Motoring editor MALCOLM BAYLIS gives his verdict on the new Peugeot 407 estate.

MAKE no mistake, the new Peugeot 407 saloon range is a class act, with its stylish good looks making it a sure-fire hit with retail customers and, Peugeot hopes, with fleet buyers, too.

Much of the sales emphasis of the new car has been aimed at the fleet market, and with a starting price of under £15,000 it offers an attractive package for the company car user.

However, this month the 407 gets an added boost with the arrival of a rakish five-door estate, bold and purposeful in looks and with a panoramic glass roof.

It starts at a higher price than the saloon, £15,850 on the road, but the 407 SW (Peugeot's way of saying "estate") provides four trim levels, six engines and interesting levels of standard and optional equipment.

The range has also been designed to offer choice without too much price complication, moving through S, SE, SV and Executive trim levels, and from £15,850 to £23,350. There is a long list of extra equipment available for those who like such add-ons.

Over and above the equipment levels, though, it is the look of the car that strikes you first of all. With its long nose, low stance, wrap-around headlamps and large under-bumper grille, together with the deeply sculpted tailgate and two rear quarter panel windows, the 407 estate is versatile, stylish and practical. Together with the choice of six engines, four petrol and two diesel, as well as a choice of transmissions, standard equipment across the range includes digital climate control, trip computer, CD player, ultrasonic alarm and front fog lights. The safety package offers seven airbags (nine on the Executive model), active front seat head restraints and also electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, together with electronic brake force distributor, emergency brake assist and traction control.

On the road the estate is a comfortable car. At 4,763mm, it is 87mm longer than the saloon, although the cars share the same wheelbase.

The extra millimetres give the SW extra luggage room, and in a demonstration of its carrying capabilities, Peugeot filled a boot with three suitcases, large, medium and small, a child's pushchair and also a carry cot - and each could be easily retrieved. A tonneau cover is fitted to keep prying eyes from the boot content, but it is also designed in such a way that boot access can still be made either through the boot tailgate or its glass screen, which can be opened independently if needed.

The 2.0 HDi diesel and 3.0-litre petrol are both smooth operators, the diesel so quiet that in-car conversation can continue without raising stress levels, while the petrol provides so much useable power that it is difficult to keep the car down to the legal level. A wise move would be for buyers to fork out the £150 needed to have cruise control fitted just to keep on the right side of the speed camera, although it is standard on the Executive model.

One of the special features of the SW is its panoramic glass roof with a surface of nearly 1.6 metres, providing light from the equally large windscreen right through to the back of the car. An electric blind, consisting of four overlapping panels that fold backwards or forwards into nine different positions, regulates the amount of natural light that may be wanted by the car's occupants. Sadly, it cannot be opened, so any hair-blowing fresh air has to come through the side windows.

A big bonus is also to be found in the seating design, those in front provide back and thigh support, available via a range of adjustments. On all models within the SW range, the front passenger seat back can be folded down against the seat cushion, and this, combined with the folding back seats, makes a total carrying length of 2700mm (from the inside of the tailgate to the glove box lid).

There are also plenty of ingenious storage areas for smaller items. The glove box lid, for example, has special compartments for glasses, pen and remote control for the audio system, while the driver's side fascia panel has a holding area for 'phone, and cash. And there are holders for cups and CDs.

The range of engines starts with a lead-in petrol unit offering 117bhp from 1.8-litres, and its performance records the benchmark 62mph passed in 11.7 seconds. Economically, it returns a combined figure of 34.3mpg, and its CO2 emission figure is 190g/km. There are also a 2.0-litre producing 138bhp, a 2.2-litre producing 160bhp and the 3.0-litre developing a maximum power of 211bhp. The 3.0-litre chalks up 31.4mpg at the combined rate and a 214g/km emission figure. The 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre engines are matched to either a five-speed manual gearbox or four-speed automatic, the 2.2-litre shares either four-speed automatic or six-speed manual, and the 3.0-litre has the six-speed automatic.

In terms of diesel, the lower-powered of the two offerings (both economical and clean common rail units) is only 1.6-litres but takes just 0.4 of a second longer to complete the 62mph dash than the smallest petrol unit. The more useful and useable 30mph to 50mph time of 14.5 seconds is much quicker than the 1.8-litre petrol unit.

Fuel consumption for the diesel is excellent with the promise of 40mpg in urban driving and over 50mpg in combined driving. This compares with 35mpg for the 1.8-litre petrol and 28.5mpg for the 3.0-litre petrol.

However, whatever the model chosen, the 407 SW is a must for those who fancy getting away from the "just another Vectra or Mondeo" image.

Peugeots are available locally from MSF Peugeot, Clifton Moor Retail Park, Clifton, York YO30 4WR (Tel 01904 696600); Barkers of Malton, York Road, Malton YO17 OTB (Tel 01653 600111)

Verdict:

Like: Passenger comfort and boot room

Dislike: Lack of sunshine roof

Details

Model: Peugeot 407 SW (estate). Four trim levels - S (four levels), SE (12 levels), SV (six levels) and Executive (five levels).

Prices: From £15,850 for S 1.8-litre to £23,350 for Executive 3.0-litre V6 automatic.

Dimensions: Length 4,763mm, width 1,811mm, height 1,486, wheelbase 2,725mm.

Suspension: Double wishbone, coil springs and integral hydraulic dampers.

Steering: Rack and pinion. Column adjustable for reach and height.

Brakes: Hydraulic, servo assisted.

Updated: 11:26 Friday, September 03, 2004