Peugeot has had a colourful history in Malaysia dating back decades. It seems everyone’s great grandfather or someone they know has owned a Peugeot at some point in their lifetime.
That is not surprising though as the brand has had a strong presence in Malaysia for many years, perhaps stronger than any other country in the region. It is worth noting at this point that while Peugeot has strengthened its position in Malaysia with the launch of a regional office as well as an assembly plant, the French brand has shuttered its operations in Indonesia just this year.
So yes, Peugeot and Malaysia have had a long, storied relationship. Though not one that has not always been smooth sailing.
But it’s not nice to talk about a brand’s past when all it wants to do is build a great future, it is like bringing up your wife’s past when all she wants to do is shower you with hugs and kisses. We should bask in the present and let the sun set on the past. I don’t mean to sound like a saint, but I do have a point to make.
Though it has always made some nice cars, the Peugeot brand has had many custodians in Malaysia in the past. Some did a stellar job while some left much to be desired, and that is putting it politely.
Now though, the Peugeot brand is officially in Malaysia under the Stellantis umbrella. If you don’t already know, the Stellantis Group owns Peugeot as well as 14 other brands such as Citroen, Alfa Romeo, Jeep, Maserati, DS Automobiles, Lancia, Fiat, Opel, Vauxhall and some American brands.
So rather than being present through a distributor as they did previously, Peugeot is now officially represented in Malaysia. And if you are wondering whether any of the other brands mentioned earlier will be making their way to here, the answer is yes but let us stay focused on Peugeot.
One of the pillars of success for any car maker is its aftersales service. Any car maker can sell a car, but it takes a great car maker to offer unequivocal after sales service. That’s something a lot of Chinese car makers are still struggling with but that is one of Stellantis Malaysia’s main priorities.
During the launch of its first model under the Stellantis Group early this year, the company’s Managing Director Jamie Morais assured Malaysians that availability of spare parts and access to service centres is one of the main priorities.
While it is building that network, Stellantis Malaysia also refreshed the Peugeot brand in Malaysia with the introduction of the 408.
The car is available in three variants – the entry level Allure model, which is priced at RM146,055, the flagship GT variant which costs RM196,055 and then there is the model here and the topic of the day, the Premium variant which costs RM166,055.
The C-Segment sedan sports a gorgeous fastback design which sets it apart from other competitors like the Honda Civic, Mazda 3 and the Toyota Corolla Altis. All of which look rather sedate as compared to the curves and edges of the 408.
But you would not expect anything lesser from Peugeot. It has after all designed and built some rather amazing (and accessible in terms of price range) cars – remember the RCZ? It is still turning heads till today.
The 406 Coupe is another such car, with its understated elegant lines making it one of the most desirable cars of the late 90s. It is a rare collector’s item these days as well.
Back to the new 408, after driving it for a few days, I had grown fond of the car. In typical French fashion, the car came with its quirks.
The design is undeniably wow in many aspects, particularly the grille that seems to merge into the front bumper, as well as the daytime running lights that strike downwards dramatically, mimicking a claw (or a tooth) of a feline.
The taillights are gorgeous as well, as are the 18-inch wheels that curiously look like they have been inspired by Kia’s EV6.
However, and this is something that truly bothers me, that rear bumper sticks out like a sore thumb. There is nothing wrong with the way it looks, but that it looks like someone forgot to paint it is something that I cannot unsee. It bothered me when the car was launched, it bothered me whenever I walked around it, and it bothers me when I look back at the pictures.
The car is undeniably good-looking, but words fail me when it comes to that posterior.
The interior though, is awesome!
The dash is cleverly designed and gives you a really nice balance of modernity and practicality. There is some typical French quirkiness that do not make sense at first but come together nicely later on, only to make you wonder how you lived without it all this while.
For example, there is no gear lever in the traditional sense but rather you select gears using a switch. You flick it upwards to select Reverse and downwards to select Drive. Park is a button by itself.
This switch works nicely and frees up the centre console of clutter.
Ahead of the driver lays dual screens that measure in at 10-inches each. One offers all the essential readings of the car such as speed and such, while another works as the infotainment system.
The software of the infotainment system is not what we would sometimes describe as intuitive; it does need some familiarisation time before you truly understand where all the controls are hidden.
However, it does come with Carplay and Android Auto so that makes it easy to access your music and navigation, something that I can’t live without when behind the wheel.
Music is played back into the cockpit through a six-speaker audio system, which may not sound impressive but the quality is decent, with rich deep bass and a vibrant mid and treble note.
So, you may be wondering what are the quirky parts by now – and lets begin that with the hexagonal steering wheel.
Peugeot is the only car maker that insists on having its steering wheels in such an odd shape. Of course there are other weird shapes out there, but not at this price point.
The shape of the steering wheel makes it difficult to get comfortable without anything obstructing the view of the meter panel. It is always either too high or too low, and this has been like that ever since the first hexagonal steering wheel was introduced about a decade ago.
But that might soon change with rumours swirling around about a square steering wheel for all future Peugeot models. We are not sure how true that is, but Peugeot could do with a lesson in ergonomics.
The one solution to that would be to use heads-up display, so that is something that would just perfect the package and eliminate the downside of that steering design.
But Peugeot definitely does not need a lesson in comfort as that is something the 408 does remarkably well. The interior is surprisingly spacious and is great for a young family of five even.
The seats are wrapped in plush leather, and I am of the opinion that the seats of the 408 are probably the best in its segment. Unfortunately, there’s no award for best seats otherwise the 408 would be deserving of that.
While the seats and parts of the interior are clad in leather, the dash and door panels use fabric instead. And that comes off as an odd choice and is a stark contrast to an otherwise nice interior.
Providing propulsion is a 1.6-litre, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine that puts out an impressive 218hp and 300Nm of torque. That is sent to the front wheels through a slick-shifting eight-speed transmission.
The powertrain of the 408 is among the most powerful in its class. And that allows it to get up to some very illegal speeds very quickly.
But it must be said that the suspension plays a key role in the overall character of the car. The suspension is at a very fine point where soft meets firm, and there are not many car makers that can do this without resorting to adaptive suspension.
The 408 allows you to have some fun with decent power under your right foot. The engine sounds great as well which sometimes makes you want to flex your right foot for no other reason but to indulge in that engine note.
Couple that to the suspension character and the 408 offers a fine balance of comfort and control, which just about anyone can appreciate.
At RM166,055, the 408 Premium is undoubtedly well priced to make life difficult for the likes of the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla Altis, both of which have been so deeply entrenched into their segments that buyers might have a hard time considering anything else.
But the 408 Premium is a car that will impress those that take some time to drive it and understand it. That is not all that surprising considering that Peugeot has made some remarkable cars over the years.
But with Stellantis now officially present in Malaysia, buying a Peugeot is no longer about the car itself, but buyers can also rest easy knowing that the strength of the brand is fully behind them and having an assembly plant in Kedah makes access to spare parts a lot easier than ever before.
Specifications:
Engine: 1.6-litre, 4-cylinder, turbocharged
Power: 218hp @ 5750rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 2000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price (as tested): RM166,055
We like: Design, comfort, quality
We don’t like: Weird steering wheel design, No powered tailgate
