Peugeot brings self-charging Hybrid power to its avant garde 408 family hatch. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Your ideal Peugeot 408 might be this one, the Hybrid e-DSC6. You can't plug it in, but if you want this stylised Gallic family hatch, it makes more sense than any other powerplant in the range.

The 408 is arguably Peugeot's most avant-garde model. But from launch, to get this more stylised five-door family hatch with an equally advanced engine, you had to pay an awful lot for the top Plug-in Hybrid version. Now, the huge price and power gap between that top PHEV variant and the base PureTech 130 derivative has been filled neatly by this model, the Hybrid 136 e-DSC6. This is a Hybrid you can't plug-in - but given that for nearly half the time in urban traffic, it'll run almost completely on battery power, you may not mind that. And you're not carrying around the considerable extra weight of a plug-in system. So this Hybrid 136 is considerably more economical than the PHEV version running combustion power would be. Let's take a closer look.

As with its close family hatch showroom stablemate, the 308 Hybrid 136 e-DSC6, this self-charging 408 uses this e-DSC6 unit only in its faster 136hp form (smaller Peugeot models like the 208 supermini also get it in lesser 100hp guise). As ever with a full-Hybrid, you have to have an auto gearbox, though this is a rather different kind of self-shifting transmission - and not only because it's of the dual-clutch sort and restricted to six speeds. Built into its casing is a DC inverter, an Engine Control Unit and, most significantly, a little 28hp electric motor powered by a tiny battery secreted beneath the front passenger seat. On the move, this motor can work together with this Hybrid model's 1.2-litre petrol engine - or separately from it. And, unlike with a mild hybrid system like that fitted to say, a rival Volkswagen Golf, here the car can be driven for short urban distances (under 18mph) on electric power alone. During deceleration, the petrol engine stops and the e-motor acts as a generator to recharge the Hybrid system's 48V battery. The battery also stores the energy recuperated by the regenerative braking system. The motor additionally assists the engine under acceleration - such as from standstill to 62mph, which takes 10.2s en route to 131mph.

Apart from the badging, there aren't any visual giveaways as to this 408's Hybrid status. It's certainly a good looking thing. As the 408's lengthy seven year development gestation period suggests, Design Project Manager Pierre-Paul Mattei and his team had some difficulty in getting the Peugeot board to sign off on this car - and it's not difficult to see why. Even Mattei admits that 'giving the car dynamism without hiding its roominess' was problematical. Eventually, the project was probably green-lighted because this car shares so much with the 308 hatch it was developed alongside. Actually though, it's closer in quirky concept (and size) to another unconventional Stellantis Group Gallic model, the Citroen C5 X. The 408, according to its stylists, is a 'reinvention of the mid-sized sedan', with feline fashion touches like the radical front grille, an unusual bulbous rear diffuser and a duck tail spoiler. It's clearly been designed around the unusually styled 20-inch wheels of top variants, so with base 17-inch rims, owners might be disappointed with the finished effect. There be disappointed if they come expecting an equally 'disruptive' sense of style inside too because the dash is lifted entirely from the Peugeot 308. Many though, will see that as unusual enough, with its trademark Peugeot 'i-Cockpit' tiny steering wheel, over which (rather than through which) you view the virtual gauges on the 10-inch Digital Driver's Display. Another 10-inch screen adorns the centre of the fascia, with digital shortcut keys beneath and the brand's latest voice control system. In the rear seat, there's more head and knee room than you get in a 308 - but not much more. And out back in the 408 Hybrid e-DSC6, you don't have to put up with the 65-litre boot size reduction that's imposed on you by the PHEV variant. That means there's the same 536-litre trunk size and the same 1,611-litre seats-folded capacity as you'd get with a conventional PureTech 130 version of this model.

At the time of this variant's launch in Spring 2024, prices for this Hybrid 136 e-DSC6 408 variant were starting from around £32,500. That's only around £600 more than the unelectrified PureTech 130 version; and it's a huge £8,000 less than the Plug-in Hybrid model. As with any 408, there are two trim levels, base 'Allure' or plush 'GT'. Standard equipment across the range of course includes the brand's usual 'i-Cockpit' dash layout, which includes a Digital Dial Display and a 10-inch centre infotainment screen with wireless 'Apple CarPlay'/'Android Auto' smartphone-mirroring and Peugeot's latest voice control system. LED headlights and tail lamps are standard and entry-level models ride on 17-inch wheels, but you'll want to trade up to the unusual 'squared-off design' 20-inch rims of top variants which are aero-styled to contribute to the 0.28Cd drag factor. Key options include thicker side glass, night vision and a 'Drive Assist Pack which offers limited semi-autonomous drive tech and Rear Traffic Alert.

This 408's self-charging Hybrid powertrain can operate more than 50% of the time in zero-emission all-electric mode during low-speed urban cruising, offering improved fuel economy of up to 15% for fewer trips to the pumps, and a significant reduction in CO2 for this 408 when compared to the existing PureTech 130 EAT8 engine. The actual 408 Hybrid 136 e-DSC6 figures are up to 58.8mpg on the combined cycle (around 4mpg less than the equivalent 308 Hybrid) and up to 108g/km of CO2 (6g/km less than that 308). Thanks to the CO2 reduction, the Hybrid powertrain has a reduced rate of Vehicle Excise Duty and a lower rate of Benefit-in-Kind Tax for company car drivers (27% compared to 32% for the PureTech 130 version). But of course that's nothing like as good a tax return as you'd get from the 408 PHEV (12%); or the E-308 full-Electric model Peugeot really wants to sell you, which like all EVs, is BiK-rated at just 2% - until 2025 anyway. This Peugeot Hybrid's petrol engine has been optimised for efficiency and operates in the Miller combustion cycle. This thermodynamic cycle is enabled by the variable geometry turbocharger, which enhances performance at low rpm, and variable valve timing. A belt-driven starter combines with the e-motor to start the petrol engine from cold. The belt-starter also restarts the engine quickly and seamlessly while driving. As for peace of mind, well there's the usual unremarkable Peugeot three year 60,000 mile warranty.

If you want a Peugeot 408 - and we can see why you might - choosing this Hybrid 136 e-DSC6 powerplant in it seems like a bit of a no-brainer. Its running cost savings would allow you to pretty quickly recoup its reasonable up-front price premium over the base PureTech 130 version. And it's difficult to see many ownership scenarios where this self-charging Hybrid would cost more to run than the top PHEV model, even taking into account that PHEV's Benefit-in-Kind taxation savings. Otherwise, this 408's sales proposition remains as before. It's pricey for a mainstream-branded hatch of this kind, but feels and looks quite premium to compensate. If you need further reasons to justify acquisition of one of these, this Hybrid engine might well provide them.