We were standing out at Extreme 4WD Park, near Helensville, west of Auckland, wondering just what was going on. Lots of the fences near the old shearing shed had been taken down, our cross-axle test hole had been filled in, and way in the distance – it looked as if it was on the neighbouring property (and that’s where we thought it was) - was the huge silvery shape of an aircraft!

We were just about to take what we call the “pack shots“  - interiors, engines, small details and the like - when in a cloud of dust and much revving of engine farmer and part-owner Pat Hansen roared up in a beat-up old (and rolled) Suzuki Vitara.

“Don’t go out into the middle of the paddock today, they’re top dressing a neighbour’s farm and this is the only place in the vicinity we can use as a runway,” Pat explained.

Robert and I looked at each other. That’s just what we HAD been about to do!

The flip side of the coin was that it offered a unique photographic opportunity, which we made the best of. And later, when we ventured further down into the farm’s tougher areas, and steeper hills, were rewarded by the pilot flying in low and appearing suddenly over a neighbouring hill to  buzz us just as I was bending down to get a low angle shot. He must have laughed himself silly at my reaction!

We were out at Extreme to test the new Peugeot 4007, the first 4WD from this famous French marque, though very much a product of badge engineering, being based largely on the Mitsubishi Outlander.

The Outlander is a generally capable 4WD, within limitations, but it’s long suffered from a choice of only two engines, one a rather under-powered 2.4-litre four cylinder unit and the other a quick but thirsty 3-litre V6.

Both are petrol, both are not latest technology, and the second issue we’ve had is that the 2.4-litre is married to a far-from-perfect continuously variable transmission.

At the same time the lack of a diesel is a glaring omission in a country where turbo-diesel automatics are fast becoming the preferred choice, particularly among the 4WD fraternity.

So what to do if you like the Outlander’s obvious attributes of great interior room, extra versatility (from its drop-down “tailgate”) and generally clean styling?

The answer is a strange one, but true. You go to Peugeot, for the 4007 is essentially an Outlander with a Peugeot diesel engine and a double clutch auto ‘box.

And it makes a good match. Peugeot is well-known for its superb diesel technology, and this latest 2.2-litre motor produces no less than 115 kW at 4000 rpm and 380 Nm of torque at 2000 rpm.

To put that into perspective, that’s almost a dead ringer power and torque-wise for the 3-litre turbo-diesel motor in Ford’s Ranger!

But we digress.

Most of the styling on the Peugeot 4007 is pure Mitsubishi. Yes, there are some changes at the rear and along the sides, but largely it’s as it came out of the Japanese studio.

Until you get to the front, that is. Then you can’t help but notice the big Peugeot pug front end, a nose job that leaves you in no doubt that this 4WD is of Gallic origins.

Sime Darby, distributors of Peugeot in New Zealand, has decided to offer the 4007 in high spec – Sport and Luxury – so there’s not much cutting across the Mitsi versions when it comes to pricing. The result is that the Peugeots come out a little on the high side of average in the segment.

Our test vehicle was the Luxury, which only gets the double clutch gearbox. Although Peugeot calls it an automatic, it is in fact a pre-selector manual with logic built-in to allow it to act like an auto. It can also be controlled manually.

As mentioned, the 4007 comes well stacked with standard equipment, with six airbags and ESC stability programme, cruise control, rear parking assist, automatic aircon, a cooled upper glove box (and a locking lower one), leather seats and leather-trimmed steering wheel, electrically operated and heated driver’s seat, a trip computer, rain sensitive wipers, and xenon headlights.

There’s a very useful sunglasses holder above the rear view mirror, rain sensitive wipers, and front and rear fog lights.
 
As with the Outlander Interior space is superb, and one of my friends who runs one says it’s the only reasonably priced 4WD that gives him the space he needs to take all his kite-surfing gear.

The two occasional use seats in the rear can be simply folded away under the floor, while the second row of seating also slides and reclines for greater comfort. The 4007 also offers plenty of stowage space throughout, with over 20 individual storage compartments.

All five rear seats can be folded away easily to provide a flat floor and vast load space of up to 1 686 litres, while the boot capacity is 510 litres when the second row of seats are in use.

To help loading items into the huge boot space, there's a split two-piece tailgate. Folded down, the lower section drops the sill by 6 4mm allowing heavy goods to be easily loaded, while doubling as a handy bench, capable of supporting up to 200 kg.

The interior of the 4007 HDi will be instantly recognisable to any Outlander owner save for the luxury leather trim on the door capping and around the dashboard and console.

We found it easy to get a comfortable driving position and the layout of the controls was praised, though some of the finishes were a little plasticky.

Fire up the lusty diesel engine of the 4007 and it’s a different story to the less powerful 2.4 litre petrol engine found in the Mitsubishi.

Performance of the diesel engine through the six-speed double clutch transmission is very smooth. Select sport mode and the system will heed downhill braking and change down a gear to increase engine braking. The Mitsubishi’s CVT box doesn’t. 

The 4007 comes with a drive system that offers 2WD, 4WD auto and 4WD lock.

The 2WD setting is ideal for urban and motorway work, driving through the front wheels only.

We used the 2WD setting on tar seal, where we felt ride and handling does have something of a European flavour to it, with very little body roll when pressing on – but at the expense of overly hard suspension with noticeable bump transmission.

When venturing off the tarmac select 4WD auto and power will be distributed selectively between the front and rear wheels depending on wheel spin,  while 4WD lock sends power to the wheels (or wheels) with most grip to give better off-road ability.

We enjoyed the fact that the gears can be changed manually using steering column mounted paddles as well as the central gearlever, and although the Peugeot doesn’t have a hill descent system the dual clutch gearbox could be locked up in first, at which point engine braking gave a safe descent.

Engine flexibility was generally felt to be good, while the traction control worked well, especially in cross-axle situations.

Summing up, as with most “soft-roaders” or as we like to call them, recreational 4WDs, the 4007 does its job as well as can be expected, with limitations.

One of them is the shortage of ground clearance – at 176 mm it’s not a lot for going off-road. By comparison the Outlander has 210 mm.

The other is the lack of hill descent control. Although not absolutely essential, it’s a great safety aid, especially on our slippery paddocks.

But apart from that it definitely fulfils a need, giving diesel power to a spacious big 4WD wagon.