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Photo: Peugeot
The first impression:
sleek!
The Peugeot 508 was already one of the more rapidly designed mid-range sedans.
Now, after the tuning by the sports department, it has spoilers, sills and accents in a bright yellow called kryptonite.
The manufacturer says:
With the 508 PSE (stands for Peugeot Sport Engineering), "a new era of sports models at Peugeot begins," says Haico van der Luyt, head of Peugeot in Germany.
This is made possible by the plug-in hybrid drive that powers the mid-range model.
This allows extreme driving performance and efficiency - at least in the theory of standardized consumption measurements.
Although the 360 hp car is the brand's most powerful production model to date, it has an official average consumption of 2.0 liters.
With an electric range of 42 kilometers, it also qualifies for the state purchase bonus and reduced company car tax.
For some it is subsidized climate fraud, for others it means lawn without a guilty conscience.
For many other manufacturers, too, plug-in hybrid cars are an effective recipe for continuing to serve the full throttle tendency of some customers without jeopardizing the CO2 targets.
Because electric motors are easier to tune than combustion engines, Peugeot Sport boss Bruno Famin openly promises more fun than ever: “We will develop the sportiest models in the history of Peugeot.
Electrification makes it possible. "
We noticed that
while other sports models draw attention to themselves with artificial misfires and roar when the car is started, the great Frenchman initially hums away electrically.
Only a courageous step on the gas or the "Sport" driving profile awakens the fossil spirits.
Then the car bundles the power of three engines, 520 Nm combined torque push the 508 PSE forward.
The driver is grateful that one of the two electric motors is sitting in the rear.
So the traction is distributed to all four wheels.
The force is actually converted into propulsion and is not lost in the screeching of the tires.
Peugeot has also retuned the chassis, revised the dampers and reduced the steering assistance.
The result makes you want to go on country roads.
The 508 PSE pulls lively through the curves there.
On the autobahn, it goes quite naturally between the Mercedes E-Class and Co. in the left-hand lane.
Because the 508 PSE is not only the most powerful, but also the most expensive model in the Peugeot portfolio, there are many neat extras - including a night vision system that shows infrared images in the digital cockpit.
You have to know that:
The 508 PSE is available from 66,640 euros upwards as a sedan and for 1,300 euros more as a station wagon.
He always drives up with a 200 hp 1.6-liter gasoline engine, assisted by an electric motor with an output of 81 kW, which is integrated into the automatic transmission.
The second electric motor has an output of 83 kW on the rear axle.
Together, 360 hp work, which enables a sprint value of 5.2 seconds and a top speed of 250 km / h.
Powered by an 11.8 kWh battery, the 508 PSE can reach a maximum of 135 km / h purely electrically.
If the battery is empty, charging takes 1:40 hours under the best conditions.
We won't forget that: the
blackened tailpipes as thick as an arm that peek out from under the rear of the 508 PSE.
There it lives on, the old spirit of noise, exhaust gas and speed.
Icon: The mirror
