There's a jumble of numbers and letters in its model designation, but the 406 in this saloon form has several things about it which leave the most of the opposition trailing. Peugeot/Pininfarina styling, for one thing, and the best turbo diesel you can get under £19,000, for another.
Some tinkering around with the detailing on what was already a very attractive body has refined the appearance - instead of ruining it, as some recent replacement models of other makes have somehow managed to do. Just look at the way that elegant "shoulder" line catches reflections, and the sleek moulding-in of the headlights.
And there is still no turbo diesel in its price category to beat the 110bhp common-rail HDi, whose success led Ford to enter into a technical collaboration with the PSA Group which has diesels as the main PSA-to-Ford channel of expertise.
The 406 is stylish, roomy and comfortable. Inside, it not only looks better, but is also trimmed with higher quality materials than some previous Peugeots in its class, and is put together with much closer attention to quality control.
Seat design is more carefully thought out than in the original 406, and the extra sound insulation benefits the petrol as well as the diesel versions for which it's mainly intended.
You can buy the 406 with the lower-powered 90bhp HDi, but the 110bhp version suits it better, just as the 90 feels tailor-made for the 306. The 110 is quiet on the move, responsive to the throttle, strong in mid-range acceleration and long-striding on the motorway. What more could you want?
It's also, of course, far more economical than the older diesel, which has been put out of its misery as far as the 406 is concerned, although it's still available in some other PSA cars. That engine doesn't seem like one generation back, more like something found in a cliff-face of fossils, so great has been the advance in diesel design over the last three or four years.
With all those things going for it, the 406 has another one to add. Peugeot's chassis engineers wouldn't leave well alone. As well as providing really good handling, thanks partly to the multi-link rear suspension, and the kind of supple ride quality French drivers insist on, they've also uprated the tyres and specified ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution.
The result is a car which bullets through overtaking manoeuvres, comes alive when the roads start bending, feels stable and secure, and keeps its cool on dodgy surfaces. And you can admire it just as much when it's simply standing still.
