PEUGEOT 407 test drive since 2004 sedan

Be yourself

At the solemn presentation, Peugeot 407 Coupe had nowhere to fall. Excitement, noise, shine happy and satisfied designer Gerard Walter under the clatter of the shutters of cameras pulled the coverlet from the car. The audience gasped under it was a slightly toned 406 Coupe. We love the 406th so much that we decided not to change anything, Walter began his speech
 

Of course, there was none of this, because it could never be. No matter how beautiful and loved by all Peugeot 406 Coupe, comparison with it is inappropriately new comparison should have become a different car. And the French themselves understood the best of all, who knows, maybe for this reason the tender for the development of appearance 407 Coupe won the Peugeot home design studio, and not the creators of the 406th studio Pininfarina, the ability to part with the past.
 

Let's get back for a moment to the 406th Remember how to look like a sedan compartment? But they did not have a single common body part! So, with the 407th story is about the same. A cursory look can reduce the entire difference between the cars to decorative gills on the front wings. But in the car dealership, where I took the car for the dough, the compartment stood directly opposite the sedan, which gave an excellent opportunity to play the game search for differences. So, firstly, the plastic of the front bumper has seriously changed a huge air intake mouth stretched even wider and sharpened its contented corners. Secondly, foglight headlights vertical rectangles turned into round loopholes. Thirdly, the form of headlights was simplified, became closer to the triangular. When the eye collects these details together, the picture is more interesting than in the case of a sedan, determination appeared in the person. The back is also not bad, although it lacks expressiveness. However, this does not change the general verdict: 407 Coupe is beautiful. But, I must admit, I would so want to look at the Italian design project at least with one eye what 407 Coupe could be?
 

At first, the doors will seem heavy, carefully warned the PEUGEOT employee, handing me the keys. He shamelessly deceived the doors do not seem heavy, they are really very heavy. And not only at first, but it is not worth it to blame them for it because three powerful amplifiers are hidden at once, who care about the safety of passengers. In addition, this circumstance involuntarily encourages the manifestation of gentlemanly especially fragile companions simply can not leave the car without outside help.
 

Why leave at all? It is so convenient and pleasant to sit in deep chairs with pronounced side support they are designed specifically for the compartment. On the richest versions of the seats are covered with noble burgundy skin. I also have a car in a top version of a 3-liter V6, an automatic box, but the color of the cabin is strict black. In general, in this case, it is not so simple to determine what you are in the compartment. However, all the control points were known to me in advance: these are the metal inserts on the front panel, here are devices with radial digitization, chrome rims and sliced \u200b\u200bbackground shirt ... not to say that it is very readable, but spectacular. Here is a 407 Coupe color multifunctional display is a standard equipment. What else? Here, other feelings come to the aid of vision, first of all, touch. Kinesthetics will receive incomparable pleasure from touching the skin, which are covered with the front panel, steering wheel and chairs, especially sensitive, maybe even understand that the driver’s here is installed 20 mm lower and 9 mm further from the steering wheel than on the sedan (this significant moment (this essential moment They did not forget to reflect in the press release). The chairs are equipped with electrical regulations, and it is not difficult to choose a convenient landing. The steering wheel changes its position in two planes, the brilliant machine gun selector lies exactly in the palm of your hand. And the rest?
 

To facilitate the passage to the rear places, the helpful servo drive shifts the front seats forward. But he does it so slowly that it is just right to envy less expensive equipment, where the seat must be moved with his hands. These few seconds of expectations are the only inconvenience that the rear passengers will face. Here it is, the charm of a large compartment on the basis of the sedan! Foot spaces, armrests on the right and left, individual cup holders, blowing deflectors, speakers, but just do not try to lure the third one ...
 

Another legacy of the sedan is the opportunity to fold not only the back, but also the sofa pillow. But the usefulness of the volume of the trunk (400 l) is doubtful of its opening.
 

Personally, I was pleasantly excited about how 407 Coupe managed to position it from the very first meters of our acquaintance. I later studied the press release there this is called this: the body hardness increased by 8%, lowered by 25 mm center of gravity, shorter and hard springs, a 19 mm front rut and 45 mm rear, thicker rods of stabilizers, 9 algorithms. work of electronic shock absorbers. I would prefer another formulation of damn pleasant car control. At any speed, a large compartment is quickly and precisely follows the movements of the steering wheel, it holds great on the trajectory in corners (here separate thanks to the pirelli p zero nero 235/45 R18 tires) and perfectly resists the rolls. And the work of the hydraulic power steering can even be called an exemplary infrequent that such a successful combination of comfort, informativeness and naturalness of reactive effort is infrequently found. One turn, the other, the third I enjoyed the control, gradually increasing speed. If you get carried away and reach the limit of the adhesion properties, 407 Coupe will begin to reluctantly slide out with a heavy nose, and the stabilization system will enter into business.
 

The suspension, contrary to expectations, really turned out to be quite stiff even in standard mode, the car shakes the irregularities, and if you activate the sports (shock absorbers operate in the most rigid mode), then for someone, the expression of the fat can acquire a literal meaning.
 

But something prevents you from calling 407 Coupe a sports car. What exactly? Oddly enough, the engine. The three -liter unit, although it is at the top of the model range, but it is 211 hp. This is just reasonable sufficiency for such a large machine, because the compartment is even heavier (52 kg) of the sedan. As a result of the capabilities of the motor with excess, there is enough for an energetic driving around the city and on the highway (maximum speed of 235 km/h). But it is sweet to intoxicated from acceleration, accompanied by a muffled juicy sound, it will not work out to be a little drunk. The engine is even and confidently pulling in the entire revolution range, but does not pamper in the sections. The best way to implement its ability to transfer a 6-speed automatic to Sport mode. Then it will allow the motor to wind up to 6000 rpm and without a change in transmission hanging in the most brisk zone above 3500. And when accelerating from medium speeds, the body will be pleased to drown the seat with elasticity in the 3-liter motor in order. If the button S is left alone, then the machine gun will slip through the lower steps on the caps, he will sit down on the 6th, and will roll, not much bustling. And saving gasoline is an important point. Sowing to the message 17.4, which stubbornly frightened me with the on -board computer, I now and then came to the idea that the indicator of the fuel level for a reason occupies a central place in a combination of devices.
 

Among the other negative phenomena that you have to face, choosing 407 Coupe, are also dimensions. For example, I now know exactly how much the coupe is longer than the sedan, by 14 cm, and this is due to an increase in already huge overhangs. So parking does not look like a luxury, but a means of survival in an unfriendly urban environment with its problem parking. As for traffic jams, a cool stereo system with ten speakers JBL helps to survive in them. But managing it, as well as climate with the help of four dozen buttons on the central console, is not very convenient is the disease of all 407.
 

However, I would like to finish with nit -picking and with pleasure to state that the car was a success. This is a great example of a pseudo -sports compartment, I would say GT for the Democrats. 407 Coupe will be equally good both in a protracted highway and on a winding mountain path. It will look organically in the parking lot at Megamoll and reflected in the windows of the Tretyakovsky passage. She has every right to the title of successor of the case of her predecessor, the bearer of this enchanting style. The right to be Peugeot 407 Coupe
 
 

The car was provided by the representative office of Peugeot
 
 
 

Source: Motor magazine [No. 5/2006]