“Peugeot’s
4007
delivers a lion-hearted
performance. And for
a growing number of
motorists, it could
make the perfect
transport for 2008...”
SEVERE WINTER WEATHER ROLLED IN LAST WEEK with a vengeance. Gales, torrential
rain, floods, ice, sleet, thunderstorms — just the sort of conditions
where SUV 4x4 vehicles such as the Lion-crested Peugeot 4007 come into their
own.
But it is not just in the winter that SUVs are 'fit-for-purpose'. Due to the
versatile accommodation these vehicles offer — usually five (but more
commonly seven) seats, the elevated seating/driving position, high levels
of specification and imposing good looks — they are proving more and
more popular the whole year round providing, as they do, work, leisure and
family transport for a growing number of motorists.
The continued growth in UK sales, despite the whinging from the anti 4x4 lobby,
has been driven in part this year by new models joining
the market. Manufacturers have countered claims of 4x4s being gas-guzzlers
by introducing lighter weight, more fuel-efficient vehicles — most about
the same size in length as a medium-sized estate car.
Of course, there still are hugely expensive monster 4x4s being intro-duced,
sold and used in totally inappropriate surroundings such as
city centres and on school-runs.
However, these big heavyweights will be hit hard next year by the national
£400 road tax, the proposed higher London Congestion Charge and the ever-increasing
price of fuel. So the middle ground of the family SUV 4x4 market is where
most sensible people are concentrating their choice of purchase — in
other words, Honda CR-V, Land Rover Freelander, Hyundai Santa Fe, Nissan X-Trail
and Kia Sportage ter-ritory.
Three additional names can now be added to that mid-sized SUV line-up: the
Peugeot 4007, Citroen C-Crosser and Mitsubishi Outlander. Essentially, all
these models are the same. All are built in Japan by Mitsubishi Motors and
all use the renowned Mitsubishi two/four-wheel on-demand 4x4 system. The major
difference between these three branded SUV ranges are the front-end styling,
the slightly different rear-end treatment and a few odd items of specification.
Peugeot and Citroen models use their own in-house PSA 2.2-litre turbodiesel
engine; Mitsubishi its own 2.4-litre petrol unit (with an automatic transmission
as standard), a VW-sourced 2.0-litre diesel engine and now they too get the
use of the PSA powerplant.
The Peugeot and Citroen versions entered the UK market in August
this year, each with a 2,000 unit sales target in the first full year of sales.
Mitsubishi's Outlander went on sale a little earlier but only now gets use
of the 'choice' PSA 2.2-litre diesel engine.
Whilst the Mitsubishi brand is famous for 4x4 models and they have
a huge number of core 4x4 customers, for Peugeot and Citroen this is their
first SUV — so for their dealers, and customers, this is a new sales
territory.
The Mitsubishi Outlander range has more models and levels of specific-ation
to choose from, with prices ranging from £19,449 to £26,999. The published
prices for the 2.2-litre Peugeot 4007 and Citroen C-Crosser are identical
— £22,790 to £25,490 — so customers must choose the brand they like
the best, the dealer they prefer or the best purchase price they can obtain.
Winter or summer, you never know what lies around the corner when you are
motoring. And the hurricane-force winds and appalling driving conditions of
last week brought home to me just how important it is to have the right vehicle
to meet the unpredictable demands of modern-day motoring. If you just travel
a few miles each day and park in a town or at an office, then high motoring
costs and congested roads suggest a small compact car is the right choice.
As a motoring writer I'm lucky — I can choose a specific vehicle for
a specific journey, so when a business trip to France with passengers and
equipment came along (and not forgetting the opportunity to do some pre-Christmas
shopping!), a mid-sized 4x4 SUV made sound and reasonable sense. Step forward
the Peugeot 4007.
The 4007 comes in a two-model line-up: SE and GT. Both use the PSA 2.2-litre
turbodiesel, four-cylinder engine with 156bhp and 285lb ft
of torque from 2,000rpm; both models use a six-speed manual gearbox with the
electronic on-demand two/four and 4WD lock transmission. The SE is priced
at £22,790 and the main-selling GT at £25,490.
