Peugeot have lent me a 407 coupé for a week to test and take to the CPUK National rally. I know it's not retro but it IS supposed to be the replacement for the 406 (beautiful car) and the classic 504 CC and should therefore be retro in around 10 years. But will it?
First impressions.
It's imposing. Looks better in real life than in the pics. However only I know it's a coupé. An hour parked in the centre of town at lunchtime provoked no turned heads from Joe Public. Sadly it appears that designing a sports coupé IS an art. One that Pininfarina have and the Peugeot in house team have not yet learnt.
So off we go. Inside. Very 407. Smart but not stunning. A bit on the black plastic side. Doors are ridiculously heavy. Mrs ZS could hardly open one on a slight slope. Once moving it goes well enough but being the 3.0v6 diesel it redlines at only 4500, which hardly makes for a sporty drive.
Turning right at a junction I floored it only to find myself going nowhere. 27 computers, traction control and the auto box spent about 4 seconds (no..really) working out what best to do, while traffic that was a far away away started to look quite close!! 4 seconds down and the car decides to go, a bit. Another two or three seconds and the turbo's wake up and were're moving, flat out now to avoid a rear ending...scarey the most unresponsive car I have ever driven.
The 100 we had a while ago ggrew on us over the week. Lets see if this does too, but it;s not a good start.
First impressions.
It's imposing. Looks better in real life than in the pics. However only I know it's a coupé. An hour parked in the centre of town at lunchtime provoked no turned heads from Joe Public. Sadly it appears that designing a sports coupé IS an art. One that Pininfarina have and the Peugeot in house team have not yet learnt.
So off we go. Inside. Very 407. Smart but not stunning. A bit on the black plastic side. Doors are ridiculously heavy. Mrs ZS could hardly open one on a slight slope. Once moving it goes well enough but being the 3.0v6 diesel it redlines at only 4500, which hardly makes for a sporty drive.
Turning right at a junction I floored it only to find myself going nowhere. 27 computers, traction control and the auto box spent about 4 seconds (no..really) working out what best to do, while traffic that was a far away away started to look quite close!! 4 seconds down and the car decides to go, a bit. Another two or three seconds and the turbo's wake up and were're moving, flat out now to avoid a rear ending...scarey the most unresponsive car I have ever driven.
The 100 we had a while ago ggrew on us over the week. Lets see if this does too, but it;s not a good start.