Among a supermarket car park’s worth of not-quite-bullseye early 21st-century Peugeots, the 407 Coupe got a bit closer than many to pinioning the target.
It had presence, it had a back that was fast, it was quite low, quite wide and quite long-of-bonnet. From the rear three-quarters, at least, it was quite pretty too. It was also a lot more than a 407 saloon with no rear doors and a lengthened pair up front. Peugeot widened the 407’s track, filled out its flanks and went to the expense of changing every single exterior panel in a quest for a look that might exude svelte muscularity.
The Coupe was lower than the saloon by 44mm. This proportion change usefully lowered its centre of gravity by 25mm, a gain further capitalised on by lowering the driving position a couple of centimetres. The lowest section of the bodywork was pulled out to complement the wider stance – the rather flat flanks above were broken with a neat, body-colour trim strip, while the composite boot lid was terminated with a flick of spoiler that was also the end point for the gently rising waistline. The Peugeot’s overhangs were tweaked as well.
Hmm, the overhangs. The 407 saloon was born with a nose to make Cyrano de Bergerac less of a standout, the plentiful structure forward of the 407’s front wheels improving its crash and pedestrian impact capability – although the latter performance scored only two Euro NCAP stars to the former’s five.
Inexplicably, Peugeot lengthened this already overlong bodywork by 55mm, attempting to disguise it with a trio of slanting slashes on each side of the front bumper, to middling effect. Slathering on another 85mm of substance to the Coupe’s rear end didn’t really compensate either. Nor did the 407’s transverse front-drive layout, this mechanical packaging almost invariably positioning the front wheels a long way from a car’s grille. The result was a coupé that looked more cruiser than back-lane blaster, and that was exactly what this Peugeot turned out to be.
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I recall driving a 3.0 V6 manual. I was really looking forward to it. But it wasnt what i had hoped for. It felt slow, because it was amazingly heavy. They had shortened the gearing to help, but that didnt do enough, and also stole some of its GT nature. The suspension (in the car i drove) didnt work well. It had electronic adjustable shocks, and 18 inch wheels. It felt like the wheels were falling into each bump and pot hole, whereas 406, and 405 cars have driven so much better. The short wheelbase lead to in pitching too.
On the plus side it felt very well made, and a quality thing. It looked pretty good in the metal, the one i drove was metalic black, with the deep red leather. But i have no idea who it was aimed at, and the final killer was band L road tax. So that will be well over £700 a year by now
I am surprised the m.press isn't aware of the reason for the long snout / bonnet on cars of that era. This was mandatory for the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. Stunning car, this 407 Coupe. I do remember a 4 pager in CAR Mag on the 407 sedan in which it reminded the staff of a BMW 3 Series, with at least equal roadholding characteristics and better comfort.
Peugeot sacked Pininfarina because they thought they could do a better job.