Peugeot 407 reviews
The Peugeot 407 is priced at RM160k on the road. If you do not have enough money, may be a second hand one is your right choice. You might get a 2005 model as low as RM115k now. Hmmm.. lost RM45k for just one year! No doubt, it is for rich guys! Perhaps, in another 5 year, the price would decrease RM50k, and I hope at that time, I have enough money!
Here are some reviews of Peugeot 407 written by some forummer on the net.
Review 1:
By StraightSix - Autoworld forum - September 4, 2004
The market for the mid-sized mass-market saloon is shrinking, in Europe at least. Buyers are opting for premium brands like BMW instead of Ford. This phenomenon is not limited to cars. You can see it in every product category. People want premium brands these days.
And Peugeot’s answer to this is is the new 407 – a boldly styled, rakish 4-door with coupe-like proportions. It is certainly eye-catching but I think Peugeot’s attempt, while admirable, is misguided. As with the 307, they have made two glaring errors in the 407’s design. First, the proprtions are all wrong. There is so much front overhang that the car looks like it might tip over its nose. No wonder you can’t find a single photo of the car’s side profile in the brochure!
The second mistake the sharply raked front and rear windscreen wasted a lot of interior space. Just check out the huge expanse of dashboard between the steering wheel and the base of the windscreen. It’s positively MPV-like. At the rear, headroom is severely compromised. Of course, Peugeot might argue that this car is designed to appeal to the emotions but a car can be eye-catching but practical. (The Mazda6 looks great too if rather Japanese), and despite having a shorter wheelbase, manages more interior room.
Other than a lack of space, the 407’s interior is a nice place to be. The seats are comfortable and you are well-protected by 6 airbags. The 407 has a 5-star Euro NCAP crash test rating by the way. The material used is very high quality, comparable to Volkswagen’s and everything feels solidly assembled. The only serious ergonomic flaw is that the dials are too small.
The 160 bhp 2.2 litre 4-cylinder unit is quiet and smooth under normal driving. It emits a typical Peugeot growl when revved but that growl is very well-muted by extensive soundproofing. Peugeot engines sound like they are fed by twin carburettors instead of electronic fuel injection. It struggles with the heavy body but fortunately, low-end toruw is quite strong unlike the Mazda 6 which is weaker below 3000 rpm. It doesn’t sound as good as the Mazda’s unit though, or the Accord’s for that matter. The 4-speed automatic is smooth but not very responsive when you floor the throttle.
The car handles well as you would expect of a Peugeot. Body roll is well contained and the car corners with composure when pressed moderately hard but the steering is lifeless (no surprises here) and has strange weighting. The initial quarter turn feels light and rubbery. After that you can almost feel the weighting being artificially increased. Not good at all. Again, Mazda shows how it should be done.
The suspension is very quiet however. Quieter than the Mazda 6’s and road noise is very well suppressed. The Mazda 6 suffers a lot more road noise. The ride is very firm by Peugeot standards but despite the firm damping, it seems strangely unsettled over bumps. Like the 307, it’s a little fidgety. The Mazda 6’s ride is harder than the 407’s but the damping is better judged. Go over a sharp bump in the Mazda and it thumps but unwanted secondary motions are quickly arrested. In the 407, you feel that the suspension is always busy. The brakes are a big letdown, feeling lifeless and spongy. For such a big, heavy car (over 1500 kg), you expect stronger, more confidence inspiring brakes.
Would I buy this car? It costs SGD119,000 and for that kind of money, I think I will still go for a Mazda 6 or Ford Mondeo. However, if you want a big, striking 4-door coupe with a European badge on it, this might be the car for you. Personally, I don’t think the 407 is going to tempt buyers away from the premium brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. It is not special enough. Not different enough. Peugeot will still need to rely on the 307, the 206-replacement and the upcoming 1007 for its survival.
Review 2
By Pirate - MotorTrader forummer - on October 16, 04.
Just checked-out the new Peugeot 407 yesterday.
Showroom experience was a relaxing one with none of the usual salesperson to bother you.
This new Pug is a real looker; especially the front visage with the wide wraparound sloping eyes and a ’squarish’ nostril topped with an oversized “Lion” badge. The gaping air dam at the bumper with the dimpled “cheeks” to house the integrated fog lamps makes most of us gaped (read: jaw-dropping) in awe as well. C’est magnifique!
The headlights are the usual clear-cover with projector lenses for the main beam. As I have mentioned before in the Volvo S40 thread, these projector lenses are prone to ‘cataract’ changes after a few years in the tropics. Of course, such a sophisticated and avant-garde set-up is considered the in-thing and must-have for a mid-to-upper class saloon these days. To be durable, it could have been a simpler (and cheaper) set-up like the headlamp of the Mercedes C-class Classic or even the entry-level BMW 318i. But what the heck, even the polycarbonate outer covers of most makes gets cloudy and opaque after countless equatorial sunny days, so I guess it wouldbe a non-issue after all!
