Peugeot 4007 (2007 onwards model)

What: Peugeot 4007Where: Paris, FrancePrice: from £22,790Available: SeptemberKey rivals: Mitsubishi Outlander, Citroen C-Crosser, Land Rover Freelander, Honda CR-V

Summary

Peugeot joins the SUV bandwagon with a seven-seater developed with the help of 4x4 masters Mitsubishi.

Likes: excellent engine, generous kit, supple rideDislikes: doesn’t do anything new, keels into corners, divisive looks

GALLERY: Peugeot 4007

Order a glossy brochure and book a test drive

First impressions

The world doesn’t need another 4x4. Certainly not one that has been on sale for months already, in the form of the Mitsubishi Outlander. Citroen dealers are likely to follow ‘cashback’ tradition and deal harder on their C-Crosser version, either. So… so what? Ah, don’t worry, Peugeot knows this could be your response. And wants you to know, this is not a 4x4 to conquer the world. It is a 4x4 for Peugeot buyers, 2,000 of them in a full year. Loyal sorts, it offers them a flashy alternative to a top-end 407 SW – which seats seven. Something most of the French brand’s cars can’t do.

It is Peugeot’s first SUV and comes in two trims, SE and GT. The latter is the one; lashings of chrome really make it stand out over the Japanese-look standard car, though both share the same huge, divisive, grinning grille. Like an Audi A6 allroad on happy gas. Dark colours suit it best, we reckon; if you’ve got chrome, jolly well show it off. There is just a single engine, no automatic gearbox option, but both cars offer comprehensive standard kit for their fairly high prices, which eschew entry-level value in deference to Peugeot’s capped sales volumes (which will be good for retained values). So what’s it like?

Performance

So much better is the 2.2-litre HDi diesel over Mitsubishi’s VW-sourced one, the Japanese will actually be buying this unit from PSA come November. The two are incomparable. This is smooth, eager, refined, free-revving, has a broad spread of power and is mated to a cracking six-speed manual gearbox. The 156bhp unit hits 60mph in 9.9secs but it is the 285lb/ft of torque that really works for you, overcoming a 1,825kg kerbweight effortlessly. It is the same engine that is in Land Rover’s Freelander 2, and is just as likeable here. Indeed, more vigorous, too. Shame there is not an auto option, yet.

Ride and handling

Peugeot reckon it has stiffened the suspension over the Mitsubishi. Hold onto your hats in that, then, because this is hardly flatsville through bends. You can even see the body pitch during gearchanges, it’s that supple when unloaded; pitch it into a corner and watch it keel hyperactively. But then, once in a corner, it’s much more composed, and the 18-inch GT-spec wheels of the test car summoned bags of grip. Steering was also keener in corners, unlike on straights when it was mushy and sloppy. And the benefit of such settings is a very fluent, dignified ride quality.

Interestingly, this is the first 4x4 in which I have experienced torque steer. Emerging from a roundabout, I naturally booted it. The wheel initially ‘froze’, then began to squirm for a second or so. The 4x4 system is on-demand, generally split 85% front, 15% rear. Maybe the rearward diversion of torque doesn’t happen quickly enough, causing it to be more reliant on the (standard) ESP system? A knob in the centre console can lock it in 4WD mode, but this is for off-roading only. Which, incidentally, it does competently, with a similarly absorbent ride and low levels of surface intrusion.

Interior and safety

PSA apparently took one look at the Outlander interior and demanded improvements in quality. With a soft-touch dashboard, chrome-look detailing and other detail improvements, they got it. But it is still flimsy in places – the A-pillar surrounds and glovebox lid are particularly cheap – and out test car also suffered horrendous wind noise on the driver’s side. On the plus side, seats and driving position are excellent, visibility isn’t bad and both front and middle rows are extremely roomy. The rear seats are occasional jobbies, folding flat into the floor, but they are a pain to flip up. The instruction map printed on the seatback is nonsense.

When you eventually work out how to stow them you will be pleased with the resulting 184 litres of space – boosted to 510 litres if you slide the middle seat 80mm forward. Or, press a button in the boot and they magically flip up and fold away (a party piece trick), to yield 1,686 litres, loaded easily though a Range Rover-style split tailgate. Six airbags and standard ESP should ensure safety; as the ESP and 4WD system can communicate with each other, this should arguably be more stable and less likely to skid on treacherous roads than a standard front-driven family hatch.

Economy

It nearly cracks 40mpg, according to the official figures, and is a bit of a green exemplar in one way – 30% of that economy can come from (theoretically) sustainable biodiesel, from rapeseed oil grown greenly in the field next to your house. Great! It also has a particulate filter, to ensure sooty emissions are negligible. The reality, however, is low-30s mpg. Put simply, a 407 estate with this engine is always going to be significantly more economical. But, can you take that off road? Or seat seven in it? There’s the compromise, you see. Can you justify it?

The MSN Cars verdict: 3/5

Do we need this? No, but Peugeot buyers do. They’re getting a competent, inoffensive, SUV that stands out and doesn’t do much wrong. Great – though the wider public will find its point harder to see.

Ratings out of five: Peugeot 4007

Need to know

Diesel engine2.2-litre HDIPower (bhp)156Torque (lb/ft)2850-62 (secs)9.9Top speed (mph)124Combined mpg39.2C02 emissions (g/km)/tax (%)191/25 

Order a brochure or book a test drive of this car