Prepare to fire up the... Peugeot 508

PEUGEOT'S 508 is looking to pounce straight into the saloon territory dominated by Ford's Mondeo and Vauxhall's Insignia when it arrives in the UK later this year.

As the replacement for both the 407 saloon and estate range and the bigger 607 executive express, the company's got a lot staked on its stylish new arrival being a hit, and if it's anywhere near as successful as its predecessors you'll be seeing a lot of them on motorways and in business parks in the next few months.

With the saloon version starting at £18,150 and the estate, dubbed the SW, at around a grand more, it's priced on a par with the 407 it replaces but comes with more toys, like a start/stop system, and multi-link suspension which the company reckons will make it comfier and more fun to drive.

It'll follow in the footsteps of a string of saloons which have particularly proved a hit with company car drivers, starting with the 405 in 1988, the curvier 406 in 1996 and the sharknosed 407 in 2004, but the bigger, more luxurious 607's proved a slower seller, with the executives it was aimed at opting instead for the prestige of its BMW, Mercedes and Audi rivals.

Luckily the 508 looks the part, being the first model to try out the company's new corporate style, which you're likely to see on the car's smaller sisters in the next few years. Smooth but not oddly-proportioned, it's definitely easy on the eye.

Replacing two cars at once in one of the toughest parts of the motoring marketplace is a brave move for the French firm but the RC Z sports coupe, which Life On Cars tested last year, showed that the company is still more than capable of pulling a winner out of the bag.