Peugeot 407 SW 2.0 HDi

Wow!! What a great car! I have had it just over a year now & covered 40,000 miles. It is a company car which I had a choice what to pick. 3 cars were in the running, Volvo V50, Honda Accord & the 407SW. I liked (& still do) the Volvo but previous constant appalling service of my old V40 by my local Volvo dealers meant unfortunately the V50 was a non-runner. The Honda is a great car...but ugly!! Sorry, but it IS UGLY!! So, I was left with a great looking car made by Peugeot. Well, the car just says 'buy me!'...'RIDE ME!' I had to have it although I had my reservations about driving a Peugeot. Would it be unreliable? Would it handle like a boat? Would the dealers be worse than the Volvo dealers??

I took the plunge & ordered the 407SW SE with the luxury pack & 136HDI diesel. I added xenon lights & the JBL hifi as options. With the luxury pack you get half leather electric seats & rear parking sensors. The parking sensors are a MUST!! The design of the car means rear vision has been compromised for looks. I wish it had front sensors too as where the front of the car is, is anyone's guess...it drops away from sight & quite often I park, get out & see I've got another 2ft to go into a space! But with the huge open grill at the front you have to be careful as there is no bumper to protect you.

Once you get behind the wheel, the fun starts. As I said mine has the electric seats which are nice but not vital. Other touches are standard for a car in this sector like electric heated mirrors, dual climate air con, auto lights, auto windscreen wipers & several hundred airbags! The 136 HDI with FAP particle filter does a stirling job getting all this weight moving but it does take a toll on fuel economy. Over a tank full of about 55litres (car holds 66 i think) it averages 44mpg of mixed town & motorway driving. I get late 40's if i go careful.

Careful in a 407? This is where the car really scores. It has some new fangled front suspension & with this, the traction control & the stability control & the emergengy brake assist...this car really is amazing! Not to be confused with an excuse to drive like a loony, this car gets you out of all kinds of scrapes. For instance..a cold wet night, you're driving round a bend at 40mph..& a fluffy bunny hops out into the road & is mesmorised by your Xenon headlamps! You have seconds to decide if it will hop to the left or to the right or just duck & hope for the best. No matter what it decides...you can just stamp on the brakes, even half way round a bend & the car stops! No skids, no bouncing off curbs etc. The only worry is you hope guy behind is driving a 407 too ;)

Tyre pressure sensors...yes it has these too, which I read about before which are fitted to lots of cars now. I read they go wrong a lot on Lagunas..I don't know how true this is?? So a week or so after I got my new 407SW..I got in one evening, started it up & it said...bong, rear right tyre has a puncture! So I got out & looked...& sure enough it was flat, changed it with the full size steel spare & continued with my journey. No problems. The next day I took the tyre to my local tyre garage to get it fixed. They plugged it FOC & put the wheel back on the car for me. When the guy came to inflate it, he walked over to his chart & I could see he was looking for Peugeot 407SW for the correct pressure. I thought, the car's only been out a month or so & there's no way it's going to be on your chart! Sure enough...within about 1/4 mile the car complained...tyre pressure too low...but didn't say which one. I assumed the guy had under inflated the tyre & when I got home & checked it, he had put 32PSI in it. I checked the owners book & it said, check the car!...I looked round inside the doors & at the front inside drivers door hinge is an interesting sticker showing tyre pressure of 2.6bar which is 38PSI. I think the sensor tells low pressure at about 35/36PSI depending on the weather lol. Also on this sticker it has 2 types of tyre..I'm not sure what this means...my car has the Pirelli's but there is also a Dunlop option. I keep meaning to ask if only the 2 types of tyre are suitable for the 407SW.

It has a glass roof if you need to cloudwatch whilst driving & plenty of storage spaces (yawn). The boot isn't that big in it & is hampered by the narrow access (compared to say a Vectra estate).The luggage compartment cover is a stupid folding flap arrangement which is...grrrrr...until you have settled down, found out the best way to move it, & then, I think is quite easy to use...you have to put your hand up under & fold it...simple! It has an opening glass window in the rear hatch which I thought was a waste of time but I have used it a couple of times.

I bought the luxury carpet mats with 407 embroidered on them from my local Pug dealer which are nice, which brings me nicely onto what you want to know...dealers & problems with the car.

Well I've covered 40,000 miles so far & always used same dealer since it was delivered. Incidently, the supplying dealer was different to my local dealer only because the car is leased otherwise I most likely would have bought it from my local dealer. My local dealer has exceeded my expectations i must admit. When I phone, if I can't speak to anyone, they take my number & always call back within a reasonable time. I get a loan car while it is off the road & my car is washed before I get it back. Not vacuumed as well :( but never mind. So far, my dealer has fixed all the faults that have occured on my car.

1, the rear bumper was not fitted properly & rubbed paint on tailgate. This I think was a recall & was rectified & resprayed.
2, 'depollution system faulty' appeared on dash display. Dealer said was faulty sensor & fixed it...fault never reappeared :)
3, dashboard dials turned off for split second every now & again like i was turning off ignition, but engine keeps running...very intermittant but dealer fixed it...fault never reappeared :)

So, all in all, a top banana car! ....Buying a new car tomorrow, what would I choose?? Would take a look at new VW Passat...but very more than likely would end up at Pug dealer...& get another 407 but with full leather & sat nav!!!!

Ok...the car is now 20 months old & has 61,000miles on it. The car is a common site on the roads now & not quite so spectacular. I still like it, but the quality just isn't there :( ! At 50K miles the clutch started slipping & there was knocking from the steering. The clutch was replaced as were the front ball joints. All was fixed by (still super) local dealer. At about 55K miles the tailgate support struts failed so the tailgate would not stay open...these were replaced under warranty. The tailgate has started rubbing the paint off the rear bumper again, but i've lost interest in that.

...Oh yes, paint!! The paintwork has loads of scratches over it..it seems like there is no laquer..& the paint is soft...& the door dings...i think most panels have a door ding in them...the panels although appear sturdy dent really easily.

I've not had any window problems like many other owners have reported but I have had the 'regulation' radio tuning to 104FM...not really a problem...but why do so many do it???

Well, car is 28 months old, 80,000miles :) ....just had a new steering rack as old one failed & lost all it's power steering fluid. Again, fixed superbly by local dealer who supplied courtesy car while car was off the road at short notice. (& thanks to the AA for towing me to the garage too!)

..The car is now 31 months old now with 91,000miles. Strangely it seems to be going (touch wood) like a dream...Average mpg has crept up to 52mpg! I don't know if it had a 'secret tweek' at the 80k service but it seems to be going super now.

Which is a shame because it will be going back in 5 months, being a lease car. I won't be getting another though..it looks like our company policy is moving towards hybrid cars...& that's another story for another day!

Well..just as a P.S. my Pug went back & got replaced by the new Ford Mondeo 2litre diesel titanium x...& I'll write a review on that soon