| A Week at the Wheel | Bucks, England | Peugeot 407 Coupé GT HDi |

Inside & Out:

If the 406 Coupé was "pretty", the 407 Coupé is something else entirely with a presence the old 406 could only dream about - and this despite the corporate wide mouth frog face common to all new Peugeots. There's a hint of Aston Martin about the profile, although the 407 Coupé is a little fussier in the detailing - imagine if you will an Aston Martin adapted by Hyundai for the Korean market. Unusually, the 407 Coupé is considerably larger than its saloon counterpart, being a full 139mm longer, 57mm wider and not so surprisingly 46mm lower, though it sits on the same 2,725mm wheelbase

Though not a lightweight cut-down saloon by any means, the 407 Coupé majors on style. Open the long driver's door and your eyes feast upon something even better than the outside; the interior looks so plush - all leather, even featuring leather inserts on the fascia panel. Thanks to the dimensions rear legroom is every bit as good as in the saloon, but it's a Coupé so there are just two individual seats in the rear. And what seats - as good as your favourite armchair. Even the boot space is massive, although you'll need compact luggage to fit through the opening.

Engine & Transmission:

The Jaguar/PSA V6 diesel is a familiar unit now, still managing to be the smoothest and quietest diesel engine around, so quiet that, with the windows closed you really would never know it was diesel fuelled. And it is coupled to an equally creamy six-speed automatic gearbox that changes gears all but seamlessly and always seems to be in the right gear for the occasion. This engine-gearbox combo has not dated at all, setting the standard in the class for refinement.

As in other installations, the 2.7-litre turbocharged diesel engine develops 205bhp and a far more useful 330lb.ft of torque. The 0-62mph time of 8.5 seconds mirrors that of the saloon, and Peugeot claims that the top speeds of the Coupé and saloon are identical at 143mph. So there's no more performance than the saloon provides - surely the Coupé should be quicker? Don't let that worry you; the 407 Coupé GT is more than capable enough in typical daily driving conditions and is a rapid, safe car to overtake dawdling traffic in too.

Ride & Handling:

The 407 Coupé drives with a relaxing air; it's brisk without being rapid, rides with a suppleness you wouldn't expect - especially when you note how low profile the tyres fitted to the 19-inch alloys are - yet it also handles twisty roads with an aplomb that belies the size of this car. And make no mistake, the 407 Coupé is a big car. One major difference we noted between the saloon and the Coupé was with the brakes; the Coupé's do a much better job of hauling down the considerable weight from high speed.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:

Peugeot's 407 Coupé is not an especially cheap car, adding an extra £2,030 to the price of the equivalent saloon model. Style costs, although you do get a lot more car for your money. Hard to argue with the equipment levels; it's almost a case of, if you can think of it (colour satnav system with built-in phone, swathes of leather, electric memory seats, park assist, etc.), the 407 Coupé GT has it as standard. At least running costs won't break the bank (we averaged about 35mpg), but the expected depreciation might turn some buyers towards the premium brands.

Overall:

It's nigh-on impossible to criticise the 407 Coupé GT. Sure, the doors are too long so the window switches are too far back, and the steeply raked A-pillars do nothing for visibility. But to drive one is to love one.