Peugeot has used the "408" moniker since 2010 in China for the sedan version of the 308 hatchback.
The model recently received a comprehensive update in the Bamboo Curtain Country, but it is not the car featured in this article.
Somewhat confusingly, the nameplate is now reused in Europe for a different model.
Officially categorized as a fastback, the 408 aimed at Old Continent customers has an unconventional look, like a Citroën C5
It rides on the latest iteration of Stellantis' EMP2 platform - shared by the global versions of the 308 hatchback and wagon - but Peugeot argues that it is a more advanced product and is positioned "at the top of the C-segment."
What you want to say about the design is up to you, but we have to give credit to the French automaker for daring to think outside the box.
The new Peugeot 408 is a jacked-up wagon with a swooping roofline for an unconventional body.
He has more lines and curves than we can count.
At 4,687 millimeters (184.5 inches) long, the new lion-badged vehicle is slightly longer than the traditional 308 SW model.
It is 1,859 mm (73.2 in) wide and 1,478 mm (58.2 in) tall, with a wheelbase stretching to 2,787 mm (109.7 in).
These proportions are also almost the same as the 308 wagons. The wheels can be as big as this complex 20-inch set, which is available on higher-end trim levels.
With the rear seats in place, the trunk can swallow 536 liters (almost 19 cubic feet), or up to 1,611 liters (56.9 cu ft) after folding the rear seats on versions powered only by the combustion engine.
Having a slimmer profile, it can't match the practicality offered by the 308. So you'll be sacrificing some luggage capacity for the extra styling.
There's not much to say about its avant-garde interior as most of it is carried over from the 308 model.
That's not a bad thing as the cabin looks like it was taken from a concept or luxury car.
He gets a pair of 10-inch screens and a typically small Peugeot steering wheel.
Focal's luxurious sound system with 10 speakers (including a subwoofer) was developed over three years specifically for the 408.
Peugeot will initially sell the new 408 with two plug-in hybrid powertrain options.
Both are front-wheel drive, with an eight-speed automatic transmission and an electric motor producing 109 horsepower (81 kilowatts).
What differentiates them is the 1.6 liter turbocharged petrol engine because it has different tuning levels, namely 150 and 180 hp.
Combining a combustion engine and an electric motor, the lower PHEV produces 180 hp (133 kW) and 360 Newton-meters (265 pound-feet) of torque.
Meanwhile, the more powerful variant increases its output to 225 hp (165 kW) while maintaining the amount of torque.
