The family saloon market has not exactly been a hot-bed of design activity over the years.
A favourite of the fleet market, it's the world of the repmobile and company car park - a land where it's necessary to tattoo your number plate inside your eyelids in order to tell your non-descript widget carrier from the next.
Yet deep in the recesses of the car behemoths, there has been a group of clandestine designers working feverishly towards a day when design would matter to the masses.
Unsurprisingly given their insubordinate nature and years of schooling on the events of 1789, the French are first to raise the flag.
And it couldn't come a moment too soon. The family saloon market is losing out to a plethora of SUVs, MPVs and crossovers of late, and the 407 may just rescue some of the market from the abyss. Peugeot is hoping to prove that to be a success in the saloon market, you don't have to mimic the German brands. Originality has its place at last.
Some commentators have compared the smarter coupé lines and large four-bar grille to the Italian styling of Ferrari or Maserati. While that might be a tad too far, the sweeping lines and beautiful contours are certainly eyecatching and a world apart from its competitors.
We're currently road testing one version in Ireland this week and we've attracted the sort of attention normally reserved for sleek two-seater sports cars.
Yet, what really wows the crowd is the value for money. With 60 per cent of sales aimed at the fleet, what you get for your hard-fought company allowance is all important.
For a start, the 407 is three inches longer than the 406, and the extra length gives the impression that you're getting a larger executive model for your money.
In the petrol segment, prices start at €28,495 for the 1.8-litre petrol. That's a whopping €4,925 less than the VW Passat 1.8 Base and even €1,050 less than the equivalent Toyota Avensis, which leads the segment in terms of sales. As one impressed bystander told us, it's also well within the price range of several hatchback models.
In the diesel market, a new 1.6-litre common-rail unit is offered at €28,195, offering equivalent power at a lower cc than most of its competitors.
These two entry level engines are expected to represent the frontline of the 407 assault in Ireland. Overall annual sales are expected to be 3,000, broken into 70 per cent diesel and 30 per cent petrol. An estate version, known as the SW, will be on the market in September and is expected to make up 400 of the sales.
Four petrol engines are on offer: the 1.8-litre 117 bhp unit first introduced in the facelifted 406; a 2-litre 137 bhp; a 2.2-litre 160 bhp; and a 3-litre V6 engine built in conjunction with Renault, offering 216 bhp. However this will only be sold here through special order.
As for oil burners, there's a revised 1.6-litre, now producing 110 bhp and a 2-litre 136 bhp engine. A 2.7-litre diesel developed in conjunction with Ford and currently featuring in the new S-Type diesel will make it into continental models but is unlikely to feature over here.
Of the models available at the press launch, the 2-litre petrol unit offered the best all-round performance, though it did feel slightly underpowered for the larger body.
Since its arrival we've got to drive the 2.2-litre petrol and 2-litre HDi diesel (HDi being Peugeot's way of telling us its common rail). Both were competent cruisers.
Peugeot is keen to play up the new car's handling, claiming it will be a future benchmark. A reworked suspension system, featuring increased use of lightweight aluminium and stiffer dampers does effect a more dynamic ride, though it's not quite sports car handling and there's noticeable body roll in corners.
Thanks to the Japanese, particularly Toyota, the build quality and safety features in the family saloon market have improved dramatically and Peugeot knew that to compete it had to match its Asian counterparts. Therefore, while Euro NCAP crash-test findings are not yet available, Peugeot is confidently predicting a five-star result. The new 407 features seven airbags as standard, including a knee airbag for the driver, and electronic stability control (ESP) is standard throughout the range. The only other model in this class to offer ESP as standard is the Avensis.
Inside and the designers have had less of an impact, with the traditional plastics on show, and there's a host of buttons that take time to understand.
Unfortunately, while we eagerly await the arrival of a coupé version next year, Peugeot has confirmed there will not be a hard-top cabriolet version, in the mould of the 307CC. Apparently the larger boot necessary to accommodate a folding roof would throw the car's proportions askew.
As for when the design revolution will take hold across the industry, we can likely expect the Americans to follow suit next, this time with a reworking of its Mondeo. Although not due out until 2007, pictures we've seen hint at significantly more striking looks.
In the meantime, Peugeot has put it up to the rest to bin the bland designs and get to work.
Admittedly it took nine years to replace the 406 - the average lifespan of a car is seven years - but initial impressions suggest it was worth the wait.
Motors will have a full road test of the new 407 on Irish roads next week
