the image from both the front and rear cameras and poorly sews them together – isn’t great either, especially for its asking price.

The active safety equipment on the 408 is some of the best in the industry, thanks to their subtle tuning. In highway driving, the active lane keeping assistance subtlety keeps the car in the lane, unlike some systems that can be somewhat alarming in their operation. Having said that, we’d like to see more safety features like automatic rear braking, automatic kerb view for the mirrors in reverse and safe exit assist added to the standard equipment list. Finally, if you’re wanting to tow with a 408, it offers a maximum 1,400kg braked trailer capacity.

How practical is the 2024 Peugeot 408 GT?

As we’ve seen with Peugeot’s other products since 2016, the cabin of the 2024 Peugeot 408 GT is a simply lovely place to spend time. The quality is excellent, the design is funky and unlike many French cars of the past, it’s actually quite practical. Poke and prod through the 408’s front cabin are you’ll rarely find a trim piece that feels feel out of place in a vehicle costing this much – let alone one much more expensive – with lots of soft touch plastics, soft Nappa leather and suede trim and quality switchgear.

Centre of the 408’s cabin is a 10-inch touchscreen that’s also used in the current shape 308. We quite liked it in that car as well thanks to its massively improved user-friendliness compared with older Peugeot systems, as well as its long list of features, even including games like “Tic Tac Toe” to keep you occupied while it’s charging. The screen quality is great, and while some functionality can still be a bit convoluted, there’s a small second touchscreen branded ‘i-Toggle’ below that can be configured with shortcuts to your favourite features, so that most features are just a few presses away.

The six-speaker sound system is reasonable, though we wish it was a punchier Focal unit like the larger 508. Much has been said about Peugeot’s ‘i-Cockpit’ digital driver’s display, which sits above the small steering wheel, some of it positive and some of it negative. All of us in the DiscoverAuto team quite like the layout, but shorter people may not feel as positively as the steering wheel can block the dials. For this six-foot writer, it’s great and it also offers a wide range of views, including a map.

The front cabin of the 408 is also quite practical, featuring large flock-lined door bins, a deep centre console cubby with a tray above it, a large glovebox, reasonable cupholders, a small hole for keys and a tray underneath the centre armrest.

The front seat comfort is great too thanks to a lot of adjustment. As we’ve said before, Peugeot has some of the best massaging seats in the new car market today and in the 408 are new options, though this writer loves the cat’s paw option. Rear visibility isn’t amazing though, thanks to the small windows, and a rear wiper would be quite helpful on rainy days as the heated rear screen isn’t enough.

The rear seat of the 408 is surprisingly spacious, given its slinky coupe styling. While headroom is not amazing for tall people because of the said roofline, legroom is excellent – more so than the Q3 – and two adults would be very comfortable, while three would fit at a pinch too. There are also features on offer like door pockets, air vents, two USB-C ports and two map pockets, though no armrest with cupholders or heated seats. For child seats, there are three top-tether points and two ISOFIX points, though the doors could open wider to help.

The boot of the 408 is a good size at 471-litres with the rear seats up, and 1,545L with the seats folded – that’s 59L smaller seats up but 145L larger seats down than the Q3. It’s a practical boot as well with a lot of under-floor storage, a 12V socket, side storage, tie down points and some hooks and ties on the side of the boot wall to hold fragile items in place. There’s no spare wheel, just a tyre repair kit.

How much does the 2024 Peugeot 408 GT cost to service?

Like other new Peugeot models in Australia, the 408 is covered by a five-year/unlimited km warranty with five years of roadside assistance. The battery is also covered by an eight-year/160,000km warranty. The 408’s service intervals are once-yearly/every 20,000km (whichever comes first) and five years/100,000km of servicing costs $2,960 ($592 per service) that can be reduced to $2,000 ($400 per service) by choosing a pre-paid service plan at the time of purchase.

Both Audi and BMW also feature five-year/unlimited km warranties (Audi with five years of roadside assistance, BMW with just three) and their service intervals are once-yearly/every 15,000km (5,000km less than the 408). A five-year service pack for a Q3 costs $3,330 and $2,500 for the X2, making the Peugeot’s service costs reasonable against those competitors.

Should I buy a 2024 Peugeot 408 GT?

Overall, we didn’t want to give the 2024 Peugeot 408 GT PHEV back after our week with it. In the cold and wet winter Sydney week we tested it, the 408 provided extremely comfortable transport that helped us forget about the weather outside, which is a great form of luxury. Adding further to the 408’s luxury feel are its lovely interior materials, its refined driving experience, practical cabin, long list of standard equipment, reasonable after-sales package and punchy plug-in hybrid drivetrain.

Counting against the 408 is not much, in our opinion: it’s obviously not a cheap car, but we think it’s good value against its German rivals, its charging speeds need upgrading, it’s missing out on a bit of equipment offered in overseas markets and we’d like to see the range expanded to widen its appeal. But those issues aside, there’s definite substance to the Peugeot 408 and we hope to see many around – even for the stylish design alone.