Peugeot 407 Coupe (2009) drops petrol engines

By Richard Webber

First Official Pictures

10 July 2009 09:40

Peugeot has dropped petrol engines altogether from its gawping 407 Coupé and will only be offering oil-burners in the revised range. The reworked 2.0-litre unit improves in economy and power, but the big news is a new 3.0-litre V6, which will be Peugeot’s most powerful production engine ever.

The V6 unit was a joint development by PSA and Ford, and produces 241bhp and a hefty 331lb ft of torque between 1600 and 3600rpm. But while the 3.0 HDi produces more torque than a Ford Focus RS, it’s only 0.4 of a second quicker in the 0-60mph chug than the 2.7 HDi it replaces, posting a mildly sporting time of 7.7 seconds.

The V6 is an example of the ongoing advances in turbodiesel technology, producing 18% more power than the old 2.7 yet using 15% less fuel. More power and lower consumption are becoming the staple headliners for new diesel engines, but how do they manage it? In this case it’s thanks to two smaller but faster-spinning turbos, increased injection pressure and a remapped six-speed sequential gearbox. It’s easy when you know how.

Not really. You’ll need to be eagle-eyed to spot the new chrome strip along the top of the windows on each flank. Especially on a silver car like this one – well done the Peugeot marketing team for an inspired choice of colour.

The refreshed Peugeot 407 Coupé starts at £22,990 for the 2.0-litre Hdi, rising to £27,490 for the Sport 3.0-litre V6 HDi.

By Richard Webber