Alternative review of Peugeot 407 SW

Estate cars have long appealed to the practical side in me but the actuality has left me rather unimpressed. Basically, customers in this market have a choice. Either buy one of the Sportwagon style estates, like a Saab 9-3 Sportwagon or an Alfa 159 Sportwagon, that offer little or no extra carrying capacity over their saloon counterparts but look the part or opt for something with a meaningful amount of space but which is about as alluring as a week in a bail hostel in Hastings. The Peugeot 407 SW is different. Just look at it. And when you've finished looking at it, look at it some more. Low slung, sleek and beautifully purposeful, the 407 SW looks more like a piece of military hardware than a car. The styling is the work of Peugeot's in-house design team and I think it works far better than the 407 saloon, which has some rather awkward angles. The SW version looks good from every angle, with the chrome grille on the latest models adding to the effect. Even without the added practicality, that would be enough to swing it for me.

Let's leave the styling alone for a moment and concentrate on the bread and butter business of lugging gear. The 407 SW tacks another 87mm onto the rear overhang and features a tailgate with a very low and practical load height. Lift the fifth door and there's a respectable amount of room, Peugeot's designers concentrating on sheer utility. The load bay is never less than 1,100mm wide and the front passenger seat can fold forwards, allowing items up to 2,700mm to be carried. Two side storage pods in the load bay also allow gear to be stowed well out of harm's way. A solid carpeted cover aids security by keeping what's in the loadbay out of sight of prying eyes. The rear seats split in a 66:33 fashion and fold virtually flat to the floor without the tedious necessity to remove the head restraints. Thus equipped there's a 1,700mm load length. A full five seater, the 407SW features a number of thoughtful features deigned to make the car easy to live with. As touched upon before, the rear loading lip is only 61cm from ground level and shorter drivers will appreciate the strap that dangles from the tailgate. The luggage bay incorporates a soundproof membrane to isolate road and suspension noise and includes four support bars so that heavy suitcases can easily be slid in and out without risking a herniated disc. Options include a ski flap, luggage nets and a six CD autochanger and JBL bass box which are mounted adjacent to one of the side luggage bins.

Right from the outset, Peugeot's investment in quality is manifest. The 407SW is so far removed from its predecessor, the 406 Estate, that some will no doubt wonder if the French market received a generation of cars denied to us. The fabric seating of our test car felt better and seemed of higher quality than many of the bargain basement leather trims fitted to upper-spec mid range saloons and the seats had both enough lateral grip and were comfortable enough. The steering wheel is trimmed in leather but featured neat cut outs for the thumbs. The dashboard follows the trend for 'waterfall' centre consoles on which most of the major instruments are placed and sees a welcome move away from the rattly hard plastic ventilation and air conditioning controls that have blighted many Peugeots of yore. Expensively slush moulded plastics yield to the touch along the top of the dashboard whilst there are classy looking applique strips along the dash and doors to brighten the interior ambience a little. The Peugeot staple of chrome-ringed dials and a chrome and leather trimmed gear knob are also evident. Thankfully the steering wheel is a little better looking than some of the blandly bulging tillers fitted to many Peugeots. Some thought has gone into this cabin.

A Peugeot 407SW parked outside the Neary residence would turn me into a committed curtain twitcher. I was sorry to see our test car go.

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Peugeot 407 2.2 HDi 170 Sport 5dr Diesel Sw Estate
Price £23,419 Read 407 Reviews	Save £1,376
Peugeot 407 2.0 HDi 163 Sport 4dr Tip Auto Diesel Saloon
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Peugeot 407 2.0 HDi 163 Sport 5dr Tip Auto Diesel Sw Estate
Price £23,662 Read 407 Reviews	Save £1,383
Peugeot 407 1.6 HDi 110 S 5dr Diesel Sw Estate
Price £19,456 Read 407 Reviews	Save £1,089
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Price £22,257 Read 407 Reviews	Save £1,288
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