Following the world premiere at last year’s Paris
Auto Show, Peugeot has finally released the 508 Hybrid and 508 SW Hybrid WLTP
fuel economy figures.
Initially, Peugeot only released the preliminary EV
driving range of 40 km but, as it turns out, the automaker
underestimated how far its plug-in hybrid models will go using battery power
alone. According to WLTP standards, the 508 Hybrid can cover 54 km in EV mode compared to the 508 SW Hybrid’s 52 km.
The 508 Hybrid and 508 SW Hybrid are rated at 1.3 l/100
km (217 mpg UK / 180 mpg US) in the combined WLTP cycle, with corresponding CO2
emissions of 29 g/km and 30 g/km, respectively.
Of course, as is usually the case with PHEVs, the
fuel economy ratings are not telling the whole truth, as they include the use
of the electric motor. This is why the EPA in the USA includes two labels for
PHEVs, “MPGe” or “miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent” that shows “the
number of miles the vehicle can go using a quantity of fuel with the same
energy content as a gallon of gasoline” and “MPG”, which represents the mileage
when the battery is emptied.
Both models combine a 180 PS 1.6-liter
PureTech turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine with an 109 PS electric motor for a total power output of 225 PS. The
plug-in hybrid powertrain also includes an 11.8 kWh battery which can be fully
recharged in less than two hours using an optional 7 kW onboard charger. Adding
to the PHEV system is an electrified e-EAT8 eight-speed automatic transmission
that is linked to the 80 kW electric motor on the front axle.
The hybrids also offer four driving modes: Zero
Emissions (full electric), Sport (combines power from both the ICE and the
e-motor), Hybrid (switches between electric and engine power for optimized
efficiency), and Comfort (combines Hybrid mode with a softer suspension
configuration). The new Peugeot 508 Hybrid and 508 SW Hybrid are already available to
order in France, with the rest of Europe to follow by the end of the year.
