I will certainly post a review of my 508 SW when I've got a bit of experience.
I'm certainly expecting the new owner to take care of my 406, he really appreciated how well I've looked after it which is why he offered me £2k.
Cheers again,
Dave
2001 406 GTX 2.0 ESTATE AUTO
Moderator: Moderators
Re: 2001 406 GTX 2.0 ESTATE AUTO
Thanks very much for the nice comments, guys.
I will certainly post a review of my 508 SW when I've got a bit of experience.
I'm certainly expecting the new owner to take care of my 406, he really appreciated how well I've looked after it which is why he offered me £2k.
Cheers again,
Dave
I will certainly post a review of my 508 SW when I've got a bit of experience.
I'm certainly expecting the new owner to take care of my 406, he really appreciated how well I've looked after it which is why he offered me £2k.
Cheers again,
Dave
Re: 2001 406 GTX 2.0 ESTATE AUTO
Dear 406OC Members,
As requested, here is my review of my new 508 SW GT Premium.
I collected it on 28th May so have had it 10 weeks and have clocked up 362 miles.
In comparison to the 406, it doesn’t feel that different to drive, except for the smaller steering wheel that comes with the ‘i-Cockpit’ and I think it has a tighter turning circle, which is very useful in tight spaces like car parks. One aspect that is not as good as the 406 is that it has a tinted and rather small rear window so you can hardly see anything in the rear view mirror. In this respect, the 406 was much better, having a large, clear glass window.
I will say that the acceleration away from rest is pretty impressive and far better than the 406. This is largely due to the electric motor which is usually what pulls you away from traffic lights. Another thing that helps with this is that you don’t have to release the handbrake (or parking brake as it’s now called!). You apply the parking brake by pulling up on a small rocker switch on the centre console and it releases automatically when you press the accelerator!
I’m most impressed by the hybrid system. It has four ‘modes’, electric, comfort, hybrid and sport. Electric uses only the power from the batteries and the car can travel up to 30 miles on electric only from a full charge. Hybrid predominantly uses the electric motor but kicks in the petrol engine when necessary to assist with acceleration and climbing gradients. However, when it’s not needed, the petrol engine switches off so it uses no petrol at all when you’re coasting or braking. It also has a ‘regenerative braking’ function which uses the electric motor as a generator to slow the car down and put energy back into the batteries. This means there is always enough charge in the batteries to get the car moving, even when they’re virtually empty. Consequently I have only put petrol in it once, on 1st June, and I still have 250 miles on the ‘petrol range’! It uses virtually no petrol at all!
‘Comfort’ is the same as ‘hybrid’ but uses a softer setting of the ‘active’ suspension system. ‘Sport’ predominantly uses the petrol engine, supplemented by the electric motor when necessary for those who want to wallow in nostalgia. It even has gearchange paddles behind the steering wheel to override the automatic gearbox! Personally, this is something I will never use, along with the hi-fi system and the sat-nav. I have tried the sat-nav and it seems fine, 20 years better than the CD driven system in the 406, but it will never supersede working out a route beforehand with a map for me. But it does usefully announce road names and numbers.
One other system that I find useful is the speed limiter. The 508 has a forward-facing camera at the top of the windscreen which recognises road signs and it therefore tells you the speed limit. If you turn on the limiter, it will ensure that the car never exceeds the speed limit, which is useful for limits of 30 and above. It also has cruise control and lane assist but I haven’t taken it on a motorway yet so haven’t had a chance to try them yet.
Like most modern cars, it has a motorised tailgate and I opted for a panoramic sunroof too. Strangely, there is no control inside the car for opening the tailgate. There are two ways of opening it, pressing the middle button on the remote control, or raising your foot under the rear bumper with the remote in your pocket! Pressing the middle button on the remote also closes the tailgate and pressing the top button not only locks the car but also closes the windows and sunroof, if you’ve left them open!
