THERE's an important new car on the way from Peugeot.

It's the 407, an all-new range of saloon, estate and coup, which will replace the 406.

The saloon goes on sale in the spring, and enters a market which has seen sales falling while competition has grown, especially between the likes of the Ford Mondeo, Renault Laguna, Toyota Avensis, Vauxhall Vectra and the Honda Accord.

The coup, however, will not be around until 2006.

Prices are expected to be between £15,000 and £22,000.

Peugeot's reputation for producing vehicles with outstanding dynamics has been slightly overshadowed by the rather boring looks of the 607, but should be bolstered by the arrival of the 407 with its long front overhang, massive grille and, for the first time on a Peugeot, a double wishbone front suspension which means good road-holding, driveability and safety.

The 407 also sits on large-diameter wheels which gives the car a more purposeful look.

But all the mascara is not much good unless there is power under the bonnet and there will be a choice from four petrol and two diesel engines, units matched to five-speed and six-speed manual gearboxes, or four-speed or six-speed automatic boxes.

The diesel engines have been fitted with an emission filter and those with the manual gearboxes also comply with the important new Euro 4 emission standards.

The petrol engines come in with the 1.8-litre with 16-valves, developing 117bhp matched to the five-speed manual transmission; a 2.0-litre, also 16-valve, but developing 136bhp and combined with either the five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic autoadaptive gearbox with Porsche Tiptronic system control; 2.2-litre producing 160bhp, fitted with a six-speed manual or the four-speed automatic, and lastly the 3.0-litre V6 engine, producing 211bhp, and incorporating variable valve timing, matched to an all-new six-speed automatic gearbox, also fitted to the Porsche Tiptronic system.

Both diesel engines have been developed for high performance as well as economy. The 1.6-litre HDi develops 110bhp and is matched to a five-speed manual gearbox, while the 2.0-litre version develops 135bhp via its six-speed manual transmission.

Looking ahead, Peugeot will be adding other diesel engines, in particular the 2.7-litre V6, which will become available via the Ford/Peugeot Citroen development partnership.

Active safety features include large disc brakes, anti-lock braking, emergency brake assist, brake force distribution as well as the latest in stability control systems. Other safety measures include nine airbags and anti-whiplash head restraints.

As well as offering a standard high specification level including air-conditioning, CD player, and a headlight function which stays on for a while as a security light after the car has been locked, there are optional extras such as satellite navigation, audio system including telephone and navigation functions, parking sensors, automatic windscreen wipers and headlights as well as full leather seating.

Peugeot UK plans to sell 18,000 407s next year and 27,000 in a full year.

Updated: 12:18 Friday, December 12, 2003