The
Peugeot 407 was a
large family carA large family car, also known as a D-segment car, is a European automobile classification which is larger than a small family car and smaller than an executive car. Multi-purpose vehicles based on a large family car design are often called large MPVs, while similarly-priced models from luxury car...
produced by the
FrenchThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
automaker
PeugeotPeugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
from 2004 to 2010. It is available in saloon,
coupéA coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
and
estateA station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
variants, with both
DieselA diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
and
petrol engineA petrol engine is an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition, designed to run on petrol and similar volatile fuels....
s. The petrol engines range from 1.8 to 3.0-litres
displacementEngine displacement is the volume swept by all the pistons inside the cylinders of an internal combustion engine in a single movement from top dead centre to bottom dead centre . It is commonly specified in cubic centimeters , litres , or cubic inches...
, whereas the diesels range from 1.6 to 3.0-litre engines.
The 407, along with the larger
607The Peugeot 607 was an executive car produced by the French automaker Peugeot from September 1999 to June 2010.The 607, along with the smaller 407, was superseded by the 508 in early 2011.-History:...
, was superseded by the
508The Peugeot 508 is a large family car launched in 2010 by French automaker Peugeot. It replaces the Peugeot 407 as well as the larger Peugeot 607, for which no more direct replacement is scheduled...
in early 2011.
According to the
European Car of the YearThe European Car of the Year award was established in 1964 by a collective of automobile magazines from different countries in Europe. The current organisers of the award are Auto , Autocar , Autopista , Autovisie , L'Automobile Magazine , Stern and Vi Bilägare .The voting jury consists of motoring...
website, the 407 was one of the runner-ups in the 2005 award.
Overview
The 407 was the successor to the hugely successful
Peugeot 406The Peugeot 406 was a large family car made by the French automaker Peugeot from 1995 to 2004. Available in saloon, estate and coupé bodystyles with a choice of petrol or turbodiesel engines, the 406 replaced the Peugeot 405 in Peugeot's lineup, and was itself replaced by the Peugeot 407...
, and was launched on May 27, 2004. The streamlined design of the car was seen as quite radical , its most distinctive features being its large front grille and the steeply raked screen pillars.
The estate, known as the 407 SW, was launched four months after the saloon, whereas the coupé has been on sale since early 2006.
Saloon and SW models were given a minor facelift in summer 2008 with most petrol-engined models being withdrawn from sale in the United Kingdom and other countries of Europe
Coupé: 1,400 mm
Saloon: 1,545 mm
SW: 1,471 mm
Suspension
407 has one of the most advanced suspensions in a class. With double wishbone in front and 5 point
multilinkA multi-link suspension is a type of vehicle suspension design typically used in independent suspensions, using three or more lateral arms, and one or more longitudinal arms....
with angled shock absorbers in the back. Although overall setup is for comfort, hence relatively soft, handling is excellent. Due to double wishbone/multilink configuration it can out-turn (especially in long, fast curves) cars with much stiffer suspension and this same combination is the reason for its very predictable handling during changes in dynamic load (traverse bumps) during cornering.
Engines
| Model |
Engine-
type |
Cylinders /
valves |
Displacement |
Power |
Torque |
Years |
| Petrol |
| 1.8i 16V |
EW7 (6FZ) |
4 / 16 |
1749 cc |
116 PS |
163 newton metres (120.2 ft·lbf) |
2004–2005 |
| 1.8i 16V |
EW7 (6FY) |
4 / 16 |
1749 cc |
125 PS |
170 newton metres (125.4 ft·lbf) |
2005– |
| 2.0i 16V |
EW10 (RFN) |
4 / 16 |
1997 cc |
136 PS |
190 newton metres (140.1 ft·lbf) |
2004–2005 |
| 2.0i 16V |
EW10 (RFJ) |
4 / 16 |
1997 cc |
140 PS |
200 newton metres (147.5 ft·lbf) |
2005– |
| 2.2i 16V |
EW12 (3FZ) |
4 / 16 |
2230 cc |
158 PS |
217 newton metres (160.1 ft·lbf) |
2004–2005 |
| 2.2i 16V |
EW12 (3FY) |
4 / 16 |
2230 cc |
163 PS |
220 newton metres (162.3 ft·lbf) |
2005– |
| 2.9i V6 |
ES9 The PSA ES engine or Renault L engine is a V6 engine used in automotive applications. It was co-developed by the PSA Group and Renault to replace the outdated PRV engine. It was introduced in 1997 with the Peugeot 406 Coupé....
