The Peugeot 405 is the first car to be launched in the 400 series and is considered a large family car by design. The model officially entered production in 1987, and although production ceased for the European market in 1997, Peugeot sold the license for its production to manufacturers outside of France. Hence, the 405 continues to exist to this day in other markets such as Iran and Egypt.
The Peugeot 405 had come as a direct successor to Peugeot 305. It had its introduction in 1987 as a 4-door sedan. The Sochaux plant in France began producing and selling it as a left-hand drive for continental markets. Peugeot launched the right-hand version at the start of 1988, with production taking place at the plant previously owned by Rootes/Chrysler located near Coventry, England.
In 1988, a year after its launch, the 405 received the European Car of the Year award. Till now, the car has sold around 4.5 million units around the world in different variants, making it one of the most successful Peugeot vehicles ever produced. Another distinction held by the 405 is the fact that it was the last vehicle made by Peugeot to be offered for sale in the United States, concluding its sale in the region in 1991.
When launched, the 405 had come with the same bottom plate featured in the Citroën BX. Other similarities also existed between the two models, such as the TU and XU petrol engines and the XUD diesel engine which both cars have used. However, the 405 did not feature the BX's hydropneumatic suspension.
The French automaker offered various versions for the 405, such as the LHD, RHD, saloon, and also an estate variant. Throughout its production, the car came in either front-wheel or four-wheel-drive options. Another factor that differentiated the 405 from the 505 and its successor, the Peugeot 406, was that the 405 did not release a coupe model.
All of the engine variations launched with the 405 featured four cylinders. In Australia, the following powertrain choices were available for the 405:
- 1.9L petrol, 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic transmission - 80-108 kW, 163-174 Nm
- 2.0L petrol, 5-speed manual gearbox and 4-speed automatic transmission - 89-112 kW, 183-193 Nm
- 1.9L diesel, 5-speed manual transmission - 69 kW, 205 Nm
Related Models
Peugeot 405 succeeded not only the 305 but also the 505 and the Simca 1307 (manufactured by PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1979 to 1986). The Peugeot 305 was a medium-size car, and succeeding models did not retain this size. Instead, the two successors took on different classes or categories - the large family car 405 and the small family car 309. The 405 fulfilled the need for a large family car in the company's vehicle portfolio and, hence, also effectively succeeded the 505 as well as the Simca 1307.
Peugeot 305 (1977-1989)
PSA launched the 305 in 1977 as a replacement to the Peugeot 304 and the 204 models. It was a medium-size family car that was released in three body styles, including a 4-door saloon, a 5-door estate, and a 3-door van. The 305 had come to fill in the gap created in the market by the discontinuation of the 404 model, which was a large family car by design. That is why Peugeot initially planned to name this model the 405, but since it was building up on components mostly present in the 304, the company thought it best to call the new vehicle the Peugeot 305.
The 305 came with four petrol and one diesel engine variants. Its powertrain specifications are as follows:
- 1.3L petrol, 4-speed manual transmission - 48 kW, 92-94 Nm
- 1.5L petrol, 4-speed manual transmission - 54-65 kW, 114-122 Nm
- 1.6L petrol, 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic transmission - 59-69 kW, 130-135 Nm
- GT & GTX petrol, 5-speed manual transmission - 69-77 kW, 137-159 Nm
- GLD diesel, 4-speed manual transmission - 48 kW, 120 Nm
Peugeot 505 (1979-1997)
Peugeot launched 505 as a large family vehicle in 1979, and although the car ceased production in Europe in 1992, it remained in production in other parts of the world till 1997. A total of 1.35 million units of the model were produced throughout its life, the majority of which were saloon/sedan variants.
The 505 had effectively replaced the 504 and came in either 4-door saloon or 5-door estate body style. It had a powertrain that included four petrol and four diesel engines with the following specifications:
- 2.0L petrol, 4-speed manual transmission - 71 kW, 161 Nm
- 2.2L petrol, 5-speed manual transmission - 88 kW, 174 Nm
- 2.2L Turbo petrol, 5-speed manual transmission - 123 kW, 265 Nm
- 2.8L V6 petrol, 5-speed manual transmission - 125 kW, 235 Nm
- 2.4L diesel, 5-speed manual transmission - 52-59 kW, 132-184 Nm
- 2.5L diesel, 5-speed manual transmission - 66-81 kW, 204-235 Nm