I have become addicted to your column in the Daily (and Sunday) Telegraph over the last couple of years. As a consequence of this I'm an occasional visitor to your website's car-by-car reviews.
Thanks to your reports I've stumbled across the Peugeot 407 coupe and have just bought a 2.7 V6 Diesel GT model. The used prices of these cars seem good value at the moment. I can see that they are considerably more expensive than the 407 saloon model but I consider the coupe a completely different proposition. This is a car that is affordable, economical, powerful and fast with comfort and style to match Germany's best. I think the quality is there as well and wonder if we've all become indoctrinated to criticise anything that's not from Germany. If we forget about the badge then the 407 coupe becomes a steal. The common alternative is a higher mileage, slower BMW 3-series at twice the price. Ultimately people prefer the BMW's rear wheel drive handling but on a day-to-day basis the Peugeot is a more rewarding drive, and I can take the family with me (if I must). If
we car nuts are honest, day-to-day running costs, urban driving and not owning a race track takes the shine off the designer branded cars.