Peugeot’s new 508 is undoubtedly a thing of beauty when it comes to modern car design. This is a car design where a photograph simply does not do it justice. Seeing and driving it makes all the difference.

These were my first impressions of Peugeot’s new, bigger car. It’s a refreshing change from the older and very bland 508, and everyone that I met while driving it was equally impressed with the styling.

This new Peugeot model is very much about a new Peugeot design statement, that stretches across all models in the French brand’s range. The car scores highly for design and the higher specification GT version makes an even greater design statement for the range.

Performance

Peugeot has also combined new levels of fuel efficiency into the fresh 508 model. The test car came with the entry-level 1.5l turbo-diesel engine that continues to impress. For me, this is an engine that leads in terms of economy and cleanliness, putting the diesel future on a more solid footing. If only enough of our legislators could appreciate that.

For me, the performance of the 1.5l turbo-diesel engine and the eight-speed automatic gearbox combination is the stand-out feature of the car. The Peugeot team claims a fuel economy figure of 21km/l (4.7l/100km or 60mpg) and for once I almost achieved that. That means that in practical terms, I could achieve a range of over 1,100km on a full tank of diesel. That’s real world economy and a challenge for any hybrid contender.

I’ve looked at the new Peugeot 508 against contenders such as the Volkswagen Passat, Ford Mondeo, Opel Insignia and Skoda Superb as a larger family car. The hatchback 508 is marginally shorter and lighter than all of these and noticeably smaller on the inside.

The boot space is impressive, especially with the rear seats folded and is a match for the best, apart from the huge Skoda Superb. The engine performance and the lower weight than these competitors does impact on the 508’s towing ability, which is the lowest among this comparison group. But then, this is not the type of car that I expect to see pulling trailers. The good news is that there’s a spare wheel included.

Comfort

Peugeot makes lots of play on its i-Cockpit dash design, which adds to the modern feel of the car. In so many ways, the car design matches the i-Cockpit concept very impressively. I prefer a higher driving position and with a seat height that suits my shape.

With the 508, I found that spot difficult to achieve without compromising on either my comfort position or my visibility of the dash information. I found the dash area smaller than I would have liked, and the steering wheel shape takes a little getting used to, while in an overall sense it clearly matches the design style of the car so well.

The central infotainment screen is great to use, clear and easy to navigate. I used the Apple CarPlay system from my phone through the system and setting up was fast and simple.

The screen controls are operated by touch, while the rest of the functions such as radio, heating, sat-nav (if you use it) are all controlled by larger and easily identifiable stainless steel type levers.

The rear space in the Peugeot 508 is tighter than some of the earlier-mentioned competition. Less headroom in the rear is noticeable, while legroom is not overly generous. There are two Iso-Fix couplings in the rear, and the car is highly rated for child safety.

Safety

The 508 has achieved a very high safety rating in its recent Euro NCAP crash test. The child protection features were especially noteworthy as they have improved by 6% – to one of the highest child safety rating figures available.

The car has plenty of other useful safety features, with the lane departure system very impressive on longer drives. Cruise control and a speed limiter are included in the entry models, which to be fair, come with a very high specification level in terms of safety and driver-assistance systems.

There are four specification levels for the new Peugeot 508, Active, Allure, GT Line and GT. The first three offer the 1.5l turbo-diesel engine option, with a further automatic gearbox option that adds around €2,200 to the entry price of €32,400 for the Active models or £25,044 in Northern Ireland.

The automatic option is tempting, even at that price for its performance and there is no fuel economy penalty for the extra driving comfort that the system provides.

This new Peugeot 508 is a car to drive and to be seen in. The styling is standout impressive, for many that will be enough to deal with other compromises.