Road Test: Peugeot 407 SV

By Feann Torr - 11/03/05

Peugeot's new 407 is quite a looker. It's brash and bold and always gets noticed, and talk always comes back to that long snout, and let me say that it's been the object of much debate around the office.

I quite like the new look, but other colleagues, who will be left unnamed, have said the new front end looks "pig dog ugly".

Like many other distinctive cars over the decades, such as the Subaru SVX and Porsche 924 and 944, their bodyshapes have been the focus of heated discussion, some of it positive, some of it negative, and if the argy-bargy about this model from Peugeot is anything to go by, don't expect the debate to wane in years to come...

In addition to the European car's racy new shape, the 407 comes with a range of useful features that bring it up to date with its competitors, such as increased active and passive safety measures including eight airbags, a 6-speed automatic transmission and parking proximity sensors all standard across the range.

A number of models are available, including the touring (wagon) 407, together with a range of engines including diesel and petrol, 4- and 6-cylinder, and the car we tested was the range topping 407 SV sedan with the 6-speed auto transmission, which fetches $55,990.

That said, you can get into one of these opinion-dividing European cars for $42,790, which is a very competitive price for what you get. And what exactly do you get if you fork over your hard-earned mazoolies for one of these new cars? Let's have a look.

Drive

The 407's new look is polarising views, but in weighing up the asking price and after giving it a good thrashing, I came away from the 407 with an unexpected sense of satisfaction.

The front-wheel drive Peugeot is a well measured car that's very easy to drive, with a practical suspension setup more than capable of cruising around town, smoothing out coarse surfaces with ease.

It does have sporty 17-inch wheels, but the fairly chunky 215/55 R17 tyres have tall sidewalls that help reduce the impact of bumps and lumps, and the smooth ride is fitting for a car of the 407's stature, which isn't quite luxury, but far from plebeian either.

Peugeot is keen to move the 407 upmarket somewhat, so a plush ride was always going to be at the top of the 'to do' list, and it manages to convey a good sense of luxury in everyday driving situations, and this helped by pleasing interior appointments, but more on that later.

Peugeot built it's own front and rear gas pressure dampers in house, which incorporate electronically controlled multi-valve technology on the V6 model to ensure that each wheel can independently adapt to the situation at hand (there are sensors in each wheel).

In practise the adjustable damping system works well, and means that the shock absorbers can be softened to keep things smooth on a bumpy country backroad, or stiffened when bearing increased weight due to three extra passengers or a boot full of firewood, for example. It's a nice system that works its magic unseen, though the standard settings were a little soggy for my liking in normal mode.

You can let the car automatically and continuously alter damping settings, but there is also another option for the V6 models that is activated by a push-button on the centre console that initiates the sports mode, and this is where the car redeems itself in terms of performance driving.

I remember when I first pushed the 'sports mode' suspension button after getting off the freeway. I headed up into the hills and was immediately impressed by the car's new attitude. Body roll was reduced and the car didn't feel half as bashful when tipping into corners.

The long front overhangs coupled with the front wheel drive layout don't do the car any major favours, causing it to understeer when pushed hard through corners, but on the whole Peugeot engineers have done a good job at sorting out the chassis. The brakes are nice and firm and suspension is great, though the power steering is a tad light, numbing much of the feedback.

You won't be passing larger 6- and 8-cylinder European cars in the 407 as it's 3.0-litre 155kW V6 engine isn't the best in this class and would really benefit from another 20 kilowatts, but as far as handling goes, it's definitely up there. Grip levels are good, but the tyres will squeal a bit when you get used to car's dynamics and grow more confident behind the wheel.

It is so nice to have a couple of options up your sleeve in terms of shock absorption, one for commuting and the other for careening (we've tested some cars that are at one extreme or the other, too stiff or too soft, making them very hard to live with day-to-day) and in my opinion this makes the more expensive $55,990 V6 model worth looking into.

Engine

Propulsion for the contemporary looking 407 comes from a number of sources, the entry level $42,790 ST Comfort model powered by a 2.2-litre inline four banger that makes 116kW of power.

There's also a diesel engine on offer that ekes out 100kW and 320Nm of torque.

The model we tested was the range-topping 407 SV, complete with the abovementioned electronically controlled dampers, and is also the only model available with the 3.0-litre V6.

While 155kW is more than enough poke for a lot of cars, it doesn't quite feel punchy enough for the top shelf SV model, and this could be explained by way of the car's heavy kerb weight of 1660kg.

In contrast, the $33k VZ Commodore Executive tips the scales at 1568kg and has 175kW of power.

It's not a slow car by any means, capable of eclipsing 200km/h, but it's not as quick as the 141kW Honda Accord Euro, as I got well and truly dragged by one of the lithe Japanese cars from 0-80km/h.

Unfortunately for people like me who prefer a clutch and a five or six cogs, the SV is only available with an automatic transmission, the AM6 as Peugeot calls it - but it's not all bad. Indeed, it's saving grace is the inclusion of six ratios on the auto gearbox (built by Aisin A.W in Japan), which does go a long way to wringing the most out of the all alloy V6 engine.

It's also got a tiptronic mode, but to be rather blunt I found it be to fairly useless. It won't hold gears and simply changes up a gear when you hit the redline, so what's the point of using it when the normal 'Drive' mode does the same thing? There is a sports mode, which can be activated by a button near the j-gate shifter, and allows the engine rev a little higher and has more aggressive shift patterns.

The engine itself is a very quiet, frugal chunk of metal, but what it really needs is a manual gearbox, or better yet a twin clutch direct shifting gearbox. Still, for everyday driving at not-so-ludicrous velocities the engine does a slap up job, and it should be mentioned that the 6-speed auto shifts smoothly every time, which is probably of more import to most buyers of the 407 than out-and-out power.

