PEUGEOT 607 SALOON 2005-2009 Review
Good Points
- A good resale value
- Excellent ride quality
- A stylish and elegant car
Bad Points
- Poor assembly quality
- Awkward driving position
- A plethora of electrical faults
Engines
There is a limited choice of high-performance engines in the 607 range: 2.0-litre 136bhp, 2.2-litre 160bhp and a 3.0-litre V6 216bhp petrol engines and 2.0-litre 109bhp, 2.2-litre 136bhp diesel units. No V8 engines or large-volume diesels were offered with the 607.
Performance & Economy
The idea of a luxury car in the heads of German or French engineers is very different. Where Germans assume that their VIPs and executives will want a fast and powerful car, the French designers assume that catering for the luxury segment means offering something modest and simple.
On the paper, the fuel consumption looks very good, especially for the diesel models that according to the manufacturer can deliver 40 - 46mpg under various circumstances. In the reality, though, the figure is closer to 35mpg.
The smaller petrol engine will return around 30mpg while the bigger V6 unit will return 25 - 27mpg, which is actually not bad for a large car.
With regards to performance, there's nothing to get too excited about. Although the car is not sluggish, it's also not as keen as the German luxury vehicles.
The car used to be quite expensive as a new car and it is still expensive in the used car market. Nevertheless, once you get your hands on a Peugeot 607, you're pretty much stuck with it, so make sure you really like the car before purchasing one. To sell a used 607 is very difficult as they've never been popular in the UK which is dominated by German Executive cars.
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Introduction
The French manufacturers clearly struggle to design successful executive cars. All the previous cars including the Citroen SM and Renault Laguna have proven to be unpopular and even the patriotic French drivers often chooses to import a luxury car from Japan or other European countries. The Peugeot 607 wasn't an exception and although it started on a high note, sales numbers soon started deteriorating. The sales reached 19,000 units in 2005, but this fell steeply to just 1,900 in 2009 causing the model line to be scrapped. Later it was merged with the 407 into a new smaller 508 which is now aimed at entirely different market sector.
Exterior & Interior
The car is based on the older Peugeot 605 executive car, which in turn was built on a Citroen XM platform. Although the 607's floorpan is still living in the 1980s, the rest of the car is fairly modern and advanced. It replaced the very-Italian-like 605 designed by Pininfarina with an in-house design creation with smoother lines and a typical Peugeot 'face'.
It's a visually impressive car with a good body length (193") and unusual proportions. The interior looks good when you first see it. Then as you get accustomed to it, you start noticing all the things that are not quite right. The quality of the materials is good, but the way they've been put together isn't. Things keep flying off as you drive.The seats are large and comfortable, but because of the driver's seat configuration, there is a feeling that it was designed as a chauffeur-driven car. Very few people will be pleased with the driver's seat position. Although all the controls and gauges are placed in a logical sequence, they are affected by the aforementioned driver's position.
The boot volume at 480litres is good, but not as good as in the same-size Mercedes E-Class (530 litres).
The basic trim levels 'Standard' and 'S' have a limited amount of kit included. It's better to choose the 'Executive' trim as not only does it looks nicer, it's much better equipped.
Drive
The Peugeot 607 wasn't designed as a sporty car so if the new owner doesn't expect it to be active and revvy, there is a good chance the car will be enjoyed and appreciated. Its best quality is its ride characteristics. The 607 was born a cruiser and it cruises elegantly and smoothly. Apart from the awkward driving position, handling the car is a positive experience. You cannot help but get a very old-fashioned feel behind its steering wheel. It's quite a heavy and big car and it feels exactly like that. Although, obviously, there is power steering included in the standard equipment, the car is difficult to drive in the city and it's quite a task to park it.
Faults & Repairs
The car is riddled with electrical niggles and other small problems that are mainly caused by poor craftsmanship. The control lights will come on and off randomly suggesting that there is a fault when there isn't. Basically, everything that is electronics-driven in the cabin of the 607 is likely to go wrong sooner or later. A fix can be as easy as switching the engine off and then back on again or as difficult as spending several hundreds of pounds on new parts.
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