Car rage changes to Vivela France!

'That's it," raged a frustrated friend recently. "I'm never buying a French car again."

This is a family newspaper, so I've paraphrased his outburst somewhat, which in truth was as colourful as French president François Hollande's love life.

There, sitting in my driveway, was my friend's 2006 Renault Megane, which was showing about as much life as a Mauritian dodo.

An electrical problem meant he wasn't going anywhere in a hurry.

There is nothing more frustrating than the electrics giving up the ghost. Just ask me: on more than one occasion I've considered putting a match to an Audi TT that sits on blocks in my garage.

I was tempted to point out to my friend that his vehicle was now eight years old and up to that point he hadn't had any problems. And, as we all know, kak happens.

But I wisely kept my mouth shut, because veins were already popping out of his neck and his face had turned a worrying purple colour. Instead, and maybe less wisely, I offered him a lift home - in our new long-term test vehicle, the Peugeot 508.

Without a doubt, the French motor manufacturer has gone on the offensive in the last few years with its offerings.

Kick-starting the campaign in 2009 was the 308 CC, a winner for those who love open-top cruising, followed in 2010 by the RCZ, which set tongues wagging with its radical drop-dead-sexy look.

More recently, the 208 GTi has been getting rave reviews and is a finalist for this year's South African Car of the Year competition. I must confess that my knowledge of the French language is limited to about two words, but the design of the 508 speaks volumes.

It has a more universal look to it and is not simply aimed at those who lazily spend their days savouring foie gras, a fine wine and a few Gauloises somewhere in the south of France.

The 508 - which replaced the 407 - falls into the C-segment of vehicles for sale and will be looking at grabbing some of the market share enjoyed by the likes of the Volkswagen Passat and the Kia Cerato.

And there's absolutely no reason why it shouldn't do so. Viewed side on, the lines of the 508 are impressive. They sweep down from the rear in one long motion before tapering out at the lights.

Without doubt the 508 falls into the luxury category. It has everything that opens and shuts and the way it drives and feels you would swear it comes from Stuttgart, not the city of Rennes in northern France.

Apparently, a mind-boggling two million kilometres of testing went in to the 508 before its international debut in 2010 at the Paris Motor Show - and all those hours and the money spent have definitely paid off. At MotorMania we are fortunate to have the 508 for an extended stay and look forward to bringing you regular updates from various members of our team as we test the vehicle in diverse conditions.

Next month we will look at some of the features that have been crammed in to this vehicle. And, believe me, there are plenty!

And my friend? He was too pleased to get home to object to driving in a French automaker's car - and then was overjoyed when Renault West Rand told him the problem was minor and waived the repair costs.

Now, he says, French cars aren't so bad after all.