Funnily enough, when I walked up to Peugeot to pick this 4007 up, I casually glanced in its direction and thought, why has someone parked an Outlander there? You see, I’d only seen the 4007 in front three-quarter and rear-three quarter view, and both of those slightly obscure its Outlander origins.

If you’ve read any of the Mitsubishi Outlander reviews we’ve written then you’ll know that it’s a solid SUV contender, and the 7-seat option adds practicality. However, what Peugeot does to make the 4007 is take it and make it better. It’s like a ‘finishing school’ .

Gone (praise the deities) is the slightly annoying CVT gearbox (the main thing I don’t like about the Outlander). In its place is a conventional 6-speed, dual-clutch automatic with a sport mode and a leather-bound gear shifter. The sport mode, as you would expect, changes down earlier and up later, but in typical French fashion it’s fairly ambivalent, and this actually works well. Some manufacturers overdo it on the sports mode; Peugeot has given it just enough extra verve to make it useful.

Second, possibly because of the revised weight distribution it definitely feels slightly less wallowy, but doesn’t compromise on comfort. The suspension setup on the two vehicles is the same – a Macpherson strut up front and multi link with stabilizer at the rear.

Third, there’s an aftermarket satellite navigation system by Pantera which forms part of the rear view mirror. In theory (and when it’s working), this is a really good system. It’s easy to see – you’re used to glancing at your rear view mirror – and it’s touch screen, with a fairly intuitive interface. It didn’t work all the time though; the signal dropped out occasionally and I couldn’t find the reason why as it was a clear, sunny day. The system also includes phone integration and will play music.
Fourth, Peugeot has some customleather seats made here in NZ, and they’re wide and comfortable.

Fifth, it now comes with a Peugeot diesel engine which has plenty of pulling power, even though you’re not going to win the traffic lights grand prix. The engine is strong – a 2.2-litre turbodiesel with 115kW and 380Nm. The 4007 moves along well and should achieve an average fuel consumption of around 7.3l/100km if you drive it conservatively. You can tow 2000kg on a braked trailer. This is up from around 1500-1600kg depending on which Outlander model you go for.

So, those are the bonuses over the Outlander, but there is one downside: you’d be hard pressed to improve on the chiseled good looks of the Outlander’s nose, and Peugeot hasn’t managed it. It’s not ugly like some Peugeots have been, but it’s lost a bit of presence. Out the back, though, there are fewer changes, and the Peugeot styling retains the same coherence as the Mitsi. On the sides you get customPeugeot running boards which are classier than the Outlander ones.

The rest of the specification is essentially the same. You get the convenience of 2WD, 4WD and 4WD with a locked differential to get you out of boggy places. There’s the full complement of traction control, ABS and lots of other acronyms that stop you from skidding, sliding, flipping over, etc. Other features carried over are Bluetooth phone integration, cruise control, a reasonably good stereo with iPod/MP3 player integration, a heated/cooled glovebox, a split folding tailgate that can double as a seat and a trip computer.

It is missing the hill start assist. I have said before that in an automatic you shouldn’t need hill start assist, but the Peugeot does have a habit of rolling backwards slightly. It’s worse if you’re facing downhill and want to reverse. It’s also missing the keyless entry.

The seats are leather for rows one and two, like in the 3-litre V6 Outlander. They’re heated in the front, too. The third row of seats is the same arrangement as the Outlander. It folds flat into the floor creating a usable boot space, and pops up fairly easily if you need to ferry extra people around.

Of course, there are some contenders, as mentioned in the Outlander article. However, if you’re a Peugeot brand aficionado you might also want to consider the new 308 SW as it also has seven seats, but comes as a station wagon. This also means it handles slightly better.

Overall, I like the Peugeot 4007. I like the Mitsubishi Outlander, too, so Peugeot had a good base to start from. Peugeot has taken the Outlander and made it better, and it’s only marginally more expensive than the V6 Outlander – money you’ll get back over time anyway in better fuel economy. It gives a viable diesel option if you like Outlander styling and practicality but want something less thirsty, plus it gives you Peugeot’s European badge cachet but without the often quirky Peugeot interior.

Pros

• It’s like an Outlander but drives better
• Extra interior treatment lifts the standard Mitsubishi fare into a place that’s nicer to be
• Tows more than the Outlander

Cons

• Doesn’t look as good as the Outlander from the front
• Accelerator can be initially unresponsive from rest
• You don’t get the Mitsi’s hill start assist

Price: $57,990 as tested. Range starts at $54,990

Specifications

High-Pressure Direct Injection Turbocharged Diesel, Dual

Clutch System (DCS) 16 valve, 6 speed Automatic

Transmission. 4WD System with electronic control

 

Cubic Capacity (cc): 2179

Max Power kW (HP) @ rpm: 115 (156) @ 4000

Max Torque Nm @ rpm: 380 @ 2000

 

WHEELS AND TYRES

Size: 215/70 R18

Wheels: Alloy

 

BRAKES

Front ventilated

Rear solid discs

 

SUSPENSION

Front—Independent with McPherson type struts & anti-roll bar

Rear—Multi-link with anti-roll bar

 

DIMENSIONS

Length (mm): 4635

Width (mm) excluding mirrors: 1805

Height (mm) including roof bars: 1715

Kerb weight (kg): 1825

Boot volume with seats in place (l): 441

Boot volume rear seats folded to roof (l): 1686

Braked Trailer Towing Weight (kg): 2000

Unbraked Trailer Towing Weight (kg): 750

 

FUEL CONSUMPTION & EMISSIONS

City cycle l/100km: 9.2

Highway cycle l/100km: 6.2

Combined l/100km: 7.4

Emission of CO2 by weight (g/km): 192

Emission Control: EURO 5

Top speed kms/hr: 200

0—100 kms/hr: 12.5

 

SAFETY FEATURES

6 airbags—driver, passenger, front side, front and rear cur-

tain ABS (with EBFD)

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

Front, rear & third row 3-point seatbelts

Front seatbelt unfastened warning

Isofix on rear outer seats

Height adjustable front seatbelts

 

SEATING

 

7 seats

Bolstered sport leather seating (row 1 and 2)

Heated front seats

Foldaway rear third row bench seat

Height adjustable driver seat

Three part cloth trim

Remote central locking/high frequency

Transponder immobiliser

Visible VIN number

Auto-lock doors/boot over 10 km

Rear door child locks

 

COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE

Satellite navigation

Rear parking camera

Bluetooth

Cruise control

Rear park assistance

Internal operated central door locking

Electric windows front and rear

Electrically operated door mirrors

6 speaker CD / MP3 Player

Steering wheel mounted remote audio controls

Automatic air-conditioning

Air-conditioned upper glove-box

Leather steering wheel

Multifunction display screen

Trip computer

Distance to next service indicator

Sunglass holder above rear view mirror

Centre console cup-holders

Lower glove-box with locking

 

LIGHTING / VISIBILITY

Auto headlamps / auto lights off

Interior boot light

Front and rear interior courtesy lights

Front and rear fog lights

Rear reverse lights

Lights on warning alarm

Rain sensitive wipers

Intermittent rear wash/wipe

 

EXTERIOR FEATURES

Satin chrome roof rails

Chrome exhaust extension

Split rear tailgate with 200kg load capacity

Side running bars

Chrome grille treatment

Rear spoiler

Front bumper treatment

Words and photos: Darren Cottingham