It's not hard to see the reasons behind the dawn of the diesel on British consciousness. As soon as the car makers started producing diesels that really did have performance, refinement and low fuel consumption, the stage was set for a sales explosion. Then when the Chancellor started basing company car tax on emissions, interest heightened still further. A look at the figures and it's not hard to understand why.

Let's for example, check out the Peugeot 407 HDi diesels we're looking at here. They travel almost 20 miles further on every gallon compared to their petrol counterparts and return emissions figures that are around 50g/km better. And the downside? Well, you'll be about a second tardier in the 0-60mph sprint (but record an almost identical top speed) and pay a premium of around £1,000 over the comparable petrol model when it comes to up front sticker price.

Though that premium may be hard to justify if your annual mileage is on the low side, it's hard to see many other reasons for ignoring the diesel option - in this case as in so many others. On the test drive, the slightly noisier sound at idling might raise an eyebrow but that will be quickly forgotten when you experience the prodigious mid-range pulling power that only diesels tend to offer.

So let's get down to the facts in this case. Peugeot's 407 needed a strong diesel range to properly compete in the Mondeo-dominated Medium Range marketplace. It has just that. Entry-level buyers get a 110bhp 1.6-Litre HDi. Here, there's a choice between two bodystyles (saloon and SW estate) and two trim levels (S and SE) at prices which range between £16,550 and £18,750.

Next up is another familiar unit, the 2.0-Litre 136bhp HDi. Here, 407 buyers can choose between four trim levels across the two bodystyles - S, SE, Sport and GT. Saloon prices range between £18,455 and £22,425. Next up is a 2.2-litre 170bhp unit with twin turbocharged performance from £21,325. Above this, Peugeot offers an even more impressive and powerful diesel - the 205bhp V6 2.7-litre diesel borrowed from Jaguar. This engine comes in at £25,050 in GT trim but delivers rapid performance thanks to 447Nm of torque at just 1,900rpm.

"Peugeot's 407 needed a strong diesel range. It has just that.."

Impressive though it is, premium pricing will restrict sales of this flagship unit, so let's look in more detail here at the four cylinder HDi diesel models. These two will appeal to quite different buyers, mainly due to the significant differences in the performance on offer. The 1.6 HDi is, after all, over two yawning seconds slower to sixty (13.1s) and 10mph slower flat out (110mph). Many will think that worth the model-for-model £900 premium that Peugeot require from buyers wishing to trade up from the smaller engine, even though there's a 10g/km penalty in emissions (155g/km for the 2.0 HDi as opposed to 145g/km for the 1.6). The fuel consumption figures produced by the two engines (an average of 51.1mpg for the 1.6 as opposed to 48mpg for the 2.0 HDi) are hardly different.

Even with the more powerful engines installed, the 407 feels like a car built more for luxury than speed. It's an open secret that the French maker wanted to create a scaled down executive saloon rather than a pumped up Family hatchback. So it has proved. The marketers say that this is what potential buyers want and they're probably right.

The cabin looks very Peugeot - which is possibly the weakest part of the 407 make up. It's neat and everything seems to work very nicely but there isn't a great deal of showroom 'wow factor' to it. Sophisticated multiplexed electronics allow for a huge amount of individual customisation when specifying your 407, with such features as rear view mirrors linked to reverse gear, parking sensors, self-imposed speed limiters, low tyre pressure monitors and variable cruise control systems all capable of being fitted quickly and, just as importantly, at very modest expense.

Take a test drive and right from the outset, the investment in quality is manifest. 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 feels good to hold and features 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.

In the final analysis, provided speed isn't your be all and end all, these diesel-engined 407 models make a strong case for themselves. If you click with that individual styling and don't mind the initial price premium over petrol power, then it might be easy to imagine one of these filling your driveway.

TOP 5 407 DEALS

The results below show the top 407 deals on buyacar

	Peugeot 407 2.2 HDi 170 GT Multimedia 5dr SW Estate
	ETR	Mthly £359	Saving £5,409	Price £18,881
	Peugeot 407 2.0 HDi 136 GT Multimedia 5dr SW Estate
	ETR	Mthly £332	Saving £5,030	Price £17,760
	Peugeot 407 2.0 HDi 136 SE 5dr SW Estate
	ETR	Mthly £302	Saving £4,360	Price £15,780
	Peugeot 407 2.2 HDi 170 Sport Multimedia 5dr SW Estate
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £5,080	Price £17,910
	Peugeot 407 2.0 HDi 136 GT Multimedia 4dr Saloon
	ETR	Mthly £317	Saving £4,727	Price £16,863

typical 11.94% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000