Peugeot 4007: SUV with shove
November 06, 2009
Here's something I haven't heard from a car distributor since the market went into freefall - an admission that demand for a new product has been underestimated.
Although October has proven to be a reasonable month for car sales, expectation overall is that just 55,000-57,000 passenger models will be registered this year - the lowest count in decades.
So, yes, Peugeot New Zealand's admission yesterday was a surprise. More often, distributors worry they've brought in too much stock.
But that's not the situation facing Peugeot's Simon Rose.
Even though he always thought the 4007 lifestyle sports utility would be the first French car to fully conform to Kiwi lifestyle choices, the Auckland-based distributor was also cautious about his inventory.
The SUV sector has been in a real rut of late. So 100 units seemed a good, safe start.
Too safe, as it happens. The car launches today but pre-release demand has been such that, the brand boss says, 81 of those vehicles have already found homes. So now he's looking for more stock - and has ramped up his order bank for 2010.
So how many examples does he know expect to shift? "That's a hard one," Mr Rose told this writer. "Really, we're looking at three times the initial volume, but who can say if that's too many, or not enough?"
Peugeot sales overall in 2009 have been down 30 percent, and though that is also the industry average, it has become a real minnow, not even registering in the brand top 15.
"It's a tough time for everyone," Mr Rose argues. "Some brands have done worse this year, some have done better. We're holding our head up in a pool that's been steadily draining."
October new car sales figures released subsequent to yesterday's launch are slightly reassuring. With 5680 registrations, it's the strongest month for new car sales this year, though just 1.6 percent up on September and still down 24.1 percent on the same month of 2008. Commercial vehicle sales took a drop in October, with 1218 registrations representing a 16.2 percent drop on September.
In this climate, Peugeot NZ was able to say last month was better than October, 2008, though it has steadily refined its range, with some models quietly exiting the scene.
"I think we are far from out of the woods yet," Mr Rose said. "I think it will not be until the first or second quarter or next year when we start to see things start to recover, especially given that we are predominantly a private (buyer) brand, and a lot of people have been hit hard with finance company issues."
For all that, launching the 4007 going into the pre-Christmas break was a positive. "The timing is perfect for SUVs, though really the car will gain proper momentum in the New Year.
"(But) we believe people who may have never considered us before are now, and we will be inviting every existing competitor SUV owner to have a look at the 4007."
The product release run is being abetted by the concurrent release of a facelifted 207 small hatchback with sharpened looks, some specification changes and a $2500 price reduction, and from March the RCZ sports coupe will be here, replacing the already-dropped 407 coupe as the brand's ultimate 'look at moi' experience.
In the interim, though, the spotlight is on the 4007 which, by the way, is being called the four-thousand-and-seven, rather than four double-O-seven.
One factor that might help this car is that it actually isn't as French as it's badged. If you haven't already twigged, this is a Gallic version of the Mitsubishi Outlander, a light-duties dirt worker car New Zealanders have taken to.
It's not built in France - another change for Peugeot - but instead in Japan, on the same line that pumps out the donor models and a Citroen version called the C-Crosser, and shipped here direct.
On the other hand, Peugeot's first proper soft-roader is hardly a Japanese car with a French badge, because immediately behind that oversized lion is an engine that Mitsubishi does not, and will not, have.
Whereas the Outlander gets along with two petrol engines, a 2.4-litre four married to a six-step constantly variable transmission and a 3.0-litre V6 aligned to a five-stage automatic, the Peugeot is a turbodiesel with two other gearbox choices.
The 2.2-litre turbodiesel, a Euro IV common rail HDi unit with 115kW and 380Nm of torque, is a French-built unit shipped to Japan. The deal between the partners precludes its availability now, or any time in the future, to Mitsubishi. Its own diesel desire demands development of another engine, thought to be a 2.0-litre, that's still at least a year from launch.
The transmission change, meantime, is required because the CVT just can't cope with the diesel's torque. So the gearboxes are a six-speed manual, again shipped in from France, and a dual clutch semi-automatic gearbox effectively lifted from the Lancer Ralliart performance sedan (though its built by Getrag in Germany).
It was the New Zealand importer's decision to await the DSC automated manual that has kept the 4007 out of New Zealand until now. As is, we're still the first export market to take it.
