The Peugeot 508 is a French Executive bargain, but is it any good? (GT Review)

The Peugeot 508 is a rare sight on British roads. We just didn't buy them, but why?
Car on review: 2013 Peugeot 508 GT 2.2 Diesel (2011 - 2018)
#peugeot #peugeot508
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[@user-cq3ez6fn6f]

Always liked the 508. Think its a great car. The newest generation 508 looks good and drives really well.

[@qc2731]

The problem was always the badge snobbery and as you say, the poor reputation they had during the period prior. Shame because these things always had a lot of spec for the money.

[@daveyboiyeah]

Absolutely love it! Thank you for the feature JJ! 😃

[@JJonCars]

Glad you enjoyed it and thanks again for the car :)

[@madferit1984]

I've got bog standard 508sw/estate with only 5 gears and the apparently crap 1.6hdi engine, but i've had it 4 years and apart from servicing and injectors failing due to age, its been incredibly economical smooth quick enough and utterly reliable without a single mot advisory. I love them brilliant cars.

[@JJonCars]

Good to hear some stories of reliability :)

[@Jimmy180-b1n]

Love French cars. I had a 2009 Citroen C5 and loved it so much that got a DS5 in 2012 once the lease had ended. I did 200k miles in 6 years in them and never had one problem with either of them - both fully serviced. I got a Citroen because the VW Touran I had previously was such a bag of shite and let me down several times, not to mention the clouds of smoke it emitted when it was self cleaning the dpf. Loving the video 😊

[@coolcat23]

I had a 2009 Citroen C5 as well. I also liked it a lot and the engine never gave me any trouble. It needed some small repairs here and there once in a while, but overall was very reliable. I loved the suspension but unfortunately it didn't have anything near the "magic carpet" ride of the older Citroens. It would have been lovely to have that as an option. The C5's suspension was incredibly sophisticated with self-adaptive features (dynamically adjusting stiffness, lowering the car a bit above 110 km/h, etc.), but it did not let one choose a really soft option. I never cared for Citroens after the C5 because they retired the legendary suspension with it. Such a shame.

[@JJonCars]

Sounds like I need to review a C5!

[@coolcat23]

@@JJonCars Definitely! There are three major versions of the C5: The first two are the original and the original facelift. Both are butt ugly. :) The third version is the one you'll want to review; it is sometimes referred to as "C5 III" or "X7". Of the latter, a facelift model exists as well, but it isn't that different to the pre-facelift. For the ultimate Citroen experience, you need to get yourself into a Citroen CX, or (for direct nirvana) a DS pallas. The latter cars rightfully cemented Citroen's (RIP) legendary status. I had a Citroen Xantia as well and loved it; great hydropneumatic suspension as well, but not as quirky as the old Citroens and not as advanced as the C5 III (hydractive 3 suspension). Having said that, the Xantia Activa is a true oddball in that it eliminated roll to such an extent that it could outperform a Porsche in a corner with respect to lateral acceleration. My heart weeps when I think of the old Citroen that is no more.

[@willswheels283]

It’s a nice car the 508, not so many about either. I agree with I think a lot of why it didn’t sell all that well is badge snobbery, and Peugeots did have that notoriety of things going wrong regularily and expensively. I’ve had people tell me they’ve never had such high regular garage bills on any car as a French car, and Jeremy clarkson’s review of Peugeot cars in general a few years ago must have damaged the brand(although to that he would blame Peugeot for making self destruct cars). The new 508 released in 2019 I think is a real nice motor, a head turner but it still hasn’t generated high sales. Great review again JJ, thanks.👍

[@JJonCars]

Cheers Will. You're right, Clarkson can be the kiss of death for cars lol. The new 508 is definitely a looker, agreed 👍

[@ArturKwaszyn]

The new 508 will never generate high sales, because being a looker is the only advantage this car has. New Peugeots have absolutely awful engines - Puretechs mostly. There's not a single family of engines that is considered to be worse, out of all available nowadays. So basically, Peugeot is killing themselves. It's not the market's fault.

[@willswheels283]

@@ArturKwaszyn Yeah expecting a small 3 cylinder engine to pull that load around will destroy the motors. That’s probably thd idea though, they’r hoping that would put people off Petrol and Diesel powered cars and buy an electric car…..nooo thanks!

