08/12/08

• Price21,728
• We like...Great seats, soothing ride
• We don't...Dash looks too ordinary

A diesel engine pulling a sports coupe may sound a mis-match. But the combo works a treatHhmmm.... a big, lavish two-door coupe, pulled along by a fuel-sipper of a diesel motor. It sounds a mis-match, conjured in some product meeting at Peugeot central. An idea that should never have been, but is.

But, against this, it really works. There’s something over-blown about the 407 Coupe, a car that takes as much road space as a full-size family saloon but, despite its four seats, is only ever purchased to carry two. You sit low in its hugely bolstered chair, a big expanse of dash before you and a bonnet sloping away. There’s a sea of buttons on the centre console putting every gadget you could think of at your command. And some you can’t. It all feels extravagant and wrong in an age where we’re encouraged to use less. But then it strikes that you’re slipping along in a car that ds 36mpg in town and will nudge 47mpg overall, amazing figures for a big cruiser. And while with 2.0 litres and 136bhp, this 407 can never be fast, its softly loping gait and gently weighted steering gives a relaxed take on driving. It’s smooth and quiet until you push, when it responds with spirit.

This 407 is a lovely thing to spend time in, soothing away the miles. Mind you, its ‘Sport’ moniker is misleading: it’s no hot-shot.
But its price (which comes to over £27k, once you’ve included all the bits and bobs added to our test car) is nudging what you might spend on a BMW or Merc. A Peugeot has to be pretty special if you’re spending that much. And the Coupe is imposing. It looks handsome and carries the Peugeot family nose well. It’s nicely proportioned, if not as graceful as the 406 Coupe it took the place of.

You swing open the long, heavy door and step over the brushed metal sill, dropping into a big, cushiony seat. You sit low in a car that’s high-waisted but the big, raked screen keeps the cabin light and airy. But the dash is a let-down. It looks fine, but it hasn’t the specialness you’d want in a car costing £20k-plus. That apart, the interior works well and looks opulent, offering two well shaped rear chairs and reasonable space back there, too.

The boot is fair sized, although its opening is too slot-like to take awkwardly shaped loads. But then you are never going to buy one for its luggage-carrying ability, or for any other reason than you just want one.

If you’re in that place, you’ve probably closed your mind to practical and boring stuff such as insurance costs (it’s group 14E, which is steep) or what it’ll fetch second-hand. But, so you know, it’ll be worth £10,000 when it’s three years old and after it’s covered 36,000 miles.

We ended up liking this 407 more than we expected. It’s not fast or even sporty, as coupes once were. But perhaps it’s right for now.

View new and second-hand Peugeot 407 coupes on motors.co.uk

 

 

• Engines2.0 HDi diesel
• Power136bhp
• 0-60 mph10.2secs
• Economy47.8mpg
• CO2g/km156mpg
• Insurance groups14E
• EuroNCAP
• Airbags6
• Seats4

Motors.co.uk value verdict: