This might seem like a strange comparison to you. This Volvo V60 T6 Recharge produces 340 horsepower, whilst this Peugeot 508 SW Hybrid...
225 only produces 225 horsepower. Quite the difference. However, if we look at the rest of the car, there's a lot of similarities.
Both are D-segment station cars which aren't only very spacious, but which look very good as well. They both have a plug-in hybrid drivetrain...
with almost the same battery capacity. If you keep the seats up, the difference in loading capacity is only one litre. And if we look...
at the prices, they're really close as well. The Peugeot 508 SW Hybrid 225 starts at around €48.500 whilst the Volvo starts at just below €52.000.
But for that money, you get an additional 115 horsepower.
The funny thing is, you're not really going to use those extra horsepower. Especially if you're buying this car for its green label.
Because if you are, you're a very good person who plugs the car in a lot and who's practically always driving on electricity.
That's when you're only using 87 horsepower and 240 Nm of torque, coming from the electric motor on the rear axle.
That's enough for a top speed of 125 km/h. You shouldn't ask yourself what the 0-100 km/h-time is, because it takes time.
Anyhow, the electric motor is directly mounted to the rear axle, so there's no gearbox inbetween.
That means it's a linear and smooth experience. Pretty quiet as well. Like I said, it produces 87 horsepower, which isn't a lot but it's enough to...
go with the traffic flow. You can also travel for around 45 kilometres on electricity.
So if you're mostly driving short distances, you can travel those distances clean and relatively cheap.
But to call it quick? Nope, it's only quick when the combustion engine kicks in. It's a turbocharged 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine with an additional...
compressor, which produces over 250 horsepower. That means the combustion engine alone produces more power than the Peugeot...
as a whole. And if that engine kicks in, it can take really big steps. However, the funny thing is that the more you ask from the engine,
how less it seems to perform. It's quite a weird experience really. When you put your foot down, you get a small push from the electric motor,
but that's when it needs to start up the engine and shift down to first gear. That's when all of the power is released onto the front wheels,
and on a wet surface, the front wheels don't really like that. The ESP-light will keep blinking.
So it's able to go fast, but won't be at its best when you actually go fast. It will be at its best if you only use a part of its power.
The electric motor at the rear is able to support the combustion engine, which hides away the gear changes, and it will become a very smooth...
drivetrain with more than enough power. Also, if you drive it like that, the chassis will be at its best as well.
This is an R-Design, which implies it to be very dynamic. However, since it weighs almost 2.000 kg, it will never be dynamic.
If you go very fast with it, you can feel all of the mass heaving about. It has a very artificial feeling to the brake pedal as well.
And if you start pushing the car, it won't be at its best. That's why I'd say that the Inscription-trim level would be better. However, the...
advantage of this version is that it comes with adaptive dampers. And if you leave those in Comfort-mode, it can process everything the...
world throws at it. It won't be sporty, because it's too heavy for that, but it will remain quiet and it will neatly follow suit when you steer it.
It's just a very comfortable travel companion. However, what seems to be the biggest advantage on paper, isn't that big of an advantage in real life.
Especially if you're mostly driving on the electric motor. Because if you do, the Peugeot will be more powerful than the Volvo.
The electric motor in the 508 produces 110 horsepower and 320 Nm of torque. And it's mounted on the front axle, right inbetween the...
combustion engine and gearbox. That means it also powers the front wheels. When you're driving on electricty, you've got a higher top speed.
You can reach the speed limit in the evenings as well. Having said that, the experience is very similar.
It's slightly quicker, but you sometimes feel the gear changes. That's because the electric motor is in front of the gearbox.
But if you're mostly driving on electricity, you won't really notice that. However, what you will notice, is the smaller electric range.
I think it's partly because of the tires, because this particular car has Michelin PilotSport 4-tires, whilst the Volvo has Premacy-tires.
That's a slightly less sporty and sticky rubber. They both have pretty much the same battery packs, with the difference in capacity being 0,1 kWh.
So the difference is next to nothing. Despite that, this 508 is 10 kilometres down on the Volvo. And that's quite the difference.
Like I said, that's partly because of the tires. If you run out of electric juice, the 1.6-litre combustion engine kicks in.
That means it will have a system power output of 225 horsepower. Because both power sources are mounted on the same axle and...
because they use the same gearbox to drive the same set of wheels, I was expecting to feel a natural power transition.
However, it's the other way around. It's like both power sources are constantly arguing about who will produce the power.
Eventually, they decide to both produce power, and you'll receive power in the front wheels.
But the automatic gearbox is constantly changing gear. Sometimes, you're driving in the city and you approach a traffic light...
with constant pedal pressure, when the gearbox changes back. That means engine braking becomes more intense,
which means the torque converter opens up and the car moves forward. It's like riding a rocking horse.
Not very refined.
The power then. It's more than enough. Just like in the Volvo, the more you use the power, the less it'll be at its best.
The small power differences between the engines are enlarged when you try to use it all.
As long as you drive them in a normal way, you won't be bothered by that at all. Just try to use between 150 or 180 horsepower,
both cars will be nice and quick and they will produce more than enough power. And they're very smooth as well.
What is clear though, is that the Volvo has the better chassis. Just like the Volvo, this is a sporty version of the 508.
A GT, with adaptive dampers. Those come as standard, as opposed to the Volvo.
However, it feels like the springs are too stiff whilst the dampers are too soft. That means it feels a bit dribbly.
And if you encounter multiple imperfections after each other, it starts heaving about. It leans quite a bit. Then there's the steering,
which is very direct around the middle. That means it feels nervous but sporty at first, but if you start steering further, you can feel all...
of the mass moving. Despite being 200 kg lighter than the Volvo. I would've liked it if they had tightened up the dampers.
That it would grab the chassis and plant it down on the road. So when it comes to drivetrain, the differences aren't that big, but when it comes...
to the chassis, the Volvo is the winner.
And the Volvo comes with another advantage, the interior. And I'm not talking about space here, because that's very similar.
Instead, they both have a panoramic roof. In the Volvo, it continues all the way back here, but in the Peugeot it only goes halfway.
After that, there's some kind of bump. And it's directly in your view if you're around 1.80 m. tall like myself.
Almost like you're watching a widescreen-broadcast on a non-widescreen TV. That's just not nice.
Also, this Volvo looks better on the inside, and it has better ergonomics. Especially when we're looking at the touchscreen.
The buttons are bigger, the responses are quicker, so you can find what you're looking for much easier.
In the Peugeot, you'll be looking for stuff for a tad longer. That's very distracting when you're driving.
But the Volvo is allowed to look better and be more ergonomic. That's because the Volvo is a lot more expensive.
I already mentioned the starting prices, which already had a price gap of around €4.000. However, that's not the difference I'm talking about.
If we look at these particular cars though, with this 508 SW having a GT-trim level and almost every option with the exception of night vision,
you're talking about €61.000. But this particular Volvo will set you back €72.000. That's a very big difference. For a part,
that's logical because it looks better and it has more options. Vented seats, bigger alloys, heated steering wheel and a heated rear seat.
Those are things the Peugeot doesn't have, but that also doesn't mean the Peugeot is equipped worse. Not enough to justify €10.000 if you ask me.
And with that, it becomes quite a strange comparison at the end.