CARS REVIEWS: PEUGEOT 407 FRENCH POLISH ‘Repmobiles don’t normally look like Ferraris – which is why Peugeot’s new 407 saloon with its Ferrari 550-style deep front grille is going to appeal to so many company car drivers. It may not go as quickly, but it looks fast, costs a lot less and is a whole heap more practical besides.Company car dads should be over the moon. Peugeot’s 407 can’t promise supercar handling but it’s well able to cope with longhaul family trips and round-town commuting in a thoroughly composed manner. It also offers some nifty tricks to take mundane tasks off your hands. The 407’s windscreen wipers and headlights sense when to wipe and light automatically, and the dash’s LCD display informs you if tyre pressures are low, or if all the passenger seatbelts are ‘done up’. The most endearing trick of all is when you ‘plip’ the remote to lock the car and the electrically adjustable wing mirrors fold in flush to the bodywork to avoid careless clumps from other cars on narrow streets. It’s an almost human feature – seen on more expensive cars before – but rarely in this class. The car is super safe for occupants. Six airbags help it to a maximum EuroNCAP fivestar rating for crashworthiness and four stars for This review from FQ MAGAZINE September 2004  >> more child protection – all seats can take a child seat and the rear outer ones have Isofix mountings. It’s practical too. To help loading, the luggage net on the boot floor stops items rattling around effectively and the boot itself is a decent (and appropriate) 407 litres. Along with a powerful and crisp six-speaker CD player and stylish interior, the 407 is a pleasant place to spend time. The experience is only fractionally marred by a vague sixspeed gearbox that is sometimes hard to find your way around – selecting fourth when you want second to accelerate away from lights is particularly tiresome. But you soon get used to the gears’ spacing. If you like the look of the 407 – it’s a good thing as it’s set to be the new face for Peugeot across its range over the next few years. ‘Playtime is over’ declares its TV advert – the one with all the full-size toy cars driving round in it – and in many ways it’s apt. Aside from being a snipe at French rival saloon Renault Laguna’s ‘serious playtime’ catchline – it also declares that this is a serious business car that also happens to look better than all its direct rivals. Mondeo-man will only be able to console himself with the ‘better ride and handling’ top trump. In terms of car park kudos the 407 walks it. Peugeot 407 2.2 SE Price: £16,950 Engine: 160bhp 2.2-litre Top Speed: 136mph 0-60: 9.0sec Economy: 31.4mpg >> Read More FQ Magazine available now thoughout the country in all good independent newsagents including Tesco, WHSmith and Sainsbury's for just £3.25!