First Look: Peugeot e-408 – 210 HP, 58.2 kWh NMC Pack, Up To 453 KM Range

The new Peugeot e-408 bows this week, thus completing the French silver lion marque's EV line-up as well.

Debuting late last night, the new Peugeot e-408 bows as the all-electric redux of the French silver lion marque’s signature coupe-styled crossover. Critically, the e-408’s arrival also sees Peugeot somewhat complete its range of electric vehicles (EV) in its current line-up.

Under the hood, the e-408 trades away it’s the 408’s 3-cyl and 4-cyl mills for a front-mounted e-motor that drive the front wheels with 210 HP and 345 NM. Said powertrain also offers three selectable drive modes – Eco Normal and Sport – plus three levels of brake energy regeneration.

IN e-408 form, the 408's 3-cy and 4-cyl mills are traded off for an e-motor plus 58.2 kWh NMC-type battery pack offering up to 453 KM range and the ability draw up to 120 kW DC fast-charging inputs.

Juicing said motor is a 58.2 kWh NMC-type battery pack which, thanks to the EMP2-platformed 408 model’s generous 2,787 MM wheelbase, is mounted very low in the chassis floor too. Critically, a full charge here grants up to 453 KM of range, according to Peugeot.

As for charging, the on-board charger firstly accepts 11 kW AC inputs at its base, but it also boasts a respectable ability to draw up to 120 kW of DC charging speeds too. Through the latter, 20-80% re-charges can be attained in just about 30 minutes.

Apart from new variant-specific 19-inch wheels, the e-408 sees its exterior design remain largely unchanged from the ICE-powered 408.

Aptly, Peugeot has retained the 408’s striking exterior design in this all-electric e-408 redux. What has changed here are the rolling stock whereby the e-408 gains new variant-specific 19-inch alloy wheels that are also shod in specific tyres offering low rolling resistance. 

Much like its exterior, the e-408’s cabin appears largely unchanged form its combustion (ICE)-powered 408 twin, meaning the novel and quirky Peugeot i-Cockpit design motif remains. Key signatures of include its ‘compact’ and slightly squared steering wheel, and the nifty i-Toggle shortcuts panel under its 10-inch central touchscreen infotainment.

Speaking of the latter, it also continues to offer same TomTom-powered native navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, voice assistant, and ChatGPT-powered functions.

It's the same case on board with  the e-408's innards, which appears unchanged from its ICE-powered twin mentioned, retaining the quirky and novel Peugeot i-Cockpit design motif here as well.

The switch to a fully electrified powertrain does see the e-408’s boot space shrink by 65 litres, but this is similar to the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variant – batteries take up space. Despite so, the e-408 still offers a respectable 471-litre standard boot capacity, which is expandable up to 1,545 litres.

Like its ICE-powered twin, Peugeot is poised to market the e-408 across three main trimlines – base Allure, mid-specced Emotion and a range-topping Excellence. Naturally, levels of luxury, kit and amenities, including things like Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) package, all vary according to each trimline mentioned.

Following its debut, parent firm Stellantis has opened orders books for the e-408 starting in both the brand’s home market of France and the European Union where five exterior paintjob options are offered. Availability in Peugeot’s other existing overseas markets is expected to follow suit, though no timeline for which was indicated.