[@wertywerrtyson5529]

They do give you a lot of equipment as standard. I remember the 406 25 years ago came with a lot that on a BMW you would have to pay a lot to get.

[@edwardlloyd1516]

I had the 1.6HDi SW with panoramic roof. Lovely car and pretty reliable too. I drove it for two years and enjoyed it so much I now have a 408 GT.

[@Aviyel]

Like the 408 GT but I prefer the C5X

[@tochukwuezinwa2122]

The very first time I saw this car Back in the day it blew my mind. great car

[@zm321]

Always liked these, but introduced into a declining market segment and rare in the UK due to badge snobbery.

[@tommyhartman7920]

I really like the look of these, I'd personally go for the estate GT to suit my needs, a lot of car for the money!

[@David_H-73]

That's a beautiful example of an underrated car. After the huge success of the 405,406 the 407 and more so the 408 really struggled to sell in the UK as ( mainly) the German brands surged ahead. I'm glad back seat JJ found another fury friend to play with!

[@JJonCars]

Haha, I couldn't believe this car had another lion passenger. I think people will now think I take a lion with me to every Peugeot review 😂

[@waza3350]

In France it sold badly among individuals because it was seen as an Uber car. I was happy to get this car (as well as the C5) when ordering an Uber.

[@JJonCars]

I've just been to Paris last weekend, and I saw quite a few of them :)

[@waza3350]

@@JJonCars All Uber

[@oliverstemp9132]

I thought the 508 looked really good. Especially as an SW. very classy. Nice video.

[@JJonCars]

Thanks Oliver 👍

[@Sneezingswanlon]

Had a 2012 2.0 Allure. Great car. Only got rid off it because it didn't meet London ULEZ

[@shand1967]

I quite fancied one of these. What put me off is that I had a 308GT ( a rare variant in the UK at least) which was comfortable, handled well and was nicely built inside. However it had terrible drivetrain unreliability. It went through 2 clutch slave cylinders (£1300 a pop, thankfully covered by a warranty). The 1.6 turbo Prince engine drank a litre of oil every 6000 miles (normal apparently), had a rattling timing chain (again normal) and the final straw was turbo issues. It has put me off Peugeot's for life, which is a shame as I've always liked them.

[@daveyboiyeah]

@@shand1967 the Prince engines are always to be avoided. Go for HDI always

[@edwardmullan2724]

I wonder did the Prince engine use a different gearbox setup? The diesel ones have an externally mounted slave cylinder which can be changed for less than 200 quid

[@shand1967]

@@edwardmullan2724 Mine was a 6 speed box that I don't think was used on any other petrol engined Pug's. The slave cylinder is located in the bell housing which is why it was so expensive. I have heard of slave cylinder issues on later diesel Citroen's and Peugeot's, but I do know if it is the same box?

[@user-rr9sc2gk6n]

You're videos are great.

[@JJonCars]

Thank you! :)

[@markgollan]

I like these - great video JJ

[@JJonCars]

Thanks Mark!

[@marcuswoodgate4026]

Anyone that looks down on Peugeot or Citroen. Or even Renault tbh is just a fool. They are nothing like they were in the 90s and they are genuinely good to drive.

[@patrickcrean7813]

Beautiful car! Very sophisticated. You need to a Citroen C6. I ran one for a year. It ruined my life but was epic. Had 406s and you couldn’t kill them. I rang a 407 for 3 years and did a 100k with absolutely no issues. I don’t think they are as bad as people think.

[@JJonCars]

I'd love to review the big Citroens, the C5 and C6. My friends dad had a 406 when I was a kid, it was quite new and I just remember being impressed with the ride quality, even when I was 12 years old 😆 Interesting to hear that about the 407. If I get one for review I will give it a proper chance and not bring these biases/common thoughts with me and see what I think.

[@patrickcrean7813]

@@JJonCars my Dad had a 406 Xud that did 350k. He currently runs a 407 Sw V6 and has very little issues with it.

[@JJonCars]

@@patrickcrean7813 Great to hear. The more I drive these cars, the more I appreciate them.

[@patrickcrean7813]

@@JJonCars well done on the KZbin channel man. It’s really good content. I’m based in Ireland myself; where the car scene is all German and Japanese mostly. Nice to see some left field cars like the French, Italian and Swedish.