Like most modern cars, the 508 has obstacle sensors front and rear and forward and rear-facing cameras to assist with parking, the pictures from which are displayed on the 10” touchscreen on the dashboard. My model, the GT Premium, also has ‘self-parking’ but I haven’t tested that in anger yet. It can, apparently, parallel park and ‘bay’ park! However, one thing with the 508 which I wasn’t expecting is that is doesn’t have a spare wheel or a jack! Apparently no hybrid cars have spare wheels as the space the wheel takes up is needed for the batteries! In the event of a puncture, my car has a pressurised canister of tyre sealant and a compressor!
All in all, I think I made the right decision. I loved my 406 GTX but it was 21 years old and I’d had it for 14 years. Its 2.0 litre petrol engine, coupled to a 70 litre tank seems prehistoric compared with the 508’s 1.6 litre Pure Tech engine and 43 litre petrol tank. The 406’s CO2 emission figure was 208 mg/km, the 508’s is 35 mg/km! Once I’m past the 5-year road tax surcharge for the car costing more than £40k, the road tax will be less than half that of the 406.
Well, I think that’s enough for now but I’m happy to answer any questions. Please let me know if you have any.
Cheers for now,
David
As requested, here is my review of my new 508 SW GT Premium.
I collected it on 28th May so have had it 10 weeks and have clocked up 362 miles.
In comparison to the 406, it doesn’t feel that different to drive, except for the smaller steering wheel that comes with the ‘i-Cockpit’ and I think it has a tighter turning circle, which is very useful in tight spaces like car parks. One aspect that is not as good as the 406 is that it has a tinted and rather small rear window so you can hardly see anything in the rear view mirror. In this respect, the 406 was much better, having a large, clear glass window.
I will say that the acceleration away from rest is pretty impressive and far better than the 406. This is largely due to the electric motor which is usually what pulls you away from traffic lights. Another thing that helps with this is that you don’t have to release the handbrake (or parking brake as it’s now called!). You apply the parking brake by pulling up on a small rocker switch on the centre console and it releases automatically when you press the accelerator!
I’m most impressed by the hybrid system. It has four ‘modes’, electric, comfort, hybrid and sport. Electric uses only the power from the batteries and the car can travel up to 30 miles on electric only from a full charge. Hybrid predominantly uses the electric motor but kicks in the petrol engine when necessary to assist with acceleration and climbing gradients. However, when it’s not needed, the petrol engine switches off so it uses no petrol at all when you’re coasting or braking. It also has a ‘regenerative braking’ function which uses the electric motor as a generator to slow the car down and put energy back into the batteries. This means there is always enough charge in the batteries to get the car moving, even when they’re virtually empty. Consequently I have only put petrol in it once, on 1st June, and I still have 250 miles on the ‘petrol range’! It uses virtually no petrol at all!
‘Comfort’ is the same as ‘hybrid’ but uses a softer setting of the ‘active’ suspension system. ‘Sport’ predominantly uses the petrol engine, supplemented by the electric motor when necessary for those who want to wallow in nostalgia. It even has gearchange paddles behind the steering wheel to override the automatic gearbox! Personally, this is something I will never use, along with the hi-fi system and the sat-nav. I have tried the sat-nav and it seems fine, 20 years better than the CD driven system in the 406, but it will never supersede working out a route beforehand with a map for me. But it does usefully announce road names and numbers.
One other system that I find useful is the speed limiter. The 508 has a forward-facing camera at the top of the windscreen which recognises road signs and it therefore tells you the speed limit. If you turn on the limiter, it will ensure that the car never exceeds the speed limit, which is useful for limits of 30 and above. It also has cruise control and lane assist but I haven’t taken it on a motorway yet so haven’t had a chance to try them yet.
