Mazda CX-80 vs Peugeot 408

What's the difference?

Despite the similar naming conventions, the new Mazda CX-80 large SUV isn’t a revamped version of the popular CX-8 model even though it technically replaces it.

The CX-80 is actually a seven-seat version of the mid-size CX-60. If you're confused, you're not the only one. The CX-80 joins a loooong list of SUVs that Mazda has brought to our market (including the CX-80 and 90) and while it offers more passenger space than its predecessor, does bigger mean better when it comes to family hauling?

My family of three have spent three weeks with the one-up-from-entry grade Touring G40e to find out for you.

Unveiled globally in 2022 before arriving here in late 2024 as a plug-in hybrid GT, the Peugeot 408 has been a niche player for the long-established French brand with less than 100 examples finding homes here last year.

But 2025 marked the transition to a new ‘plug-less’ mild-hybrid powertrain for the mid-size crossover-style SUV with the hope it may take a bigger swing at segment heavyweights.

We spent a week with the current 408 GT Premium Hybrid to see if its efficiency-focused petrol-electric set-up has what it takes to win a spot on your upscale five-seat SUV shopping list.