The should be a major selling point; it provides the convenience of an orthodox automatic but also allows a commendable 192 grams per kilometre CO2 emission and delivers the same 7.3 litres per 100km overall fuel economy as the manual.
The manual cars on the launch programme escaped our grasp - there are just three in the first shipment - but that's not too much of a problem. It's probable the DSC editions will capture at least eight out of 10 sales, and that's understandable.
A transmission that can behave a little, well, frenetically in Ralliart mode is much more relaxed, and refined, in marriage to the diesel. With the dual clutch system the box can be operated as an auto' or manually with gear shifts delivered via steering wheel mounted paddle shifters.
The drivetrain does come at a premium, but realistically it's affordable, especially when contemplating that a 4007 will travel significantly further on a tank of fuel than will even a 2.4-litre CVT Outlander. Also enhanced is the towing ability, raised to a sturdy 2000kg.
The cheapest of the three 4007 derivatives is the five-seater manual on 16-inch alloys, which at $49,990 is the same price as the most expensive of the new facelifted Outlanders that Mitsubishi is showing to the motoring press next week. Sport and Luxury versions, with seven seats, 18-inch rims and DSC, respectively cost $55,490 and $59,990.
Regardless of their different fuel preferences, and despite claims that the French product has been tuned specifically to meet their buyer and brand expectations, similarities with the Outlander were immediately obvious yesterday, not just in design by also dynamics.
From the base of the windscreen back, the bodywork is identical, although Peugeot has added all-red rear light lenses.
Up front, it's all-Peugeot. A gaping grille, big badge and long overhang have been a family-wide styling ethos for all modern Pugs, though the 4007 might be the last to get this controversial look.
Back in France, they're starting on a new visage (see the 5008) which, arguably, would suit the 4007 better. Funnily, the most obvious change to the new Outlander is a more aggressive shovel nose that isn't too far removed from the 4007's defiant look.
Initial demand, at least, is expected to be for the Luxury, the only edition with full leather and the most loaded with creature comforts: Heated seats, chrome trim inside and out, xenon lamps with washers and reversing sensors.
All models get a climate control air conditioning, with ability to chill the glovebox, a CD player (but only the Luxury's is multi-disk), trip computer, cruise control, electric folding and heated door mirrors and front fog lamps.
Antiskid brakes, electronic braking distribution, traction control and anti-slip regulation, on-demand four-wheel-drive and six airbags are typical Peugeot fare, but the four star crash test result is one star off the usual count for the brand's passenger fare, though reasonable for an SUV.
Perhaps as a result of its mixed heritage, the car also misses out on the small touches meted any made-in-France Peugeot. Absent, for instance, are a headlamp height adjust control and an auxiliary plug for an MP3 player. And why does the Sport alone get Bluetooth connectivity? Still, Mitsi's lineworkers could teach a few lessons in fit and finish quality.
Practicality is a real strength. Sure, it's more a five-plus-two - the third row is only really suitable for occasional use, and the folding mechanism for these rearmost chairs is fiddly. Helpfully, though, once you have mastered the set-up, the seats drop flush into the floor when they're not needed.
Out on the road, the strong similarities between the Peugeot and its cousin continues. From its demeanour, we'd say the 4007 features identical chassis settings to the Outlander, and that translates into precise steering and good balance, but also a slightly ripply ride on coarse chip, a surface that also generates a swag of road roar. Just as it does in the Outlander.
The diesel engine is as well-suited to this platform as we'd hoped it would be. With 0-100kmh coming up in 9.9-11.1 seconds (manual/auto), it's not especially fast, but is refined and smooth. And with maximum torque on stream from just 2000rpm, or 200rpm above the rev count in sixth at 100kmh, it presents strong and even pull.
There's enough twisting force being laid down, in fact, to make holding the electronically-controlled drive system in all-wheel-drive in the wet. Restricting to front-drive enhances economy, and also saves on tyre wear, but also lets in torque steer if you're over-eager with the throttle.
That's hardly a flaw, of course, and the pluses of this package - seven-seat practicality and a refined, frugal diesel powerplant - are powerful inducements.
Even though it seems likely Mitsubishi will deliver extra in-cabin enhancements with the Outlander update, the 4007 does seem to be off to a great start, even though it hardly has the market to itself.
The manual-only Subaru Forester and Legacy stand out as obvious rivals, while the 407 SW wagon might yet become a casualty.
