Sharl-like aggression awaits Peugot connoisseurs

The 407 coupe's impressive performance is as good as its appearance.

Olive trees flashed past as the six-speed automatic transmission in the Peugeot 407 coupe changed down, a twitch of the front wheels signalling 440Nm of torque had hit the sun-blasted tarmac.

The tyres gripped through the bend, cornering flat and hard, surfing waves of creamy torque from the V6 through the hills outside Grenada, Spain.

Yet as much as the 2.7-litre twin-turbocharged diesel engine impresses, it is the car's lines that will win it fans when it arrives in New Zealand next year - for the 407 design has found its ultimate expression in the coupe.

It will arrive 18 months after the 407 sedan - and it is worth the wait. It uses the same platform as the sedan, but it is lower (45mm), wider (57mm) and longer (139mm).

The dimensions are more purposeful, giving it the streamlined aggression of a shark, even without the gill slashes on its flank. The wider hips hint at the greater stability imparted by a wider track.

As you slide into a seat that is 20mm lower and 9mm further back than the more pedestrian sedan, you are already prepared for something special.

The beautifully shaped seat - one of four sculptural pews - cossets your buttocks in leather-clad comfort.

That leather also adorned the dash and fascia of the test car, the oxblood hide contrasting beautifully with the aluminium accents.

And these really are slashes of aluminium, not painted plastic. Peugeot knows that the hedonists who buy coupes like this are connoisseurs. They're not brand loyal - they buy because this is the car for their moment.

You would expect these buyers to go for the 3-litre petrol-fed V6 variant - the 2.2-litre four-cylinder won't come to New Zealand - with variable valve timing helping to put out 155kW (210bhp) of power at 6000rpm and 290Nm of torque at 3750rpm, all delivered with a feral growl that encourages use of the six-speed gearbox.

But fussy buyers should sample the V6 diesel. It is so quiet it actually sounds more innocuous than the petrol-engined car. But that mild-mannered soundtrack hides the sort of performance this coupe's looks demand.

Forget the 150kW available at 4000rpm. You hit pay dirt at just 1900rpm, where the 440Nm of torque peaks. The six-speed automatic is tuned to make the most of it, the twin turbos spooling up for seamless changes on the way from zero to 100km/h in 8.5sec against the automatic V6 petrol car's 8.7sec, or the six-speed manual's 8.4sec and the result is intoxicating.

At speed, the car's successful suspension recipe is all the more obvious, for it is untroubled even by the more extreme lumps and bumps of the roads switchbacking through olive groves.

The double wishbone drop-link setup at the front and the multi-arm at the rear controls a car that sits lower because of springs shortened 10mm at the front and 23mm at the rear. Those rear springs are more rigid and the bump stops are shorter and denser than those on the sedan and wagon.

The coupe gets an electronically controlled suspension system that controls each damper independently.

Factor in a centre of gravity that is 25mm lower, and increased torsional rigidity and you have a car that seems unflappable near the limit without proving too sporting for comfort.

The ventilated 330 by 30mm front disc brakes and 290 by 12mm rears offer good linear response, backed by ABS, emergency brake assist and traction control.

The coupe has seven airbags, tyre pressure monitors, a refrigerated glovebox and Bluetooth communication.