New species: Why Peugeot say their new 408 is like nothing before

On the way

Peugot 408

Eddie Cunningham Twitter

June 22 2022 02:30 AM

Peugeot says its new 408, unveiled today, is the first of its kind in the history of the brand and the car market in general.

With its fastback silhouette, the new 408, due early next year, sits on 720mm diameter wheels and has 20ins rims.

It is 4.69m long, 1.48m tall and has a wheelbase of 2.79m which gives loads of room for rear-seat passengers and still leave space for a big boot (536 litres - increased to 1,611 litres with the rear seats folded).

Of course it has the latest generation of the Peugeot i-Cockpit.

It’s packed with tech; such as the six cameras and nine radars in the driver assistance systems.

There’s adaptive cruise control, night vision, long-range blind spot monitoring (75 metres) and rear traffic alert.

Among the engines are two plug-in hybrids (180hp, 225hp) as well as a 130bhp petrol. All three have 8spd automatic transmissions. There will be an all-electric version in a few months. Key targets are couples who want to drive ‘green’ but not lose the driving pleasure.