Review
Previously, it was achieving 33.7mpg, perhaps as the engine was loosening up, but over 60,000 miles, with a diesel price of about 80p per litre, the better fuel economy would save £1,277 - for one person and one car. The problem is, what do your drivers care? Perhaps offering them a percentage of the saving might be the solution to reducing fuel bills.
Running costs aside, the front left fog light glass of our test car is broken. A quick call our local Peugeot dealer revealed we can expect a bill of £101.45 including VAT, which covers the £40 cost of the part , while the rest is labour. By comparison, the same unit costs £92 for a Vauxhall Omega and £65 for a Rover 75 at local dealers.
Meanwhile, the question remains: Would your executives want to be placed in the 607 as opposed to, say, a Rover 75, BMW 5-series, Jaguar S-type or X-type and Mercedes-Benz E-class? On the road, the Peugeot is silent, comfortable, stacked with equipment (including the questionable benefit of electrically adjustable head restraints), handles well, has the biggest boot I have seen in my life and is free from any annoying creaks or rattles.
But badge snobbery is a problem Peugeot will always have to tackle, although with the 607 and the hugely accomplished new 307, it is hammering home its reputation for building cars to meet the 'quality' brands head-on. However, with the 607 losing 70% of its value over three years/60,000 miles, a total of about £17,000, fleet managers might consider persuading drivers to take a one-year-old 607. According to CAP Monitor this would be worth £12,200, or 51% of its new value, which would slash running costs still further. And would drivers accept that? Of course they wouldn't. Now what was I saying about best laid plans?
