Peugeot 407

If Peugeot was being ticked off by its mum, she’d be telling it to spend less time on its styling and a little more time on its engineering. Much like the 308, the evolution of the 406 into the Peugeot 407 seems to be more about aesthetics than anything else.

• Comfort

  The ride in the 407 is actually pretty good, although in order to match the increases in size and weight it seems a bit stiffer, and therefore more prone to amplify any surface imperfections you encounter.

  

• Performance

  Diesels are the way forward with Peugeot, and it offers a 2.7-litre V6 in the 407 saloon and coupe. It's a lovely unit that whisks this barge along with both pace and serenity, although 8.4L/100km takes the smug edge off a bit.

  

• Cool

  The French would like us to believe that the 407 is the epitome of understated chic, but truth be told it's just a bit drab. Not much fun to look at, nor to drive. The new Citroen C5 has moved the goalposts too much.

  

• Quality

  All new Peugeots have a veneer of improved quality. Posher plastics, bits of slightly unnecessary chrome trim, jazzier design ideas. Whether any of it bears up better than the last generation cars did only time will tell.

  

• Handling

  Getting bigger and heavier as all contempo cars are doing, the 407 has definitely lost some of the agility of previous Pug saloons. It's still quite a good chassis though, and steering, although heavily assisted, provides enough feedback.

  

• Practicality

  Unlike your Mondeos, Meganes et al, the 407 doesn't come with a user friendly five-door hatchback configuration, favouring instead the virtually extinct four-door saloon variety. Why, we don't know. Nor do we care.

  

• Running costs

  Highly economical diesels with impressively low CO2 emissions ratings make the 407 a good company car, but private owners should anticipate a giant kick in the balls when they come to sell, especially the big V6.