Review of the new Peugeot 607 2.2 HDi 170

Permit me to let you into a secret. Most of the guys who work as motoring journalists would give almost anything to be successful racing drivers. Any press launch that includes track work will see them putting on their fast shoes and eyeing lines into corners that will shave a few tenths off their lap times. There are exceptions but most of us journos love cars that prioritise performance and handling. After all, they sell magazines and newspapers. Sometimes it's worth remembering that there's a real world out there where owners aren't staring gimlet-eyed past their Sparco driving gloves as they heel and toe into a double apex right. A real world where cars like the Peugeot 607 2.2 HDi170 actually work very well.

You'd never know it based on column inches but cars like the 607 are incredibly fit for their task, a task which involves mopping up big mileages reliably and comfortably: they just don't make great copy. Instead of being lauded for its refinement, equipment and comfort, the 607 gets slated because it's a little cumbersome when thrown into a hairpin. It's a bit like moaning that a Lamborghini can't carry a pallet of roof tiles. The 2.2-litre engine that Peugeot has fitted to the latest 607 elevates its abilities still further.

There are now just three 607 models available, Peugeot having given the Range a rather drastic haircut. The entry level car is the 2.0HDi, the Range-topper is the 3.0 V6 and sitting between the two is this 2.2-litre diesel. The French company has priced the 2.2-litre car at £26,495, although they may well quietly offer some pretty hefty discounts and you won't have to get your dealer in a half-nelson to attain them.

"As a nation we're supposed to like rooting for the underdog. Why the rough ride given to the 607 then?"

The 2.2-litre engine is a real technological tour de force. The first four-cylinder twin-turbocharged engine in a production car, this powerplant is managed by a parallel sequential induction system to ensure that there are none of those annoying lag and lunge power delivery characteristics that often afflict highly-tuned turbodiesel cars. It also serves to broaden the amount of useable torque.

Drive an early performance turbodiesel such as a VW Golf TDI150 and you'll have a window of about 750rpm of real go, requiring frantic gearchanging and footwork on the pedals that would put Michael Flatley to shame. These days, you get more power and a broader rev Range in which to enjoy it. What's more, it's available at lower engine speeds too, adding to the car's muscular feel. With this 2.2-litre engine, the maximum torque figure of 277lb/ft chimes in at just 1,500rpm, which means that when you're pulling away from the lights or nipping out from a junction or onto a roundabout, you've got all the engine's capability on tap.

The twin turbos work one after the other rather than both at the same time. A low inertia blower operates up to 2,700rpm, giving that instant urge. When things are really cooking, the car's computer switches to a second smaller unit that fills in the power requirements at the top end. Whereas many diesel cars are all done and dusted by 3,000rpm, the throttle merely making more noise rather than propelling the car any faster, the Peugeot 607 2.2 HDi 170 has a much more enjoyable amount of top end about it and the soundtrack to accompany it won't have you looking for ear defenders on eBay. Indeed, the maximum power output of this model arrives at 4,000rpm, an almost unheard of rev-happiness in a diesel.

The combustion chamber has been redesigned with a reduced compression ratio and a larger diameter as Peugeot realised that fuel in contact with the walls of the cylinder was difficult to burn efficiently. Increase the volume and the efficiency increases, helped by a redesigned piston crown. A third generation Bosch common rail system uses piezo electronic injectors to raise injection pressure to 1,800bar. Compare that to 1,350 bar for the first generation common rail units and you'll see the precision at work here. This fuel is squirted through apertures that measure just 135 microns. Dad with his wire brush won't even be able to see them. The average human hair is 90 microns in diameter.

There's only one trim level in the 607 line up these days, the well-stuffed Executive model, and it's worth giving a run through of exactly what you get with this car. Standard specification includes leather upholstery, xenon lights, colour sat nav, a JBL stereo and 17-inch alloy wheels. On top of that there's ESP stability control, cruise control, eight airbags, front and rear parking sensors and an inbuilt GSM phone. Still want more? We're nowhere near done yet. The 607 also features laminated side windows, electrically adjustable front seats, heated front and rear seats and metallic paint. Then there are the tyre pressure monitors, a motorised boot mechanism, a trip computer, bi-zone climate control and electrchromatic dimming mirrors. We could go on but in order to understand quite how well stuffed this car is, it's worth checking out the 607 options list. What's on it? Zero, zilch, nada. It's all been fitted to the car.

It's hard to think of another car that offers so much kit and capability for the money. It would, however, be remiss of me to mention the 607 without mentioning the D Word - depreciation. As long as you buy a 607 2.2 HDi factoring in the start that it will retain around a third of its price after three years, you shouldn't have cause for complaint, especially if your daily drive encompasses miles on motorways rather than Monza.