Should you buy one?

Although it’s getting on a bit, the 508 SW is an engaging choice for the individualist. Peugeot has boldly gone its own way with this car, and we the facelift has sharpened things up a little more. The styling of the 508 SW is spot on – it’s eye-catching without being flashy and upmarket enough to compete with the established premium rivals such as the BMW 3 Series Touring and Audi A4 Avant.

The 508 isn’t the most practical estate car though. If you want that, head straight to Skoda as the Octavia Estate and Superb Estate models both offer vast loadbays and more interior space at lower cost. But as an alternative to a 3 Series Touring, A4 Avant or Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake, the 508 is genuinely worth a look as an interesting alternative.

What we like

We love its looks – and although it’s not as pretty as the 508 Fastback, it’s still a very handsome estate car. Inside is where it impresses even further. Quality is all it needs to be with very few nasty plastics to be found.

On top of that, all models come with supremely comfortable seats that will make undertaking long journeys even easier. Those in the rear aren’t that well served in terms of leg- and headroom, so family buyers, bear that in mind.

What we don’t like

The i-Cockpit dashboard design still might not suit all drivers’ physiques and personal tastes, but it’s well-coordinated and successfully implementated, with a modern, upmarket look and feel.

We’ve already discussed the lack of luggage space, so we won’t labour the point, but we will voice a slight disappointment at the PHEV’s power delivery. It’s quick on paper, but is hard work extracting that performance out of it, and when you do it sounds pretty dismal.