(XFV) |
6 / 24 |
2946 cc |
211 PS |
290 newton metres (213.9 ft·lbf) |
2004–2008 |
| Diesel |
| 1.6 HDi |
DV6 HDi (9HZ) |
4 / 16 |
1560 cc |
109 PS |
240 newton metres (177 ft·lbf)
With overboost: 260 N·m (191.8 ft·lbf) |
2004– |
| 2.0 HDi |
DW10 HDi (RHL) |
4 / 16 |
1997 cc |
126 PS |
320 newton metres (236 ft·lbf) |
2004– |
| 2.0 HDi |
DW10 HDi (RHR) |
4 / 16 |
1997 cc |
136 PS |
320 newton metres (236 ft·lbf)
With overboost: 340 N·m (250.8 ft·lbf) |
2004– |
| 2.2 HDi |
DW12 (4HT) |
4 / 16 |
2179 cc |
170 PS |
370 newton metres (272.9 ft·lbf) |
2006– |
| 2.7 HDi |
DT17 (UHZ) |
6 / 24 |
2720 cc |
204 PS |
440 newton metres (324.5 ft·lbf) |
2006– |
| 3.0 HDi |
DT17 (UHZ) |
6 / 24 |
2992 cc |
240 PS |
450 newton metres (331.9 ft·lbf) |
2009– |
Television commercials
The first advertisement, known as "The Toys" or "Les Jouets", features life-size toy cars shown up by the sleek newly released Peugeot 407. Directed by Philippe André for French agency BETC
Euro RSCGEuro RSCG Worldwide is one of the largest integrated marketing communications agencies in the world, made up of 233 offices located in 75 countries throughout Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. Euro RSCG provides advertising, marketing services, corporate...
, the advert was filmed in Sydney, Australia (we see cars crossing the
Sydney Harbour BridgeThe Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic...
). André developed twenty model cars especially for the shoot. The soundtrack is provided by French duo, The Film, (Guillaume Brière and Benjamin Lebeau) with their song
Can You Touch Me, an adaptation of their earlier song,
Can You Trust Me.
The follow-up ad features the same scenario of life-size toy cars in Sydney, this time taking a new Peugeot 407 SW out of the city to a beachside home. Along the way we see old and decrepit stationwagons breaking down or suffering from image problems. The soundtrack features
(Lady) Hear Me Tonight by the Modjo.
The commercials use the slogan
Playtime is Over, which some perceive to be a retort to the Renault's Laguna slogan
Serious Playtime. In Spanish the slogan given at the end is
Volvamos a hablar de automóviles, i.e.
Let's talk about cars again.
407 concept cars
The saloon version of the 407 was firstly previewed with the name "407 Elixir" at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show. The "407 Silhouette" is a race car with most design features of the current coupé. A version almost identical to the released coupé was presented at the 2005
Geneva Motor ShowThe International Geneva Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Geneva Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport...
under the name "407 Prologue".
The "407 Macarena" is a four-door coupé convertible produced by
HeuliezHeuliez is a French company that works as a production and design unit for various automakers. It specializes in producing short series for niche markets, such as convertibles or station-wagons....
and presented at the 2006
Geneva Motor ShowThe International Geneva Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Geneva Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport...
.
Successor
In November 2009 Philippe Varin from PSA announced that the successor of the Peugeot 407 would be the
Peugeot 508The Peugeot 508 is a large family car launched in 2010 by French automaker Peugeot. It replaces the Peugeot 407 as well as the larger Peugeot 607, for which no more direct replacement is scheduled...
, which was officially launched at the Paris Motor Show in October 2010. The 508 saloon is approximately 12 cm (5 inches) longer than the 407 and will also replace the larger
Peugeot 607The Peugeot 607 was an executive car produced by the French automaker Peugeot from September 1999 to June 2010.The 607, along with the smaller 407, was superseded by the 508 in early 2011.-History:...
. The
Peugeot 408The Peugeot 408 is a compact executive sedan produced by Peugeot. It was unveiled on January 25, 2010, at the Beijing Auto Show and began sale in China on April 8, 2010....
name is used for a Chinese-built notchback version of the
Peugeot 308The Peugeot 308 is a small family car produced by the French car manufacturer Peugeot. It was unveiled on June 5, 2007 and sales started from September 2007. Its development code was "Project T7", and is the first car of the X08 generation of Peugeot models. The 308 features a range of petrol and...
, that will replace 407 in America.
Model car releases
The Peugeot 407 saloon has been produced by
MajoretteMajorette is a French toy manufacturer which mostly produces small die-cast cars, particularly in 1:64 scale. Traditionally, Majorette was centered in the area of Lyon.-History:...
and
NorevNorev is a French manufacturer of diecast metal model cars. It has normally has produced modern and vintage European vehicles, especially French vehicles - though Italian, German, and American vehicles were also produced.-History:...
, while the Estate has only been produced by Norev. The coupe has been produced by Norev and
WellyWelly Die Casting Factory Limited is a manufacturer of die-cast toy cars and has been in the scale model business since 1979.The company's factories, built a few years ago, are located in Guangdong Province, China, and employ over 3000 workers....
, and the "407 Elixr" concept presented in the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show has been produced only by Norev.
Sales numbers
| Year |
Sales |
| 2004 |
165,000 |
| 2005 |
259,000 |
| 2006 |
181,500 |
| 2007 |
136,000 |
| 2008 |
81,400 |
| 2009 |
39,500 |
Source:
External links