What this means to you: Outlander build quality and practicality, Peugeot design and engineering flair. It works for us.
Although October has proven to be a reasonable month for car sales, expectation overall is that just 55,000-57,000 passenger models will be registered this year - the lowest count in decades.
So, yes, Peugeot New Zealand's admission yesterday was a surprise. More often, distributors worry they've brought in too much stock.
But that's not the situation facing Peugeot's Simon Rose.
Even though he always thought the 4007 lifestyle sports utility would be the first French car to fully conform to Kiwi lifestyle choices, the Auckland-based distributor was also cautious about his inventory.
The SUV sector has been in a real rut of late. So 100 units seemed a good, safe start.
Too safe, as it happens. The car launches today but pre-release demand has been such that, the brand boss says, 81 of those vehicles have already found homes. So now he's looking for more stock - and has ramped up his order bank for 2010.
So how many examples does he know expect to shift? "That's a hard one," Mr Rose told this writer. "Really, we're looking at three times the initial volume, but who can say if that's too many, or not enough?"
Peugeot sales overall in 2009 have been down 30 percent, and though that is also the industry average, it has become a real minnow, not even registering in the brand top 15.
"It's a tough time for everyone," Mr Rose argues. "Some brands have done worse this year, some have done better. We're holding our head up in a pool that's been steadily draining."
October new car sales figures released subsequent to yesterday's launch are slightly reassuring. With 5680 registrations, it's the strongest month for new car sales this year, though just 1.6 percent up on September and still down 24.1 percent on the same month of 2008. Commercial vehicle sales took a drop in October, with 1218 registrations representing a 16.2 percent drop on September.
In this climate, Peugeot NZ was able to say last month was better than October, 2008, though it has steadily refined its range, with some models quietly exiting the scene.
"I think we are far from out of the woods yet," Mr Rose said. "I think it will not be until the first or second quarter or next year when we start to see things start to recover, especially given that we are predominantly a private (buyer) brand, and a lot of people have been hit hard with finance company issues."
For all that, launching the 4007 going into the pre-Christmas break was a positive. "The timing is perfect for SUVs, though really the car will gain proper momentum in the New Year.
"(But) we believe people who may have never considered us before are now, and we will be inviting every existing competitor SUV owner to have a look at the 4007."
The product release run is being abetted by the concurrent release of a facelifted 207 small hatchback with sharpened looks, some specification changes and a $2500 price reduction, and from March the RCZ sports coupe will be here, replacing the already-dropped 407 coupe as the brand's ultimate 'look at moi' experience.
In the interim, though, the spotlight is on the 4007 which, by the way, is being called the four-thousand-and-seven, rather than four double-O-seven.
One factor that might help this car is that it actually isn't as French as it's badged. If you haven't already twigged, this is a Gallic version of the Mitsubishi Outlander, a light-duties dirt worker car New Zealanders have taken to.
It's not built in France - another change for Peugeot - but instead in Japan, on the same line that pumps out the donor models and a Citroen version called the C-Crosser, and shipped here direct.
On the other hand, Peugeot's first proper soft-roader is hardly a Japanese car with a French badge, because immediately behind that oversized lion is an engine that Mitsubishi does not, and will not, have.
Whereas the Outlander gets along with two petrol engines, a 2.4-litre four married to a six-step constantly variable transmission and a 3.0-litre V6 aligned to a five-stage automatic, the Peugeot is a turbodiesel with two other gearbox choices.
The 2.2-litre turbodiesel, a Euro IV common rail HDi unit with 115kW and 380Nm of torque, is a French-built unit shipped to Japan. The deal between the partners precludes its availability now, or any time in the future, to Mitsubishi. Its own diesel desire demands development of another engine, thought to be a 2.0-litre, that's still at least a year from launch.
The transmission change, meantime, is required because the CVT just can't cope with the diesel's torque. So the gearboxes are a six-speed manual, again shipped in from France, and a dual clutch semi-automatic gearbox effectively lifted from the Lancer Ralliart performance sedan (though its built by Getrag in Germany).
It was the New Zealand importer's decision to await the DSC automated manual that has kept the 4007 out of New Zealand until now. As is, we're still the first export market to take it.
The should be a major selling point; it provides the convenience of an orthodox automatic but also allows a commendable 192 grams per kilometre CO2 emission and delivers the same 7.3 litres per 100km overall fuel economy as the manual.
