FirstDrive: Pegueot 407 Coupe
A posh little badge was all that was missing from the very smart new Peugeot 407 coupe that we drove last week in Spain, a coupe that's arguably smarter than any of its predecessors.
The most recent was the 406 version that was styled and built by Pininfarina in Italy. It's all change now and the 407 coupe comes from the same French production plant at Rennes as the more everyday saloon and SW ranges, albeit with its own dedicated line. The discreet but identifiable Pininfarina mark has disappeared.
Should we be disappointed? Apparently not. Although the 407 is the first postwar coupe not designed by Pininfarina, it all happened democratically. Automobiles Peugeot which has had its styling department greatly enhanced in recent times, won out in a competition that involved other studios including Pininfarina. That studio's past coupe progeny for Peugeot included the 404, 504 and of course, the 406.
The 407 has been designed as a genuine four-seater grand tourer, accommodating four passengers and their luggage. We will see it in Ireland in mid-January and Irish prices have already been announced. They start at €41,500 for the 160bhp 2.2 litre SE petrol version, rising to €57,100 for the 205bhp 2.7 V6 HDi diesel which comes only with a Porsche Tiptronic sequential control gearbox.
The in-between option is a 3.0 litre V6 211bhp petrol, available with both this automatic or a six-speed manual gearbox.
It's the 2.2 litre petrol and the 2.7 litre HDi that will account for the majority of Irish sales, estimated at over 100 for next year. The Peugeot Irish importer is already reporting 40 orders through the dealer network. "We think our figure of over 100 may be a bit conservative, given the expected strength of the market in 2006," remarked Mark O'Connell, sales and marketing director.
The predecessor 406 coupe sold just under 500 in a seven year run. Strongest visual impression is just how significantly bigger the coupe is over the saloon. Measured against the 406 coupe, the dimensions are also notably greater, 1.72 m or 5.8cm in length.
Peugeot, whose symbol is a very robust lion, have indulged in some hype to promote their own worthy styling effort. Their press material speaks of "a feline appearance that begins with the steeply inclined front windscreen . giving the impression that the 407 coupe is about to pounce, even when at a standstill". We "pounced" through sweeping open roads and motorway in southern Spain and both the 2.2 petrol and 2.7 HDi offered a comfortable and cossetting ride.
Compared with the saloon and SW, the interior opulence was eye-catching with features like four "separate" bucket seats, real aluminium trim detail and leather upholstery. The instrument panel comes with five dials and the fine aluminium finish needles have chronograph style graduations that call to mind the precision technology of watch making.
For the Irish market, the 407 coupe will come with a choice of eight colours and two trim levels. SE and SV Standard items on the SE trim include ESP, trip computer, low pressure tyre sensors, electric folding door mirrors, xenon headlamps, climate control, rear parking sensors, cruise and speed control.
Peugeot claim the 407 coupe is the first car in its class to offer laminated athermic and acoustic windscreens and side windows as standard.
Finally, the people who buy the 407 Coupe are seen by Peugeot's marketing department as "rather special and more male then female". This special breed are "true car buffs who love beautiful vehicles, are attracted to new products, travel a lot and are not going to look at fuel consumption figures". That's probably why 407 Coupe owners and drivers will be a privileged minority.