Peugeot 508 RXH Hybrid4 200 CV, road test (Engine, performance and consumption)

For some time we had been eager to drive a different kind of hybrid. Today, there is no doubt that Toyota is one of the brands with the greatest weight in this market with its complete hybrid range, but it is also true that other alternatives exist.

Today we test a 200 CV hybrid, made up of a diesel engine plus an electric motor: the Peugeot 508 RXH Hybrid4. It is really an estate version of the 508 taken to the highest level in finish and equipment, and under the RXH designation, with a more rugged look than the standard estate.

Engine and performance

Peugeot is betting on hybrids in a different direction from the one other manufacturers, such as Toyota or Lexus, have followed. I say a different direction because it does not pair an electric motor with a petrol engine, but uses a diesel plus an electric motor.

The idea is to magnify the fuel savings of a diesel with those of the hybrid system and thus take ecology to the highest level. The base is a 2.0 HDI of 163 CV, an engine derived from the well-known two-litre unit that, until a few years ago, was around 140 CV and in its latest evolution has raised its power to 163 CV. This powerplant, together with the electric motor located on the rear axle, gives the car a total output of 200 CV and all-wheel drive.

Paired with the engine is a six-speed automatic gearbox, the well-known automated manual gearbox fitted to many PSA models. Even in this hybrid, gear changes are still noticeable, and it is a pity they did not fit the other six-speed automatic gearbox that PSA offers for its 163 CV diesel engines.

With a control located on the centre console we can select between four driving modes: ZEV (100% electric), 4×4, Auto and Sport. ZEV mode keeps the car in fully electric operation, so it acts as rear-wheel drive, and the range can reach about 3 km provided we are gentle with the accelerator pedal (and do not exceed 60 km/h). Even so, it has greater electric range than other hybrids. The 4×4 mode uses the rear motor to emulate all-wheel drive, which can be useful to get us out of a tight spot, but it is not a conventional 4×4. Finally, in Sport mode both motors work together to push the 508 RXH forcefully.

In terms of power, the car has considerable dimensions (1,800 kg, nearly five metres long) and it may seem that there are not 200 CV under the bonnet, but both when overtaking and with the car loaded, the 508 responds decisively when the accelerator pedal is pressed. That said, in terms of smoothness, compared with typical hybrids associated with petrol engines, the French car is rougher and noise levels are higher.

Handling

The suspension Peugeot has chosen for this hybrid estate gives it an agile feel, more limited by its dimensions than by its tuning, without giving up interior comfort. It is an ideal car for long journeys, isolating occupants from everything happening outside the car. It does not reach the level of comfort of the typical C5 suspension, but it comes close while maintaining a certain degree of dynamism.

The most peculiar aspect of the handling is the brakes. This is not the first hybrid we have tested, and we are already used to regenerative braking, which charges the batteries in the first phase and finally slows the car, with the brakes having an unusual feel. But the Peugeot 508 RXH has a quirk that other hybrids do not have: as soon as we lift off the accelerator pedal, the car slows down. In other words, the brakes charge the batteries, and we have to press the accelerator to release pressure from the brakes.

In a normal hybrid, when you lift off the accelerator the car simply rolls on, and it is only when you start braking that it charges the batteries. In the 508 RXH, however, from the very first moment we release the accelerator it already begins charging the batteries, and it is up to us to press the accelerator more or less to increase or reduce the braking force.

Consumption

The consumption figures are good, but they do not stand out in any special way. Simply fitting a hybrid powertrain to a car is not enough; it has to be consistent with the goal of low consumption and be efficient. If we take this estate, with a weight of around 1,845 kg and dimensions close to five metres, then miracles do not happen.

On the motorway, over the standard 1,200 km, it recorded 5.8 litres per 100 km. This is a good figure, but it is close to what any other diesel saloon on the market with similar power can achieve. The Citroën C5 with 204 CV achieved 6.2 litres per 100 km on the same route (4 tenths less, and with a larger-displacement engine).

On country roads the average consumption is around 6 litres per 100 km, and if we drive carefully we can get down to 5.5 litres per 100 km. In town, the figure is quite good, at around 7.5 litres per 100 km on our usual route.

The second part, where we will talk about the 508 RXH, will be available shortly, because it also differs from the standard estate in having a more rugged look, which we will analyse in the design section.

Photos | Test team and Diego G. Moreira