The Peugeot 405 is a European midsize car with elegant Pininfarina styling, characterized by good ride and handling. The 405 was voted European Car of the Year for 1988 by the largest number of votes in the history of the contest. About 2.5 million vehicles have been sold worldwide in left-hand and right-hand-drive versions, as a berline (saloon) and break (station wagon). No coupé was offered to the public, unlike the 504 and 406, as only two examples of the purpose-built 405 Turbo-16 GR (not to be confused with 405 T16) were made.

It was produced in Europe from 1987 to 1997 and in Zimbabwe until 2002 by Quest.

The 405 was exported to the USA until 1991, when Peugeot withdrew from that market.

The 405 is still produced in Iran by Iran Khodro and in Egypt by AAV. The Iranian models include the RD, a basic version of the 405, and the Peugeot Pars or Peugeot Persia, a high-end 405 with a different grille.

Model history

Right hand drive

• 1987: In July, Peugeot unveiled 10 versions of its new saloon simultaneously. These cars were for the 1988 model year. The 405 was available as a 4-door only. Four-cylinder petrol engines include 65, 92, 110, 125, and 160 horsepower (48, 69, 82, (93, and 119 kW) units.
• 1988: 70 and 90 horsepower (52 and 67 kW) diesel engines added to the range.
• 1989: Estate introduced. 500,000 vehicles already produced. Launch of the turbo 16-valve, 4-wheel drive, 405 T16.
• 1990: In France, the millionth 405 leaves the Sochaux factory. BE1 transmission replaced by the BE3.
• 1991: Updates to the dashboard, steering wheel, and sound-proofing.
• 1993: new boot (trunk) with better ingress, new dashboard.
• 1994: end production of the 4-wheel drive version.
• 1995: The 405's replacement, the 406 is introduced. 405 saloon discontinued.
• 1997: Estate discontinued in Europe.

Versions

• SRi - 1.9 litre 128 horsepower 8 valve injected, based on the same engine as the 205 GTI 1.9.
• Mi16 - Initially 1.9 litre 16v injected, with 158 horsepower. The engine of the Mi16 was later used by peugeot as the basis for the engine in the 206 WRC, winning two championships. The engine underwent a redesign for model year 1993; Its displacement was increased to 2 litres and in programming the injection system some peak horsepower was traded for more torque.
• Mi16x4 - Mi16 with a constant 4wd system.
• T16 - The top of the line, 220 hp 2.0l 16v turbocharged, constant 4wd. Only some 300 examples were built.

Left hand drive

The engine range started with a 1.6 petrol engine and there was also a 1.9 L petrol engine. Some early models were sold with the tardy 1.4 L unit but this was slow and unrefined in comparison with the larger engined cars so there were few takers. The 1.9 L diesel engine was economical and refined, boosting Peugeot's reputation for making excellent diesel engines. The diesel line up was then extended with a 1.7 L (1769 cc) diesel, which, unlike many other manufacturers, was available with a high-specification car. The standard 1.9 petrol engine was an 8-valve carburettor unit but could also be had with 16 valves and fuel injection, making it one of the most advanced petrol engines on 1980s family cars.

Other features the availability of four-wheel drive, 16-valve engines and fuel injection on more expensive models. All of this was at a the beginning of a period when 8-valve carburettor engines were the mainstay of family car production and fuel injected 16-valve engines were a rarity, but the 405 kicked off a Europe-wide change.

Going against the appeal were cheap interior plastics and tinny bodywork which just couldn't match the VW Passat for build quality. Reliability wasn't bad but it still wasn't the best.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Peugeot 405 established itself as a hugely popular car in Europe - it was the second Peugeot to be built at the Ryton factory in Coventry after the 309. The former Rootes factory had been acquired from Chrysler Europe in 1978 and had previously produced Hillmans, Singers, Chryslers and Talbots before being entirely devoted to Peugeot assembly in 1986.

The Peugeot 405 was replaced by the 406 in late 1995 but continued for another two years, until 1997, when it was finally shelved.

Motorsport

As is usual in motorsport, the only purpose-built motorsport version of the 405 was very different from the street version of 405. It was built in a coupé body style in mid-engine configuration, had constant four-wheel-drive with electronically adjustable center differential like the 205 Turbo-16, as it was based on the same technology. Only two examples were made, one raced hill climbs and the other competed in the Paris-Dakar rally. Today, one is in the official Peugeot museum, and the other is in a private collection.

• 1988: Finn Ari Vatanen set a new record in the Pikes Peak hill climb. Kankkunen and Piironen win the Paris-Dakar Rally in the 405 Turbo-16 GR.
• 1999: Victory in the Paris-Dakar rally by the team Vatanen-Ickx in a 405 Turbo-16 GR.
• 2000: Victory in the Paris-Dakar rally by the team Vatanen-Berglund in a 405 Turbo-16 GR.