Vehicle on test
Peugeot 4007
Good:
Space, engine, ride
Not so Good:
Looks, price
Overall:
Imagine, if you will, the scene at the Peugeot board meeting when the topic of building a 4x4 first came up. The marketing chap must have spoken first, pointing out the rising sales figures across Europe and stating that Peugeot must join in or risk losing out on a key sector of the car market. Research and Development then probably asked for a bit of time for a feasibility study, while the Head of Design started doodling on his pad. It was then probably the lad on work experience who said “Why don’t we get someone who knows what they’re doing to build it for us?” Genius.
That’s (hopefully) nowhere near the truth, but the fact is that the Peugeot 4007, along with its Citroën cousin the C-Crosser, is built by Mitsubishi alongside the Outlander and so the fact that the 4007 is Peugeot’s first real crack at the soft-roader market isn’t an issue. In return, Mitsubishi gets the cracking 2.2 litre turbodiesel engine that PSA developed with Ford (this is all starting to get a bit confusing, but stick with us.)
The Mitsubishi was the first to reach showrooms and when we tested it at its launch nearly a year ago, we really liked it; the one slight drawback was its aging VW-sourced 2.0 litre engine, although the PSA engine neatly solves that particular issue. This time it’s the two French cars that get a head start, with the Outlander having to soldier on with the smaller diesel powerplant for a while yet.
Unlike the Mitsubishi, there are no petrol engines on the Peugeot options list. The 4007 is offered with the 2.2 HDi engine in a choice of two trim levels – SE and GT. Our test car was the higher-spec model, which came with bigger alloy wheels, leather upholstery, rear parking sensors and Xenon headlamps on top of the SE’s generous level of standard-fit bits and pieces that includes Electronic Stability Programme and climate control. One additional option was a hard drive audio system “music server” that meant CDs could be left at home once loaded. As well as reducing clutter inside the car, it gave a fascinating insight into the listening habits of the motoring journalists who’d had the car before me…..
Like many of its competitors, the 4007 usually runs in front wheel drive, with a rotary control between the front seats selecting the two 4WD options. I prefer this to the “automatic” systems on offer from some other manufacturers, since it’s sometimes reassuring to be able to pull away in all-wheel drive and not have to worry if the system will let you down. We have to say at this point that we didn’t try the 4007 off-road during the time it spent with us, but our time spent yomping around Salisbury Plain in the Outlander suggests that it should be more than capable of coping with the odd muddy field or sandy slipway. Its ground clearance isn’t great, but as long as you bear that in mind you shouldn’t have too many problems.
On-road, the 4007 drives and handles as you’d expect. Thanks to a comfortable ride, it proved itself to be a surprisingly good motorway cruiser, and it was more than up to the job of being a “Main Family Car”. Like the Outlander, it has a third row of seats for occasional use, but boot space becomes almost non-existent once they fold out of the boot floor.
Since the Peugeot, Citroën and Mitsubishi are virtually identical, the choice between them may well come down to two factors – looks and value for money. The Peugeot scores badly on both counts, I’m afraid, since the “wide-mouth” front end doesn’t do it any favours and Citroën’s reputation for doing deals means buyers may well overlook the 4007. If I was about to buy one of the three, I’d probably opt for the Outlander but I’d make sure I waited for the PSA/Ford engine.
Report by Mark James
