[Test Drive]Difficult to define Peugeot 408 GT Premium

●The suggested price is 1.569 million yuan

●Average fuel consumption 16.3km/L

●Original factory warranty for 3 years and 100,000 kilometers

●Pleasant features Unique French design aesthetics, dexterous and dynamic driving response

●It is a pity that the power output is not satisfactory enough

For the positioning of the new 408, the original factory called it "the perfect fusion of Fastback hatchback, sports SUV and sedan with the posture of a cross-border coupe". It is a new work, but after close contact and test drive on the road, I found that it is not that simple...

In the Peugeot car series, the prefix 4 is a series of medium-sized RVs with a long history. Among them, 406 is the most well-known, which shines in the Taxi Ultimate Killing series movies. However, under the influence of the rapid decline of the four-door RV market, since 407 Later, it changed to 508, which integrated 607, as the representative of its RV, and only created an exclusive 408 model for the Chinese market that still clearly prefers four-door RVs; after a period of precipitation, Peugeot officially announced in June 2022 that it would adopt a crossover coupe The brand-new 408 (called 408 X in the Chinese market) was positioned as the new 408. Baojia United, the general agent, was first exposed in April this year and officially launched in June. It provides three models of Allure, GT and GT Premium, priced at 136.9, 1.499 million and 1.569 million yuan.

Unique dynamic sculpture

Unlike most crossover models that hope to create a majestic momentum close to the mainstream SUV, the first impression of the new 408 is hardly reminiscent of an SUV. If you only look at the upper half of the body, it will It is a complete four-door Coupe design, and at the same time, the vehicle height is only 1478mm, which is comparable to the Mazda 6 Wagon (1480mm) and Skoda Superb Combi (1477mm) in the middle and large station wagon class. The proficient bionic lines and sculptural sharp creases have been used to bring a unique body shape that is enough to be interesting from any angle. It can only make people marvel at the unparalleled exquisite French design aesthetics.

The imported Allure and GT/GT Premuim have slightly different styling settings. The former adopts a horizontal radiating dot-shaped chrome-plated water tank shield with reflective LED headlights, and the wheel rim is the Allure exclusive black and silver double-cut diamond shape; two models The GT model is replaced with a longitudinal style water tank guard design in the same color as the body, and upgraded matrix LED headlights and 3D lion claw LED taillights. The rim size remains unchanged at 19 inches, but an air spoiler cover is added. The front door under the mirror is decorated with a shield-shaped lion emblem, and its identity can be recognized at a glance from a distance.

Intuitive cockpit texture is good

Open the door, and the interior layout created by the latest generation of the brand's i-Cockpit driver-oriented cockpit design thinking is also eye-catching. Focus on the place within the driver's reach, and in addition to the 10-inch floating digital instrument and 10-inch HD full-color touch audio-visual screen as standard equipment for all models, the GT model also upgrades the 3D Quartz stereoscopic projection instrument, borrowing The front and rear double-layer three-dimensional arrangement "reveals" important information in the front view to bring excellent recognition. It can be called the most dazzling and practical digital instrument at present; as for the i-Toggles under the 10-inch touch screen, it is customized The touch operation interface not only adds a sense of technology, but also allows you to customize detailed function options such as "navigate to the company". With the main menu screen that can also arrange commonly used functions, you can fully create an exclusive user interface according to your personal preferences.

In terms of equipment settings, the Allure model comes standard with dual-zone constant temperature air conditioning, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, wireless charging device for smartphones, Keyless keyless system, half-leather sports car seats, etc. The original satellite navigation system updated by OTA TomTom in 2011, as well as the small-diameter multi-function steering wheel, suede/leather/high-grade fabric three-material sports car seats, black interior canopy/luxury floor mats, metal pedals, etc. GT Exclusive configuration, GT Premium is further upgraded with dual front seat electric adjustment, 4-way electric lumbar support, seat heating and massage functions. At the same time, all models are equipped with complete ADAS advanced driving assistance systems as standard, including ACC active speed control, BSM long-distance Blind spot detection warning, LPA lane keeping assist, etc. In addition, Cielo panoramic sunroof, Night Vision night vision assist and Nappa leather seats (black and blue two-color optional) can be selected like a test drive car to further enhance the equipment level and cockpit texture.

The three-cylinder turbo is more than smooth

Affected by the trend of electrification, the current original power configuration of the new 408 only provides 1.2L three-cylinder gasoline turbo and 1.6L turbo PHEV plug-in gasoline-electric power, and a pure electric version will be added in the future, but in terms of market acceptance and price considerations Under the circumstances, domestically imported models are unified with 1.2L pure gasoline power configuration. I believe everyone is familiar with this power unit, especially after the recent addition of the Opel car series of the same group, it has greatly increased its visibility; the maximum output of 130hp/23.5kgm is in Driven by the eight-speed automatic manual gearbox, the 0-100km/h acceleration can only take 11.5 seconds. Fortunately, the average fuel consumption of the Energy Bureau of 16.3km/L should be satisfactory in terms of energy saving performance. The actual displacement 1199c.c. can also bring the advantages of low tax burden.

Although the book data is not eye-catching, in fact, there is no obvious fatigue such as heavy drag during the road test drive, and even the rather gentle starting acceleration in the standard mode is deliberately done, because as long as the accelerator is over half, Or switch to the Sport mode, it can still provide a fairly brisk and direct acceleration response. If there are any shortcomings, it is probably only that when accelerating out of a corner on a mountain road, it is not full and smooth enough to cope with general daily commuting or the whole car. Traveling with a full load is definitely more than enough. If consumers have higher demand for power, they may have to wait and see whether a pure electric version will be introduced in the future.

Jumping posture is flexible and interesting

The brand-new 408 is built on the latest generation EMP2 modular platform of the group. Under the cross-border setting, the sitting height is between the 508 SW station wagon and the 3008 medium-sized SUV. Passengers are provided with a generous knee space of 18.8 cm, while the suspension damping setting continues the brand's consistent light and soft tuning style. In addition, the 205/55R19 high-profile ratio tire size can quickly absorb the initial road vibration, and the road performance is as expected In addition to being stable and comfortable, it will not cause too obvious body shaking due to the extended suspension stroke; at the same time, the original factory also emphasizes that the new car introduces the NVH sound insulation engineering strengthening of the front screen/front window double-layer sound insulation glass, etc., and the cockpit is quiet. The overall rideability has indeed improved.

In terms of the control performance that Peugeot is proud of, the new 408 naturally did not disappoint. Twist the small-diameter steering wheel, and the front of the car will immediately turn into the corner, and the rear axle will also follow up at a progressive pace. The 508 SW that we were impressed with will not be inferior too much. What is even more surprising is that as the cornering speed increases, the tough mid-rear suspension damping can also maintain the body roll change at a smooth and acceptable level. Within the rhythm of the control, there will be no sudden huge body swings that affect the driving confidence. The Michelin e-Primacy energy-saving steerable tires with a tire width of only 205mm often restrict the driver from further testing the chassis limit. The speed is slightly higher and it is easy to wail all the way. , or even slight slippage, car owners who pay attention to driving experience can first consider upgrading the tire configuration.

Test drive experience ~ not only eye-catching, but also more fun

The new 408 not only amazes the four seats again with the French design aesthetics that Peugeot is good at, but the more evolved driver-oriented cockpit and digital technology interface also bring a more superior user experience, and at the same time, the dynamic performance that combines comfortable transportation and driving fun is also unmatched. Disappointing, the all-round product strength is worthy of consumers who like to be different to find out.