Like most modern cars, it has a motorised tailgate and I opted for a panoramic sunroof too. Strangely, there is no control inside the car for opening the tailgate. There are two ways of opening it, pressing the middle button on the remote control, or raising your foot under the rear bumper with the remote in your pocket! Pressing the middle button on the remote also closes the tailgate and pressing the top button not only locks the car but also closes the windows and sunroof, if you’ve left them open!
Like most modern cars, the 508 has obstacle sensors front and rear and forward and rear-facing cameras to assist with parking, the pictures from which are displayed on the 10” touchscreen on the dashboard. My model, the GT Premium, also has ‘self-parking’ but I haven’t tested that in anger yet. It can, apparently, parallel park and ‘bay’ park! However, one thing with the 508 which I wasn’t expecting is that is doesn’t have a spare wheel or a jack! Apparently no hybrid cars have spare wheels as the space the wheel takes up is needed for the batteries! In the event of a puncture, my car has a pressurised canister of tyre sealant and a compressor!
All in all, I think I made the right decision. I loved my 406 GTX but it was 21 years old and I’d had it for 14 years. Its 2.0 litre petrol engine, coupled to a 70 litre tank seems prehistoric compared with the 508’s 1.6 litre Pure Tech engine and 43 litre petrol tank. The 406’s CO2 emission figure was 208 mg/km, the 508’s is 35 mg/km! Once I’m past the 5-year road tax surcharge for the car costing more than £40k, the road tax will be less than half that of the 406.
Well, I think that’s enough for now but I’m happy to answer any questions. Please let me know if you have any.
Cheers for now,
David
Re: 2001 406 GTX 2.0 ESTATE AUTO
This is a review of the Peugeot 508 from someone who previously owned a Peugeot 406. The reviewer notes that the driving experience is similar between the two cars, except for the 508's smaller steering wheel and tighter turning circle. However, they find it difficult to see out of the rear window due to its small size and tinted glass.
One feature they're impressed with is the acceleration from rest, which is much better thanks to the electric motor. The parking brake is now controlled by a rocker switch on the center console, which releases automatically when the accelerator is pressed.
The hybrid system is a standout feature for the reviewer, with four different modes - electric, comfort, hybrid, and sport. The electric mode can travel up to 30 miles on a full charge, while the hybrid mode primarily uses the electric motor but switches to the petrol engine when necessary. The petrol engine switches off when not needed, and there's a regenerative braking function to recharge the batteries. The reviewer has only put petrol in the car once and still has 250 miles on the petrol range.
The reviewer also notes that the car has a speed limiter, cruise control, and lane assist, as well as obstacle sensors and forward and rear-facing cameras for parking assistance. Their model, the GT Premium, also has self-parking.
One unexpected feature is that the car doesn't have a spare wheel or jack due to the batteries taking up space. Instead, there's a canister of tire sealant and a compressor in case of a puncture.
Overall, the reviewer is very happy with their decision to purchase the 508, as it's more efficient than their previous car and has many useful features.
One feature they're impressed with is the acceleration from rest, which is much better thanks to the electric motor. The parking brake is now controlled by a rocker switch on the center console, which releases automatically when the accelerator is pressed.
The hybrid system is a standout feature for the reviewer, with four different modes - electric, comfort, hybrid, and sport. The electric mode can travel up to 30 miles on a full charge, while the hybrid mode primarily uses the electric motor but switches to the petrol engine when necessary. The petrol engine switches off when not needed, and there's a regenerative braking function to recharge the batteries. The reviewer has only put petrol in the car once and still has 250 miles on the petrol range.
The reviewer also notes that the car has a speed limiter, cruise control, and lane assist, as well as obstacle sensors and forward and rear-facing cameras for parking assistance. Their model, the GT Premium, also has self-parking.
One unexpected feature is that the car doesn't have a spare wheel or jack due to the batteries taking up space. Instead, there's a canister of tire sealant and a compressor in case of a puncture.
Overall, the reviewer is very happy with their decision to purchase the 508, as it's more efficient than their previous car and has many useful features.