| First Drive | Alicante, Spain | Peugeot 508 |

Peugeot's 407-replacing 508 saloon and SW estate bring smart style, impressive economy and emissions, competitive pricing and sensible equipment levels to court to the massive fleet-buying audience. What's good for fleets is also good for family buyers.

In the Metal

Gone is the awkward, big-nosed, gaping-mouthed look of the Peugeot 407 for a far more cohesive, balanced style. The first production Peugeot to wear the company's new design language, the 508 is a solid, premium-looking machine. It's a night-and-day improvement over its divisive predecessor, with the more upmarket feel and look being carried over to the interior, too.

A neat fascia with simple, clear instrumentation makes for an easy driving environment. Opt for GT spec and you'll not need the instruments, as a colour head-up display is standard - it is offered optionally on Active and Allure models. If the interior is lacking in one area it's somewhere to chuck phones and wallets, with little uncovered stowage around the central console.

What you get for your Money

Entry-level Access trim comes with everything you could reasonably want for a sub-£20k family car, with air conditioning, USB connection, ESP with traction control, ABS with cornering brake control and driver and passenger front and side airbags with full-length curtain airbags.

Forget Access though, as SR trim represents the best all-round value, it adding satnav, Bluetooth connection, alloy wheels, dual-zone automatic air conditioning, cruise control with a speed limiter and a leather steering wheel. Active trim features automatic headlamps and wipers as well as a panoramic glass roof in SW models, with Allure and GT adding more luxury and convenience with part or full leather trim, an automatic electronic parking brake and electric adjustment of the front seats.

Driving it

Some of the dynamism exhibited by Peugeot's RCZ coupé has been incorporated into the 508. Certainly it's among the best handling Peugeots of recent times, with fine balance mixing with decent ride comfort for an accomplished all-round drive. We're not talking the engaging brilliance of Peugeot chassis of old, but it's secure and competent with the ability to provide entertainment away from its natural motorway habitat. Thank the steering for that, as the 508 reacts quickly to input at the wheel and provides a degree of feel. Ford's class-leading Mondeo betters it for outright driving pleasure, but the gap isn't so sizable to discount the 508 over the Ford - and it's at least as good as the rest of its mainstream rivals.

The Peugeot has other qualities that enhance its appeal, too. Whatever engine you opt for - be it one of the three petrol choices or five diesels - the 508 is smooth and refined. The top-selling model is anticipated to be the 140bhp 2.0-litre HDi turbodiesel in SR trim with a manual six-speed transmission - and it's an impressive choice.

This engine has got plenty of power, allowing you to skip ratios in the six-speed gearbox. It returns 58.9mpg on the combined cycle and emits just 125g/km.

In either saloon or estate SW models the Peugeot 508 impresses with its interior quality and clarity. The instruments are neat and the switchgear well positioned, though it's the interior space that really stands out. Rear seat passengers are generously accommodated, with plenty of leg- and headroom. Opt for the panoramic glass roof (or get it as standard in Allure specification and above) in the SW estate and that spacious feeling is significantly enhanced.

Worth Noting

Choose the range-topping 508 2.2-litre HDi GT model and not only do you get a smart head-up display in colour (which, unlike many others, is visible through polarised sunglasses), but also a completely different suspension system. On the road you'd be hard pushed to note the differences though, with the less sophisticated suspension of the volume models providing a fine blend of body control and comfort.

Summary

This is something of a return to form from Peugeot, with the 508 offering serious competition to not just the mainstream players, but also some of the premium brands. It's a fine package, that's neatly styled inside and out, well priced and sensibly specified. Plenty of space and good comfort also appeal, giving Peugeot a real challenger in this hotly contested marketplace.