Peugeot is very keen to impress on the press that the 407 is a working car.

Peugeot’s new 407 is quite a looker. It’s brash and bold and always gets noticed, and talk always comes back to that long snout, and let me say that it’s been the object of much debate around the office.

Like many other distinctive cars over the decades, such as the Subaru SVX and Porsche 924 and 944, their bodyshapes have been the focus of heated discussion, some of it positive, some of it negative, and if the argy-bargy about this model from Peugeot is anything to go by, don’t expect the debate to wane in years to come…

In addition to the European car’s racy new shape, the 407 comes with a range of useful features that bring it up to date with its competitors, such as increased active and passive safety measures including eight airbags, a 6-speed automatic transmission and parking proximity sensors all standard across the range.

A number of models are available, including the touring (wagon) 407, together with a range of engines including diesel and petrol, 4- and 6-cylinder, and the car we tested was the range topping 407 SV sedan with the 6-speed auto transmission, which fetches $55,990.

That said, you can get into one of these opinion-dividing European cars for $42,790, which is a very competitive price for what you get. And what exactly do you get if you fork over your hard-earned mazoolies for one of these new cars? Let’s have a look.

Visit my new web site: Peugeot 407