[@JJonCars]

@@patrickcrean7813 Thank you :) I'm an equal opportunities car review haha

[@dr.leftfield9566]

The sales figures make perfect sense for the uk. Peugeot is very much a also-ran product in a crowded market. If you had to pick a schoolboy soccer team Ford and VW are must haves then the Japanese and Koreans would get a look-in and Peugeot would be picked just before the boy with the wooden leg.

[@novicetheaf]

These are lovely cars, Peugeot definitely do some nice cars this is one of them for sure, good luxury car something different as well yoi don't see thag many on the road

[@nigelbond4056]

I once came close to buying a 508 but the expected depreciation put me off. Good car though 👍

[@JJonCars]

I guess that's also a factor - but then depreciation is caused by the fact people don't value them as highly. So it's a vicious cycle!

[@volt8684]

I think peugeot dropped their game after 306/206/406. I know so many people who had all 33 of these and covered immense mileages. They are quite smooth and robust if not flimsy trim. My brother had a 406 with 350k miles 2.0hdi 90. I had a 206 1.1 petrol with 180 k on a clutch and nothing else

[@JJonCars]

It was certainly a good era for Peugeot!

[@ron2256]

Nice review..

[@JJonCars]

Cheers Ron 👍

[@meryuk]

Think Mazda does diesel hybrids

[@daveyboiyeah]

@@meryuk Volvo did too.

[@beltwayroad]

Please test a B7 Passat JJ and JJ!

[@JJonCars]

As soon as I get offered one :)

[@petrolhead28]

Was thinking lovely car until the words diesel and front wheel drive were mentioned.

[@nigel.w]

Seat and ride comfort isn't very French. Very severe seat bolsters, which means only the slimmest will be comfortable, and let's face it, in the UK market at least, the most likely buyers were middle-aged gents. It failed because it's trying to appeal to buyers of German cars while alienating traditional French car buyers.

[@JJonCars]

This is something I didn't consider and sounds very much like it could be true. Cheers 👍

[@yolbulucu]

why are you stuck at 14k subs ?

[@JJonCars]

🤷‍♂️ it's a slow climb is KZbin 😄

[@yolbulucu]

@@JJonCars all the youtubers i follow gone from couple thousand subs to at least 100k. you are stuck. maybe people can't hear you well or something. and in some of your videos i believe your lens is dirty. i am not trying to criticise, just telling what I see

[@David_H-73]

​@yolbulucu I'm sure JJ will try much harder now he has seen this comment and fix where he is going wrong. I really don't see a problem with picture or sound. At least 10 videos have had over a 100k views that's very impressive in my eyes, the problem is a lot of viewers don't think to subscribe. KZbin is a tough old game and content providers are all competing for a limited audience. Please feel free to share videos on your platforms and help JJ increase views and subscribers. 😊

[@Martinello30]

It’s a nice car, but never buy the 1.6 THP engine. All the stories are true, it’s even worse.

[@Patricki8bs]

Its a cross between a merc s class and a bmw 5 series . May be. Was it made in china .😂😂😂😂 O wow its got back seats 🤣🤣

[@shieldaigbencher]

I had an estate one of these. Good car. Broke down a lot! Nothing good about it. Apart from the big pano roof. Utter rubbish to drive and run. Fell apart at about 20,000 miles. Don't buy one.

[@keithjones7349]

20k/130k I guess you were just unlucky?

[@Yorkshiremadmick]

The Citroen C5 of the same time was a better car. More Germanic than the 508

[@pe7893]

508 roomier inside

[@JJonCars]

I will withhold my opinion on that until I drive a C5. Which I now very much want to

[@Podster133]

It was 'Outsold ' because it is French. 😂😂. Peugeot/Renault/Citroën. Car's for people who know nothing about cars.😂😂😂😂😂.( only in my humble opinion 😌 😂)

[@volt8684]

It’s an ill informed opinion. In my experience of over 60 cars french are far better than German if looked after

[@Podster133]

@volt8684 Great engines, comfortable suspension, bad electrics/ build quality. ( my experience ) also, I don't know many mechanics who recommend French Cars.👍👍

[@zacrichardson2608]

Boring