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Rating

Verdict A losing hand all round

I thought Peugeot might be on to something when the 407 Coupé came along, because you’ve got expensive coupés from BMW and Mercedes and then not much else. Yes, I thought, Peugeot has woken up at long last. It’s seen a niche. The 407 Coupé will be excellent.

I was wrong. The first problem is the price. With options, the GT HDi V6 version I drove costs a staggering £30,900. This means the Peugeot costs about the same as a BMW 330 or a Porsche Boxster. So it had better be good.

It isn’t. The distance between the front wheels and the front of the car is about 18ft, which gives the impression that you’re looking at an anteater with a Peugeot sticking out of its bottom. That’s certainly striking but I’m not sure it’ll catch on.

Yes, the big diesel drops lumps of torque into the mix but torque doesn’t blow my ears off. Torque is what you get in an evenly matched rugby scrum. There’s plenty of grunt in there, but from the outside nothing appears to be happening. It gives the car a lazy feel, like it’s never really stretching its legs.

So yes, the 407 Coupé is extremely smooth and comfortable, but that’s like having two jacks in a hand full of low clubs. You’re still going to lose.

Current price £27,270

Price when tested (Feb 2006) £30,900

Engine 2720cc, six cylinders

Power 205bhp @ 4000rpm

Torque 330 lb ft @ 1900rpm

Transmission Six-speed automatic

Fuel/CO2 33.2mpg (combined) / 226g/km

0-62mph 8.5sec

Top speed 143mph