The Peugeot 407 now enters the fight for the leadership of the M2-segment sedans with a high-tech, safer and quieter car.

Our company, Exclusivas Latinoamericanas¸ was invited in Portugal for the grand opening of the new Peugeot 407. This is part of the press trials that Peugeot is putting all its new models through before they hit the market. That includes, of course, a recognition to the Cuban market. All journalists that attended the tryout tests agreed that the car fares astonishingly well from a dynamic standpoint and boasts cutting-edge technological breakthroughs for the sake of safety.

In Algarve, in southern Portugal, we could see the good going of this brand-new car in different mountain roads and highways. From a style viewpoint, the new model was inspired in its early siblings, a feline-like appearance in the shape of lengthened headlights and sleek design lines on the sides that stretch out all the way to the trunk. In all, the car comes with superb technical features for maximum safety and protection, even for dramatic cases in which any human being could be run over by it.

What really amazes people about the Peugeot 407 is its nobleness, its safe steering, steadiness and briskness, let alone excellent equipment that goes its predecessors one better. We tried out the 211-hp V6 with Porsche-style Triptonic automatic transmission made in Japan by Asahi. This automatic six-speed gearbox is specially made for this particular car. The 136-hp 2.0 fuel-injection model, the 158-hp 2.2 make and the 136-hp 2.0 model –the latter featuring an optional 34.4 mkg overboost for more power and resiliency on the road- were also part of the tryouts. These models allow drivers to make faster and safer cut-ins, and give them juiced-up engines that maneuver magnificently out of turns and curves, the moment when we need that kind of power steering the most from a fuel-injection car.

All versions share the Citroen C5 platform and running boards, sticking to the policy outlined by PSA, the group that owns both companies. However, engineers at Peugeot have worked the kinks out of that Citroen-style platform in an effort to make it more torsion resistant and with a view to turn this car into a much safer and snugger machine to drive.

Those same engineers have also done a great job with the shock absorbers, based on the longstanding tradition that has always marked all Peugeot makes and on the evolution of the 406 models driven during the grand prix tournaments. The new rear shock absorbers and the location of the inner springs are now made for more room in the trunk. It’s also worth noticing that the spare tire that fits in the trunk is a regular one, not a low-speed tire.

Brakes are very efficient as well as the progressive steering system (built in series in all versions) which is accurate and comfy. The car’s ability to control and absorb bumps and ruts on the road –even in the face of adverse of unexpected situations, either at night or in broad daylight- is superb. That’s owed in part to a good array of optical devises and the position of the driver who seats behind an adjustable wheel (both in height and depth), with good frontal and lateral visibility and protected by airbags for the face and the knees.

Peugeot is the first European brand offering these serial elements in the mid segment, peerless technical features that make the 407 the leading make in the world right now as far as those characteristics are concerned. Up in mountains teeming with turns and curves –where we also tried out the 407- the car fared remarkably well. Its ESP system for better stabilization and control (also known as anti-slipping system) is the result of a collaboration with TRW Co. Needless to say that this particular built-in system is only used in extreme road situations or under severe weather conditions that require cars to keep good wheel drive for drivers to steer the vehicle the way he or she wants it to.

Sophistication in the V6 model comes in adjustable shock absorbers that permit to meet the driver’s needs on and off the road, as well as to let him cope with unexpected situations that might come up. The same system can be used in dirt roads even when you’re supposed to drive at very high speeds. The sound-tight cabin is another powerful element that makes the 407 so unique, both in the fuel-injection and gas models. This silent, vibes-free cars deserve two enthusiastic thumbs up.

The V6 model also comes with a few under-the-hood changes, chiefly the installation of a new adjustable VVT distribution system that makes the 407 sedan a whole lot mightier than the 406 coupe, let alone the possibility of saving up to 5 percent more fuel in the combustion process. We were also able to check out the top speed of the V6 model (it did over 230 kilometers per hour during the tryout with automatic transmission). This makes it an undoubtedly faster and more aggressive car than the 136-hp fuel-injection model that clicked 210 kilometers per hour in the twinkling of an eye. At such a speed, dynamic noises are minimum, mainly in the V6 gas model.