Road handling

Stock for stock, as far as road handling and performance are concerned, it is very hard to beat the BMW 318i. The family owned one before a couple of years so we are speaking from experience. But if you are a Peugeot die-hard fan, let me console you that the family feels that BMW cannot win against the Peugeot 407 as far as comfort is concerned, this area Peugeot wins hands down and by a large margin. Over the weekend, I got the opportunity to drive the Peugeot 407 to Genting View Resort, Genting Highlands full laden with a family and a couple of luggage. This car is driven best as a grande tourer as it soaks up the uneven road well. Engine harshness is minimal if the rev is brought up gently and it can cruise comfortably at 130kph along the windy Karak road with little need to brake if one knows how to judge the road. At the point of writing this article, the car is still new and has not even gone for its first check-up so I do not intend to thrash the car. Of course, lighter cars are more nimble and can climb Genting Highlands faster. The Peugeot 407 is real heavy, do not sprint, it does not want you to. It wants you to unwind as well as the windows, relax and enjoy the scenery, the fresh air. The 407 seems to be built as a cruiser. Here, it excels but man-handle it and you are in for a disappointment (not that it cannot zoom the carriageway at high speed once it overcomes enertia.) After its first 10,000km service, I pushed it past 150kph but I am not too happy because it needs lateral support bracket to beef its chassis but in stock mode, anything less than 140kph is OK. The elegance of beauty has its price. The dimension of the car is long, low and wide so driving tight corners in a poorly planned parking area of a business/shopping complex is difficult. It calls for more  L-shape rather than C-shape turning. Fortunately, warning sensors work well and give different notes to inform how close the car is to an adjacent object. Drive slowly like a bus and not flick the steering wheel, then, driving the Peugeot 407 will be an enjoyable experience. Treat like like a sports car, you will be less satisfied. However, I would expect a Peugeot 407 upgraded with a 4-2-1 extractor should probably perform livelier. And all this while, I have not tried the Sports traction mode. Corr, I must give it a try when I go outstation.