From all angles the 407 is distinctive, but it's boldness may be too much for some

The V6-powered 407 will hit 100km/h from rest in 8.4 seconds, which is pretty good considering it's more than 1.6 tonne weight, and a claimed top speed of 230km/h means that overtaking will rarely fluster the car, even when the driver you're trying to pass has the discourteous knack of speeding up as you attempt the manoeuvre.

Exterior

Forget the fancy electronic dampers, the advanced 6-speed automatic transmission - the only thing people want to talk about when they see the 407 is the way it looks, and in particular that long snout.

I had plenty of comments at the traffic lights, a lot of them positive, but there were a few who told me "I wasted my money" and other such disparagements.

And while there will always be detractors, the 407 appealed to my tastes not just based on its proportions, such as the long bonnet and sleek overall shape, but also in terms of pushing the envelope of vehicle design, in giving buyers something visually different to what is normally offered up.

There are tinges of the 407's predecessor (the 406 sedan + coupe) in the design, for instance in the headlights, which have been stretched, pulled back and wrapped around the flanks of the front end to create striking pair of eyes.

Furthermore, the aerodynamic shape of the 407 ensures it kicks ass in the wind tunnel, and where the 406 had a drag co-efficient of 0.32, the 407 has trimmed it down to 0.29 thanks to its sleek lines, which is mightily impressive.

That long bonnet is adorned with a truly massive Peugeot lion badge up front and one wonders whether such a large item is needed? Perhaps if the badge was smaller people would approach for a closer look? Underneath the jumbo badge is a large airdam that looks like a gaping mouth, giving the car a very athletic, purposeful, slightly aggressive visage.

Vertically stacked fog lights either side of the large air dam look great, and the stylishly sculpted and integrated bodykit (skirts, bumpers) adds to the car's sportiness, and the 5-spoke 17-inch alloys allude to the car's luxury pretensions.

There's also aspects of the now-dated 406 in the rear end, but for mine it didn't excite like the front end and side profiles. The slightly flared rear wheel arches are nice, and the overall design and the taught surfaces look good, it's just those brake lights that let it down somewhat. The rest of the car is so contemporary, it's almost as if the Peugeot designers ran out of steam by the time they'd got around to the tail lights.

Taken as a whole, the 407 is a very provocative car, and I really like that. It's a bit daring, a bit different, and while a lot of people won't like the status quo being upset so blatantly but the French automaker, I love it. Bring it on, and nice work Peugeot!

Interior

Like the 206 GTI, the range-topping 407 SV shows off a sporty white-faced instrument cluster

Step into the 407 and marvel at just how large the windscreen is. It's huge! And even when set at such a steep angle, it still affords brilliant forward vision, but in the baking Australian sun it also means that the car can get hot inside quite quickly.

In the 407's defence - and one of my personal favourite interior features - three integrated sun blinds can be extracting for the rear side windows and rear window, adding privacy and a touch of heat resistance.

The air-conditioning is adequate, and with a refrigerated glove box you can keep your sarsaparilla cool, which is a nice touch, as are the automatically folding exterior mirrors - just hit 'lock' on the trendy key fob and in they pop.

I also appreciated the inclusion of a humidity sensor that can detect condensation and adjust the air conditioning system to defog the windscreen, and the electrochromatic (anti-dazzle) rear view mirror is useful at night.

Heated leather seats provide for good levels of comfort in the cabin, complete with electric adjustment, and though there could be more lower leg room for the rear seat bench, which has a 66:34 splitfold, the 407 manages its interior space competently.

The dash plastics aren't of the highest quality, not something a wannabe luxury car should be fitted with, but overall the dash is well laid out and easy on the eye, and a saving grace can be found in the soft roof lining materials. The centre console is very easy to use, with intuitive menu navigation for audio and HVAC controls, and the instrument cluster is a work of art.

White dials with highly legible markings on the SV model contribute to a sporty feel in the cabin, as does the leather steering wheel, while the small orange LED readout between the tacho and speedo shows mileage, cruise control and actual speeds is a great little tool when you're heading out on longer journeys.

All models sport impeccable safety features, the SV included, such as active front seat head restraints, eight airbags that cover front and rear passengers, an electronic stability control system (ESP), ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), an anti-skid function (ASR) and emergency brake assist (EBA).

With so many standard features -- and let's not forget the trendy-looking digital climate control system, the CD stereo, rear parking proximity sensors, cruise control, the automatic headlights and rain sensing windscreen wipers -- the new 407 makes a strong statement, and with one of the most comprehensive safety schemes worthy of a Euro NCAP five star rating, it impressed the pants off me (thank goodness for the heated seats then).

Overall: 3.5/5

With the advent of the 407, the entry-level prestige car race has just been turned up a notch. It used to be simple for buyers wanting a well-built, European prestige sedan that didn't cost the world.

You'd go with BMW or Mercedes, and Audi's reputation was solid enough to warrant a closer look as well. These days however, the Germans no longer have a stranglehold on the genre, with the Japanese (Lexus), the Italians (Alfa Romeo) and the French (Peugeot, Citroën) now looking to muscle in on the market.

Peugeot's latest effort is a very strong showing in the form of the 407, whose looks alone will attract the attention of hundreds of potential buyers and inquisitive onlookers alike. For mine, the car's looks alone warrant the asking price.

The only reason the car didn't score any higher was the heavy kerb weight, which undermined the car's straight line performance, and the lack of a manual option in the V6 model seems somewhat odd considering the loss of power and reduced fuel economy compared to a manual.

But if your thrill-seeking days are long since past, add another Wombat, because the 407 is far from ordinary - it's a pleasure to operate and performs many functions that most PCs would have trouble with. Now, where's the slinky 2-door 407 coupe got to?