A fine ride, plenty of space, and huge discounts are the highlights. Downsides are depreciation and quality issues. Recent facelift offers controversial styling. Estate offersmassive load space
What is special about French cars? Some people swear by them – claiming they’re quirky, innovative and cheap. There’s even an annual French car show for Gallic enthusiasts at Rockingham (July 15th 2007, seeing as you ask, and you’ll find full details at www.frenchcarshow.co.uk). Others avoid them – saying they’re flimsy, unreliable and downright odd. A quick trawl through internet blogs found plenty of bigoted bile about French vehicles ranging from “something to burn next time they decide to riot” to “ugly, plasticky and with a resale value which retreats faster than a French soldier”. Charment, mes braves. Of course there have been good, bad, and ugly French cars, just as there have been from every carmaking nation. Certainly, there’s not a lot wrong with the current trio of French family saloons – the Citroën C5, Peugeot 407 and Renault Laguna. But in standard form they don’t exactlymake you shout: “Oooh la la!”
Things change a bit, however, when their engines are uprated. Add a bit of automotive French polish, sports trim, and tweaked suspension, and you could find yourself dreaming of a C5, sweating over a 407, or lusting after a Laguna. Not surprising really. Jump into a family cruiser with more than 270lbs ft-worth of torque under the bonnet, and you know it’s likely to be an engrossing drive – to say the least.
So which of these hot Frog diesels is the best bet for a British buyer? We took them back over The Channel to northern France thanks to P&O Ferries, and prepared for the three-way tricolour showdown.
On paper: Our line-up of saucy French-mades was: the C5 VTX+ and Peugeot 407 Sport, both powered by the same 170bhp 2.2 HDi twin turbodiesel, and the Laguna 2.0 GT dCi with the latest 175bhp 2.0-litre engine.
The Laguna is the priciest – it’s an amazing £4,500 more than the C5, with the 407 roughly in the middle. They’re likely to be subject to hefty dealer discounts, and we suspect that post-haggle costs will be closer. Residuals suffer because of this – you’ll lose more than two-thirds of the value after three years’ ownership of any of the three. And running costs should be similar – insurance, fuel economy, servicing and tax are all close.
First impressions: The Laguna is smallest but has a muddled exterior that’s neither distinctive nor inspiring. There’s no GT badge, only serious car spotters will note the lower air intake, smoked chrome wheels, and tiny rear wing.
The C5 has been restyled slightly and looks less like a big, bland bus. Nevertheless, the front grille and rear lights look crude from some angles, and the big slabby sides emphasise that the wheels were the smallest and least exciting. Oddly, it’s the only one of this three that boast of its special engine – with strident badging at the corner of the rear windows.
Drive Time
- Price: £17,915
- Engine: 2178cc, 4-cyl, common-rail direct injection twin turbo V6
- Max Power: 173bhp at 4000rpm
- Max Torque: 275lb ft at 1500rpm
- Max tow (kg): 1600
- Combined Consumption:46.3mpg
- CO2 Emissions (taxband): 165g/km (Group D – £135pa)
- 0-62mph: 8.5s
- Top speed: 138mph
Fully Equipped
Six-speed manual gearbox – automatic £925
Power steering
ESP
Remote central locking
Alarm, immobiliser
Alloy wheels
Climate control – electric sunroof £500
Electric windows and mirrors
Metallic paint £360
Cruise control
Front/rear parking assistance £450
Leather seats £1,300
Seven airbags
SatNav
CD/RDS radio – DVD player dealer-fit option
Split/fold rear seat
PLUS
Boot 471 litres
Service interval 20,000m
Warranty 3 years
Peugeot 407 HDi 170 Sport
Six-speed manual gearbox – automatic unavailable
Power steering
ESP
Remote central locking
Alarm, immobiliser
Alloy wheels
Climate control – sunroof unavailable
Electric windows and mirrors
Metallic paint £350
Cruise control
Rear parking sensor
Leather seats
Four airbags
SatNav
CD/RDS radio – DVD player unavailable
Split/fold rear seat
PLUS
Boot 407 litres
Service interval 20,000m
Warranty 3 years
Pros
n/a
Cons
n/a
