Peugeot 407 SW

Grander and greener

With the 407 SW Peugeot wants to offer the prettiest and most seductive estate on the market. But what is the prettiest 407? Exactly! The Coupé! Therefore the renewed 407 SW features many style elements from the Coupé. Also the base versions are now fitted with the big wheels and special colours from the top spec 407s.

The new grille is the most striking change. Peugeot added some chrome to make the car look more important. On the rear details like a new bumper and altered rear lights make the car look more modern.

Interior

In the interior better materials are used and details have been finished a black high gloss paint. The new sound and navigation system is a big step forward thanks to the beautiful graphics and state of the art technology (a harddisk to store music, USB connector for memory cards and connection to a mobile phone using Bluetooth).

The accusation in the intro of this text saying the 407 SW "isn't the most practical or roomiest", doesn't mean this is a small car. The space inside is huge! That doesn't only go for the room in the front, but especially for the back seats. Because the 407 SW isn't meant as a pack mule, all effort went to making the 407 more comfortable on the back seat. Head and leg room is excellent (despite the low roof line). Adults fit very comfortably in the back of the 407 SW.

Station wagon

The tailgate is relatively small, which makes it hard to load big pieces of luggage. On the other hand: the split tail gate is very handy. When loading small pieces of luggage it is sufficient to open only the top half, which takes less effort than opening the whole back door.

The boot measures 448 litres, which can be expanded by folding the back seats. However, this requires a lengthy and complicated procedure. After that the loading floor isn't flat at all and the driver is forced to sit closer to the steering wheel.

The passenger seat folds flat easily (depending on the trim level) to allow for long items to be stowed. Regretably, the lever to do so cannot be reached when the back seat is folded down. Also, the folded bench acts like a barrier in the loading floor, making it less useful. In short; those who seek a practical space wonder are better off with the recently introduced 308 SW.

Engines

The existing 2.0 litre diesel engine has been fitted with a new injection system. This increases output by 3 horse power, while decreasing fuel consumption to 5.6 litres per 100 km.

The 407 can be even more economic by choosing the existing and unchanged 1.6 litre HDI. That engine might seem too small for a big car like this, but in every day driving this is not a problem. The "407 SW 1.6 HDI" easily comes along with traffic. A calm driver would never know this is the base engine. He/she saves a lot of money in buying and driving this car. The diesel engine can always be heard in the background, but it is very quiet.

Only those who demand more, will notice that the 1.6 HDI has little to offer. To pass another car quickly, the engine has to deliver all the power it's got. Because the power unit has to deliver peak performance on a regular basis, the suggested low fuel economy cannot be realized. For those drivers the new and improved 2.0 HDI is a more suitable choice.

Double Wishbones

Ever since its introduction the Peugeot 407 has had outsanding road handling. Thanks to "double wishbone" suspension steering is not affected by drive line interference or irregularities in the road surface. Yet Peugeot doesn't emphasis on sportiness, but tries to make the 407 as comfortable as possible.

Because the tested 1.6 HDI is also the lightest diesel engine in weight, with this engine the 407 feels very stable (a big engine in the front can act like a pendulum and make the car nose-heavy). Thanks to the quiet engine and fair size of the car, the 407 drives with a certain grandeur. This estate is made to enjoy!

Conclusion

Peugeot showed guts when developing the 407 SW. Stable mate Citroën already offers a real working horse with the C5 Break, therefore Peugeot concentrated on charm and good driving characteristics.

Many buyers choose an estate car purely on looks and therefore Peugeot wanted to offer the most beautiful SW on the market. To keep that title both the interior and exterior have been modernised. The 2.0 HDI engine now delivers more power and at the same time uses less fuel. In short: the Peugeot 407 SW just became grander and greener.