Wimoweh. The lion sleeps tonight

Peugeot 508 SW Hybrid

For the summer school holidays my parents would load their four boys into a car and drive more than 1,500 miles from the UK to the southwestern tip of Portugal.

In the early 1970s this took - amongst other things - determination. On two lane arrow straight roads, Dad would ease our right-hand-drive car to the left leaving my Mum to peek ahead and judge if there was enough room for us to overtake a huge lumbering lorry before another one came the other way. I can still hear her urgently saying ‘go, go, now’ as if it were yesterday. As we made our way south, this dice with death was repeated many times in the scorching summer heat of Spain’s Castile region.

When we stopped - which you had to do often in a car of that era - I can still remember the car door handles – at my eye height - being too hot to touch. The contrast from the damp and grey North London we were used to could not have been more vivid. Here the air was bone dry with the colours of the landscape bleached and frazzled. The only thing moving was the shimmering heat haze in the distance. With bored squabbling children in the back, no seat belts and no air-conditioning, Dad was fuelled by seemingly chain-smoking the whole way.

About 50 years later and I have a Peugeot 508 SW to review finished in on-trend Selenium Grey. Grey, by the way, has just been confirmed as the most popular colour choice for new cars in the UK for the seventh consecutive year running. Knowing this, and revealing you know this, will make you irresistible at parties. I promise.

Just looking at the 508 I know Dad would have liked the Gallic design touches that emphatically signal that this is not a German car. At the front the Lion logo is framed by long vertical LED running lights just like the white fangs of a big carnivore. The rear lights look like red slashes left after the swipe of a big paw. The whole stance of the car is low and tapered like a cat when they do that pre-leap wobbly thing.

Peugeot very much have their design mojo back with the 508. Doors with frameless windows lead you to an interior with one immediate talking point; the tiny steering wheel worthy of a fair ground dodgem ride. Set low, it provides quick and precise inputs and you soon get used to looking over it to see the instruments. Vive la difference.

Another thing you get used to very quickly are the optional massage seats. Cat Paw massage pattern at intensity level 2 for me please. Ever gone outside just to sit in a car? You will with these seats. You sit very low down as well, the bum to tarmac proximity a key contributor to the silky dynamics when on the move.

That’s where the big cat experience is at its best. It is effortless to drive yet completely involving. This is absolutely central to its appeal and a mind-boggling combination to pull off. The ride in all drive modes was perfectly judged for a big estate that simply eats up long journeys. After two hours behind the wheel with the adaptive suspension set to comfort, you emerge in better shape then when you started. One evening I popped out for some milk and drove the 508 for nearly an hour because it was just so nice to drive. Hand on heart; if you like driving you’ll love the 508.

No wonder, then, where I live, they are the wheels of choice for the police. If the blue lights flash in your rear view mirror, the people you are about to speak with will more than likely be in a big Peugeot.

The standard matrix LED headlights are state-of-the art, making night driving a delight. However, there is more. Another option – which you’ll want - is the infrared night vision camera. This looks 200 metres ahead, beyond the headlights, to detect people and animals and show them on the digital display. Fox and deer shapes eerily skitter across the screen like an Attenborough show. Clever stuff.

There is a 530-litre boot that grows to 1780 litres when you drop the back seats. The lever to do this is conveniently by the rear tailgate so forget crawling around inside or endangering your rotator cuff. It’s another nice touch. No loading lip to overcome either, and a flat floor - these thoughtful details matter.

All 508 versions are eight-speed automatics and the hybrid I drove joined a 1600cc turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor. A combined peak of 225hp and a WLTP range of around 35 miles is the result. Swapping between electric and petrol is utterly seamless.

With options – don’t forget the massage seats - my review car was a whisker under £56,000.

The herd mentality of high riding SUVs can make estate cars look like the defunct design from a bygone era. The 508 SW is powerful proof that you can have a practical load-eating carrier that is not only more aerodynamic than your shed but exciting, svelte and gorgeous to drive as well.

Looks wise, it has that same gift that French women seem to be born with, the ability to effortlessly layer and accessorise so each element adds up to be much greater than the sum of its parts.

If I ever thought it was a good idea to drive 1,500 miles with four boys all under the age of 10, I would reach for the feline car key every time.

Dad didn’t have anything remotely as accomplished or modern to make that journey in but he did it all the same. Standing next to the 508, I had an inner glow of excitement knowing how much he would have liked it. Like a scene from the Lion King, fleetingly, it felt like he was there too.