At 4,635mm long and 1,805mm wide, the 4007 is the same size as a family estate
car and even the extra ground clearance and extra headroom (which gives the
vehicle a height of 1,715mm) causes no problems with underground parking or
getting a space on a ferry. The five-plus-two seating configuration will be
an added bonus for some families, although the rearmost two seats (which drop
down into the floor) are really only suitable for occasional use. A bonus
when they are stowed away is the pretty large load area. The middle row of
seats can be folded down as well to create a huge cargo space. With the middle
row in place, passenger space for two adults is excellent and three passengers
can be accommodated at a push. The legroom is pretty good as well. However,
on more than one occasion my passen-gers passed comment about the lack of
comfort due to the overly firm seatback.
The front seats are certainly comfortable, and the GT version I was driving
had heated front seats with the added convenience of power operation for the
driver's seat. The GT specification also includes leather upholstery. The
dashboard is well laid out and houses the con-trols and switches in easy-to-find
logical locations. There is storage space within the fascia, and also in the
console sited from the fascia base to between the front seats. It is, all-in-all,
very user-friendly.
GT items of added specification over the SE version include an uprated CD
changer, excellent Xenon headlights, rear parking sensors (a must as the door-mounted
rear view mirrors are too small), and dark tinted glass which — although
I know some people like — I can live without. The test car — as
most press cars do — had a very good colour DVD satellite navigation
system which incorporates the uprated sound sys-tem and a rear-view camera,
which adds £1,600 to the overall price. Happily, the system was brilliant
and made driving in dreadful conditions very easy and, more importantly I
think, safer.
As you would expect, the flagship GT version has 18-inch alloy road wheels
whereas the lesser SE makes do with 16-inch versions. All models have as standard
an excellent array of important specification items that include cruise control,
alarm with remote control locking and deadlocks, automatic air conditioning
with climate control, electrically-operated front and rear side windows, electrically-operated
and heated door mirrors, trip computer, front, side and curtain airbags, electronic
stability control and anti-lock braking. Outside, all models have roof bars,
fog lights and a fold-flat lower tailgate section for added ease of loading.
It is the overall size — not too big, not too small, the high equipment
levels relative to the vehicle's price and the performance and respon-siveness
of the tried-and-tested, smooth and quiet 2.2-litre diesel engine that makes
the 4007 (and the C-Crosser) a really strong con-tender for sales. Add in
Mitsubishi's reputation for build quality together with their four-wheel drive
technology and you end up with the 'real-deal' in sensible and affordable
SUVs. Some customer might prefer the Land Rover brand name along with its
4x4 abilities and credentials, but the Freelander is smaller inside and, judged
on like-for-like specific-ation, costs much more.
Most of the time SUVs are used for on-road work, in good or bad weather —
and this is where the 4007 scores. It performs particularly well, having a
top speed of 124mph, 0-62mph acceleration in 9.9 seconds and returns 38.7mpg
on average. Confirming that, during my week-long test my 4007 returned between
30.6 and 36.9mpg fully-loaded.
The road holding is good, there's not very much body roll, the grip is excellent,
the steering precise, brakes strong and the engine respon-sive. Add in the
ability to go from two- to four-wheel drive at the turn of a dial and some
considerable off-road ability with the 4WD lock facility, and the 4007 makes
a strong and sensible case for itself. In addition, it can tow up to 2,000kg
and it also generally looks very smart as well.
As for any negative issues, there are very few: no automatic trans-mission
option yet, road noise intrusion is one, small door mirrors are another and
the forward-sloping rear load floor where small items move forward out of
reach. The front-end's aggressive grille styling you either like or you don't
— but it does make people take notice of this 'classy' vehicle.
For your money you get a sensible size, good-looking SUV fitted out
to a high specification at a competitive price. The 4007 is also roomy
with good practical load space and delivers sure-footed handling.
The engine is strong and economical, and the 4x4 system is easy to use. On
a personal note, the talented Peugeot 4007 made my trip
to France, with the unbelievably bad winter driving conditions, much easier
and safer than it could have been. That by itself is a good enough reason
to park one on your drive. — David Miles
 Peugeot 4007 GT HDi 156 | £25,490 Maximum speed: 124mph | 0-62mph: 9.9 seconds Overall test MPG: 33.7mpg | Power: 156bhp | Torque: 285lb ft CO2 194g/km | Insurance group 13E Visit Peugeot's website  |
