Peugeot 4007 2.2 HDI GT

11:56am Tuesday 29th January 2008

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THERE'S nothing wrong with being fashionably late to a party. After all, when you do show up everyone's eyes will be on your entrance.

But there are some pitfalls. If you arrive too late the party could well have already finished!

The 4007 may have arrived almost a decade behind early birds like the Toyota RAV and the Nissan X-Trail, but Peugeot still hopes its new SUV can be more than a late cameo.

The 4007 isn't its first stab at a 4x4. The French giant sold rebadged Mercedes G-Wagens to the Gallic armed forces 20 years ago.

This time the 4007, and its sister car the Citroen C-Crosser, are both built by Mitsubishi. They share 90 per cent of their DNA with the Mitsubishi Outlander.

Peugeot's fiddling has been restricted to the distinctly Gallic nose (Cyrano de Bergerac would be proud of a hooter like that), new tail lights, different wheels and tyres, and a few bits n pieces of interior trim.

The suspension, brakes and steering have been tweaked but, to be honest, the differences between all three are hard to spot when you're behind the wheel.

Peugeot bosses couldn't have picked a better partner. Mitsubishi has a fine reputation as a maker of SUVs and the 4007 benefits from decades of experience.

It has a spacious five-seater cabin, augmented by an extra pair of fold-out seats in the boot, and an easy to use four-wheel-drive system selected via a dial on the centre console.

The drive is up to the class average and it's an easy car to live with.

There's just the one engine, but it's a good un. The 2.2 HDI fourcylinder diesel is a Peugeot design.

It is completely up-to-date, smoother and more refined than the old 2.0-litre VW unit Mitsubishi had to use in the Outlander. That's why all 2008 Outlanders have switched to the HDI.

Its fuel consumption seems to be about 30mpg in normal day-to-day driving conditions, dropping by as much as eight mpg when the 4007 is chugging about town, which is a fair result for a big car.

The HDI is a nice fit with the smooth-changing six-speed gearbox and the capable chassis. The 4007 is no sports car - in fact, a SEAT Fourtrack would show it a clean pair of heels on challenging roads - but the ride is soothing and comfortable.

Under normal driving conditions the 4007 is resolutely two-wheel drive. If you select 4WD up to 55 per cent is diverted to the rear axle.

There's also a lock mode with a 50/50 split for really tough surfaces.

This sophisticated design copes with gentle off-roading rather well.

The electronics shift power around without requiring any driver input - most of the time you can just put it in 4WD and crack on.

A lot of thought has gone into making the cabin a functional place for all the family.

The instrumentation is clear and easy to see at a glance. Judicious application of silver trim helps lift the generally gloomy ambience.

The dash is neat and very uncluttered even when fitted with a builtin colour TV monitor that pulls double duty as a sat nav screen and a rear parking monitor.

The monitor also acts as a read-out for the trip computer.

Strange, given that an info button on the dash brings up the same info on a smaller read-out between the speedo/rev counter.

The rear seat bases slide independently of each other and the seat backs can be reclined to create a more relaxed position.

You can flip the seats down by pulling a lever.

Clever design means the headrests don't have to be removed before the seats do their fold and tumble act - handy if you regularly need to carry hefty loads.

Two extra seats fold out of the boot but there's precious little padding and even less luggage space when they are in use. The tail-gate splits for easier loading of heavy items.

I had no problems shovelling a new 32-inch TV into the boot without having to drop the seats.

All the doors have deep bins with cut-outs for bottles. Passengers remarked on the amount legroom in the second row.

I was a bit disappointed to find the door skins don't enclose the sills so you'll get muck on your trousers/skirt when you jump down from the cab.

This is a thoughtful feature you'll find on several of the 4007's competitors.

There are two trim levels. Even the entry SE models have an above average amount of kit, including alloy wheels, front and rear electric windows, climate and cruise control and an MP3-compatible CD player.

Shelling out for the range-topping GT model buys you bigger wheels, as well as luxuries such as electrically adjustable and heated front seats, leather upholstery, a CD multichanger and parking sensors.

That's a good equipment tally with prices starting at £22,500. A 4007 costs about the same as an XTrail and a bit less than a Freelander.

Mind you, Mitsubishi UK is still selling a lower spec Outlander for a shade under £20,000, (albeit one with the paltry VW diesel and not the plucky 2.2 HDi), so polish up your negotiating skills before going along to your friendly Peugeot dealer.

The 4007 may be a late entrant but it's certainly no party pooper!

SPECIFICATION

Engine: 2,179cc turbo-diesel
Power: 156bhp @ 4,000rpm
Torque: 285lb/ft @ 2,000rpm
0-62mph: 9.9 seconds
Max speed: 124mph
Mpg on test: 31.2mpg
Equipment: 18-inch alloys, cruise control, roof bars, alarm, leather steering wheel, radio/CD with MP3, trip computer, front fig lights, remote central locking, curtain airbags, ESP, electric windows