For a few seconds there was nothing much to do except twiddle my thumbs and wait for the traffic lights to turn green. There were no particularly interesting landmarks to provide a feast for the eyes, but the scene was suddenly brightened by the appearance of an Aston Martin crossing in front of me. Such an event usually sparks off thoughts along the lines of "coo, look, an Aston Martin" and a brief accompanying surge of envy, but on this occasion I regarded the other driver as almost a kindred spirit, even though his car had a much more impressive badge and cost vastly more than the one I was sitting in.It was a minor tribute to the physical presence of the Peugeot 407 Coupé; but then again, Peugeot has always been good at cars like this. The 406 Coupé, discontinued a couple of years ago with no immediate successor, was an arrestingly attractive car, and the 407 which has at last followed it is much the same. From the windscreen back, its arrangement of tightly defined curves is a triumph, and although I'm not yet fully used to Peugeot's method of applying the requirements of front-end pedestrian protection legislation to its cars, I do think the big-mouth look works better on the Coupé than it does on any of the other models.The swooping shape naturally limits the opportunity to provide decent interior space, but there's still a lot of room for front passengers, though the taller one may find their heads coming into contact with the roof-mounted grab handles during hard cornering. Rear space is more limited, while the decent 400 litres of cargo space (with the back seats in place) is compromised by the fact that you have to heave your luggage over a high sill.It's too early to be sure of what the customers' favourite will be, but Peugeot notes that most of its UK dealers have requested the turbo diesel engine for their demonstration. The company's prediction is that 60% of its sales in this country will be accounted for by the diesel, leaving the 2.2-litre four-cylinder and three-litre V6 petrol units to fight over the remained two-fifths. Given the choice of several models for our first 407 Coupé, then, it just had to be the diesel.Peugeot hasn't used this engine before, but others have. The 2.7-litre V6 HDi is a cooperation between PSA Peugeot Citroen and Ford, and it's already been employed by Jaguar and Land Rover. Appearing here in 205bhp form, it's whisperingly quiet most of the time, but produces a distant yet purposeful rumble when you start asking it to perform.Perhaps because of the lack of mechanical sound, the HDi doesn't feel especially quick. It certainly covers the ground well, but it doesn't seem to accelerate as strongly as the looks suggest it's going to. And yet this is just about the quickest 407 Coupé you can buy. The 3.0 V6 petrol car, which has slightly more power and is somewhat lighter, needs a manual gearbox to be able to out-accelerate the HDi form from rest to 62mph, and in automatic form it's a little slower.There's no manual option for the HDi, just an excellent six-speed automatic. Not many years ago it would have been exceptional for a large diesel to be available with an automatic box at all, but nowadays customers - particularly those in London - demand and expect it. The unit in the 407, made by Japanese company Aisin, has creamily smooth gearchanges, a Sport function if you want to let the engine climb higher up the rev range and a Tiptronic manual over-ride if you'd rather do the job yourself.You can adjust the suspension settings too, using a button on the dash to firm up the dampers. This adds a notable extra sportiness to the handling, but even without its electronically-controlled system common to all six-cylinder 407 Coupés is outstanding. providing a very impressive compromise between ride and cornering ability. It's spoiled, though, by the low-profile 235/45 tyres mounted on 18" alloys which remove an element of suppleness which a car like this should surely have.There's no way round this unless you go for the 2.2-litre petrol version, which has more compliant tyres. The only other option on the HDi is to specify 19" wheels, which look sensational but have even thinner and, no doubt, even worse ride quality.Of the three possible trim levels - S, SE and GT - the HDi is available only in the two higher ones, and the test car came in top-spec GT form. The extra equipment consists of an upgraded audio system, leather on the dash and door panels, a colour-mounted satellite navigation system and a hands-free GSM telephone. The last two are optional extras on the SE, but you wouldn't go down that route because they cost a total of £3000 if you choose them separately and the list price of the GT is only £2500 higher.The HDi engine is the most expensive in the range, which is why the test car also has the highest list price at £30,900, a full £9000 more than you'd pay for a 2.2S. Metallic paint and front parking sensors add a further £650.Other manufacturers have struggled to match their badges with the cost of their most expensive cars (the Volkswagen Phaeton being the most dramatic example) and there's a risk that the 407 Coupé might suffer from this.On the whole, though, the car remains honest to its elegantly aggressive appearance and with only 2500 units scheduled for the UK this year there seems little doubt that Peugeot's dealers in this country will get through their allocation without any difficulty. Engine 2720cc, 6 cylinders Power 205bhp Transmission 6-speed automatic Fuel/CO2 33.2pg / 143g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 8.5 seconds Top speed 143mph Price £30,900 Details correct at publication date
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