The 407 looks very wide, low slung and wedged, especially with the steeply raked windscreen. As such, you get a deeply set dashboard fore of the driver and front passenger. Stepping inside, this good-looking low-profile dashboard greets you with an even sportier instrument cluster parading 5 chrome-ringed dials. Seats are comfy and supportive, typical of French makes. Driving position offers a great view of what’s in front but the steering wheel felt a tad plasticky, with the absence of on-steering radio-CD control and cruise control switches. Sitting in the driver’s seat, you are being constantly reminded that this is a car made for left hand-drive. You’d notice that the parking brake stalk is to be found at the front passenger’s side and the front bonnet latch release lever at the opposite foot well! The point of redemption here must be the beautiful gated gearshift plus the chrome gear knob. Truly a sight to behold and to hold as well! Checking out the glove box, it was noted that a fuse-box has eaten into the already small space accorded. Though it’s a fancy chilled glove box, I guess this is where the ‘The land of Godzilla’ aces the European makes.
The center panel comprising of A/C switches and CD-player-radio controls looked cluttered and were not instantly intuitive to operate. This panel fascia is cheap looking while certain knobs looked like they were pinched from McDonald’s toys or Lego’s tiles.
However, there are no complaints about the rear seats offering good thigh support with equally good headroom. Rear legroom may feel a bit tight but not cramped because you actually get seated well with the adequate thigh support, as mentioned earlier. This is something sorely missed in most mid-size Japanese execs saloon, sad to say. Continental revenge here! The door was not very weighty to close and does not offer the Teutonic feel or the reassuring “thunk” upon shutting. Maybe this has something to do with the absence of corresponding rubber linings on the doorframe. An ergonomic blunder to note on the inner door mouldings is the really weird power window switch that requires a contortionist to operate (except the driver’s). Talk about the western researchers blaming chopsticks usage for osteoathritis of finger joints! Check out the rear power window switches and you’ll get what I mean.
The ‘jaw dropping’ factor seem to fade as you run your eyes towards the back of the car, though no glaring aesthetic fault can be highlighted except maybe the C-pillar section. Here, you get a bizarre Peugeot’s interpretation of BMW’s Hofmeister’s kink straightened upright, for the rear door window frame. A relic from the 206 5-door hatchback? I’d rather have the 607-style rear window curve here, anytime.
This has somewhat caused a disruption of the beautiful, almost coupe-like flowing lines from the aggressive-looking front. Ergonomic for a larger rear door aperature it may be (i.e. for easier ingress and egress) but it distorts the overall silhouette at this C-pillar section where you see a gorgeous sloping rear glass screen.
Popping up the front hood revealed a modern looking engine with a solid silvery metal cam cover, a refreshing change in this age of plastic covers, but belying the absence of variable valve timings mechanism inside. Shuttling to the opposite end, the boot is deep and offers decent cargo space although a tad short of width, limited by the longitudinal in-boot carpeted mouldings at both sides, probably a cover up for the rear wheels arches’ intrusions. Well, you should be able to pop in a golf bag or two, albeit diagonally!
Driving impression was typical of a Peugeot with excellent ride, both at low AND higher speeds. Peugeot seem to have gotten closer to the holy grail of a suspension set up which can offer both comfort and good handling. As you know, both these elements don’t usually go together and the 407 seem to have inherited this family gene, without resorting to the complex and costly set-up of air/pneumatic suspension.
Engine was smooth, quiet and VERY free revving. NVH refinements are top notch. I was not accorded the luxury to take the test car any further than the classical C&C’s round the block, on to the Federal Highway and back because the car was unregistered yet. So, it was really a shorter than short drive. However, it was enough to sense the lack of torque between the 3-4k rpm band since the car somehow didn’t surge forward in tandem as anticipated. Mind you, I have managed to easily blip the rev to about 5,700 rpm and yet not much sense of urgency was felt. This well-built sedan seemed a little too heavy for the 2.0 litre engine for a spirited drive. Auto gear changes were almost jerk-free except for one occasion when there was a judder felt after the gears dropped two cogs upon sudden flooring of the gas pedal. The Tiptronic style manual shifting was uneventful but I somehow missed the 5th gear to play with, notably on up shift.
On a parting note with the C&C salesman, I had commented to liking the new 407 (being diplomatic and all). He was quick to capitalize on this by daring me to sign on the dotted line of a booking form and added that all CBU units have been sold while the next batch will be delivered in December 2004 (better hurry!). I was also reminded that it was quite a bargain for a CBU Conti-make complete with an armamentarium of ABS+EBD+BA, ESP, Anti Skid Programme, 4 Airbags + curtain-bags; all for a ‘paltry’ sum of RM164k. And it was a fresh all-new model too, he quipped. I just left the showroom with a polite smirk saying I liked the Volvo S40 too and with a quick word of thanks and a handshake, bade him “Au revoir!”. Quietly, I had thought to myself if I were to own a 407, I would wait for the more powerful 2.2 litre model and wishfully dream that it would be a CKD version at the same price of RM164k…
All said and done, it is very heartening to have another option in the mid-exec range of offerings, with the Mazda6 in sight in market segment and pricing level as well. Of course with the incomebent leader Camry and arch-rival Accord locked in battle for this segment, things are bound to get more exciting with the new Cefiro (Taena) joining in the fray in months to come!
Peugeot Malaysia website : Here
Category: Automotive, car-reviews