The manual cars on the launch programme escaped our grasp - there are just three in the first shipment - but that's not too much of a problem. It's probable the DSC editions will capture at least eight out of 10 sales, and that's understandable.
A transmission that can behave a little, well, frenetically in Ralliart mode is much more relaxed, and refined, in marriage to the diesel. With the dual clutch system the box can be operated as an auto' or manually with gear shifts delivered via steering wheel mounted paddle shifters.
The drivetrain does come at a premium, but realistically it's affordable, especially when contemplating that a 4007 will travel significantly further on a tank of fuel than will even a 2.4-litre CVT Outlander. Also enhanced is the towing ability, raised to a sturdy 2000kg.
The cheapest of the three 4007 derivatives is the five-seater manual on 16-inch alloys, which at $49,990 is the same price as the most expensive of the new facelifted Outlanders that Mitsubishi is showing to the motoring press next week. Sport and Luxury versions, with seven seats, 18-inch rims and DSC, respectively cost $55,490 and $59,990.
Regardless of their different fuel preferences, and despite claims that the French product has been tuned specifically to meet their buyer and brand expectations, similarities with the Outlander were immediately obvious yesterday, not just in design by also dynamics.
From the base of the windscreen back, the bodywork is identical, although Peugeot has added all-red rear light lenses.
Up front, it's all-Peugeot. A gaping grille, big badge and long overhang have been a family-wide styling ethos for all modern Pugs, though the 4007 might be the last to get this controversial look.
Back in France, they're starting on a new visage (see the 5008) which, arguably, would suit the 4007 better. Funnily, the most obvious change to the new Outlander is a more aggressive shovel nose that isn't too far removed from the 4007's defiant look.
Initial demand, at least, is expected to be for the Luxury, the only edition with full leather and the most loaded with creature comforts: Heated seats, chrome trim inside and out, xenon lamps with washers and reversing sensors.
All models get a climate control air conditioning, with ability to chill the glovebox, a CD player (but only the Luxury's is multi-disk), trip computer, cruise control, electric folding and heated door mirrors and front fog lamps.
Antiskid brakes, electronic braking distribution, traction control and anti-slip regulation, on-demand four-wheel-drive and six airbags are typical Peugeot fare, but the four star crash test result is one star off the usual count for the brand's passenger fare, though reasonable for an SUV.
Perhaps as a result of its mixed heritage, the car also misses out on the small touches meted any made-in-France Peugeot. Absent, for instance, are a headlamp height adjust control and an auxiliary plug for an MP3 player. And why does the Sport alone get Bluetooth connectivity? Still, Mitsi's lineworkers could teach a few lessons in fit and finish quality.
Practicality is a real strength. Sure, it's more a five-plus-two - the third row is only really suitable for occasional use, and the folding mechanism for these rearmost chairs is fiddly. Helpfully, though, once you have mastered the set-up, the seats drop flush into the floor when they're not needed.
Out on the road, the strong similarities between the Peugeot and its cousin continues. From its demeanour, we'd say the 4007 features identical chassis settings to the Outlander, and that translates into precise steering and good balance, but also a slightly ripply ride on coarse chip, a surface that also generates a swag of road roar. Just as it does in the Outlander.
The diesel engine is as well-suited to this platform as we'd hoped it would be. With 0-100kmh coming up in 9.9-11.1 seconds (manual/auto), it's not especially fast, but is refined and smooth. And with maximum torque on stream from just 2000rpm, or 200rpm above the rev count in sixth at 100kmh, it presents strong and even pull.
There's enough twisting force being laid down, in fact, to make holding the electronically-controlled drive system in all-wheel-drive in the wet. Restricting to front-drive enhances economy, and also saves on tyre wear, but also lets in torque steer if you're over-eager with the throttle.
That's hardly a flaw, of course, and the pluses of this package - seven-seat practicality and a refined, frugal diesel powerplant - are powerful inducements.
Even though it seems likely Mitsubishi will deliver extra in-cabin enhancements with the Outlander update, the 4007 does seem to be off to a great start, even though it hardly has the market to itself.
The manual-only Subaru Forester and Legacy stand out as obvious rivals, while the 407 SW wagon might yet become a casualty.
What this means to you: Outlander build quality and practicality, Peugeot design and engineering flair. It works for us.
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