25 May 2012 by Chris Ebbs, News and features editor

  • Entry level model offers generous amount of kit
  • Outstanding value for money, costing just £22,275
  • There are a couple of things that would enhance it

In a time of cutting back and better money management, I went all Coalition-like when ordering our long term Peugeot 508 SW.

First off I went for the entry level SR trim. How very prudent. This isn’t exactly sparsely equipped and the list of standard kit doesn’t leave you feeling short changed, however. 

It comes with air-con, alloy wheels, cruise control, front electric windows, front fog lights, a full size spare wheel, a height adjustable driver’s seat, lumbar support, roof rails, sat-nav, USB input, rear electric windows and a height and reach adjustable steering wheel.

That’s pretty impressive, especially considering the size of the car and the fact it costs just £22,275. There have only been a few occasions where I’ve wondered about the more luxury trims.   

Our sister magazine Car has recently started running a Peugeot 508 SW on its long term test fleet. They’ve opted for the more powerful 161bhp version of the 2.0-litre diesel. More importantly they’ve picked the rather exotic sounding Allure model. Very nice.

This means that their car comes with an electric driver’s seat, an electric passenger’s seat, heated seats, partial leather trim, an electric sunroof and parking sensors. I’m not overly envious of this upgrade, however, as my car still packs plenty of kit.

While I don’t want to sound like a broken record, the lack of parking sensors is still proving to be a bit of a gripe for me. It’s got to the point where I’ll either park in front-ways, which I don’t like doing – yes, I’m a bit weird, or by judging the length of the space based on the position of the other cars parked around me.

The problem is that most cars are much shorter than the 508 SW. As you line up with the other car's mirrors it’s not always gone quite right and, with a work car park littered with bushes, I often find I’ve nearly taken out the company funded foliage.

Parking sensors aren’t the only option I avoided on the car. In fact I was very restrained on the added kit, and went for just metallic paint at a reasonable £450. With that long list of standard features there isn’t a huge amount else to go for anyway. Having had a look through the Peugeot car builder, there aren’t many options at all for the 508 SW.

Along with the obvious addition of parking sensors, at a fairly reasonable £255, there are a couple of accessories that might come in useful depending on your lifestyle and interests. For me, the most obvious choice is the bike rack. At £615.54, however, it is rather steep but is a clever bit of kit that doesn’t need to be removed to open the boot. I’m sure if you shopped around you could find one for a lot less though.

There’s not a huge amount I would really want for the Peugeot. A few little touches might be nice, but there is nothing that I’m desperate for.

Once again; the big estate proves why it is such good value for money.

Current mileage: 6,798 miles

Average mpg: 51.6