In an age of uniformity for car design, with a huge emphasis on SUV looks, Peugeot deserves credit for delivering on a car noted for its boldness with the 408.
Opting for a strong fastback profile, its designers gave us something that stands out from the rather uniform and predictable crowd.
The 408 line-up has now been completed with the arrival of the 408 E, a car strong in its design language and with a good road presence.
The car has a 210 hp electric motor and a 58 kW battery that Peugeot says can deliver "up to" 453 kilometres of range (the usual caveat about claimed ranges applies until we see what range can be delivered in real-world conditions).
The battery is located under the floor to minimise interior space loss. The boot is an impressive 471 litres, with 1,545 litres when the seats are folded.
A heat pump, which helps achieve higher ranges in cold weather, is fitted as standard, as is regenerative braking that can be adjusted with the steering wheel paddles.
An 11 kW AC charger, which is suitable for home charging, is also fitted as standard and the car has a 120 kW fast charging time of just over 30 minutes - or a 100 km range in 10 minutes on a suitable fast charger.
A trip planner with charging station integration is included as standard in the infotainment system.
There are two versions available - the Allure at €38,995 and the GT at €43,995. Both prices include grants.
The 408 E gets Peugeot's i-Cockpit with a compact steering wheel, 10-inch digital instrument panel and 10-inch central touchscreen with voice recognition.
A smartphone app enables remote pre-conditioning, charge scheduling and vehicle status monitoring.
Adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, which detects pedestrians and cyclists - day and night - and blind spot monitoring are also standard.
