COUPE DE GRACE

Swoopy new Peugeot 408 locks horns with Cupra Formentor crossover

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NOT everybody wants an SUV, but in a world where high-riding family cars are pretty much the norm, there aren’t many alternatives available to buyers looking for something that isn’t quite so chunky. However, it’s a situation that Peugeot is aiming to rectify with the new 408.

It still has an SUV-style ride height, but it features swoopier bodywork that is more like a coupé in execution, and slots between the 308 and 508 in terms of size and price. One SUV that is closer to this crossover philosophy than many is the Cupra Formentor. But which model manages to combine style and practicality the best?

Peugeot 408
MODEL TESTED: 408 1.2 PureTech 150 GT
PRICE: 34,650
POWERTRAIN: 1.2-litre 3cyl turbo petrol, 128bhp

THE new Peugeot 408 isn't a replacement for another model. Instead, it carves a new niche as a five-door coupé-crossover that slots somewhere between the 308 hatch, 508 saloon and possibly even the 3008 SUV. Here we're testing the top-spec GT trim, but with the smallest engine in the line-up, a 1.2-litre petrol unit, while our car comes in at £39,275 including options.

Tech highlights
THE big talking point of the 408 is its dramatic bodywork. With its long bonnet, low roof and tapering rear end, it has quite a distinctive five-door coupé shape, but this sporty appearance is offset by its raised ride height. It's not as jacked up as an SUV, but there's more ground clearance here than under a 508, while the relatively skinny tyres mean Peugeot's newcomer looks like it's on stilts when compared with the Formentor here.