Peugeot 407 Saloon 2004 - Present

The first thing that strikes about Peugeot's 407 are it's sleek good looks. It looks elegant and refined, light years away from the big estate cars they produced in the 80's. The front grill looks somewhat sports car but that couldn't be further from the big cat's mind. The French car maker is keen to emphasis that this is a grand touring machine, meant for gobbling up motorway miles in comfort.

Inside the 407 is an extremely comfortable place to be. The legroom is generous as is the headroom. There is next to no cabin noise and the seats are virtually pocket sprung. The suspension is set up to take all that the roads want to throw at it and keep the 407 steadily scoffing up the miles. It's a little on the large side to be anything much of a run-around and getting it out does have the feel of doing something more significant than popping to the shops. It's strange how the car's size makes it feel more significant but there's no doubting that it does.

The 407 is an extremely heavy car. One result of this bulk is that it holds onto the road extremely well. The brakes make an admirable job of stopping the car and the suspension offers an extremely assured ride. Not all models have the electronically controlled suspension but those that do benefit from a more taught spring when tackling corners at speed. The power steering does remove most of the sensation of the road from the steering wheel but given the weight at the front of the car it's of little surprise.

The engine options offer four size of petrol unit, 1.8, 2.0, 2.2 and 3.0 V6, and two diesel options, 1.6 and 2.0 HDI. It comes as no surprise that the 407 petrol engines are thirsty with a best 36 mpg from the 1.8 and worst of 28 from the 3.0. The diesel options are much more prudent with 47 and 53 mpg on offer. The 1.8 petrol engine feels somewhat overwhelmed by the size of the car and although the 2.0 model does break the 10 second 0-60 barrier it doesn't feel especially lively. The 1.6 diesel is similarly out of it's depth in such a big car. Both of the bigger engines, the 2.0 HDI and the 3.0 V6 perform well and make sense of powering such a big car. I suppose the choice will be between the economy of the HDI and the performance of the V6.

The Peugeot 407 is an expensive executive car and depreciation is likely to be like cliff jumping, most models losing 50% in their first year alone. That said it's the sort of car that will be purchased for longer terms than just a year. The safety features make it as safe place to drive in but is that enough to justify the price tag?

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