Javi Martin
I still remember it clearly. It was red and I always parked in front of the door of the bar-restaurant on the corner of the street where, in those years, I lived with my parents. I was a child, I would not be more than 10 years old, but I knew that this car was special, different. That spoiler, the side skirts, those wheels ... I also remember seeing the black plate with the inscription Mi16 on the back. I liked. I always thought that when I was older, I would have a car like that, cool; special.
I already liked cars back then, I had my Majorette and Matchbox collection, which let me know that this car was a Peugeot 405 Mi16 just like the one he had well kept with the rest of the buggies, but obviously, he had no idea what he was really seeing. He was just a boy who liked cars and that one looked different, stood out above the rest of the cars that were parked there. Years later, when I started buying magazines and being informed, that's when I learned what it was hiding.
Today, looking back while I find myself in front of a gray Peugeot 405 Mi16, I remember those moments with some homesickness. How cool that car was and how different it looks now, around 30 years later. And it is not that it has lost its charm, it is that childhood memories have a romantic, even mystical aura. It is also true that the evolution of the automobile and years of experience change the perspective of cars.
However, all this does not detract an iota of excitement from what is to come. Next to the Peugeot 405 Mi16 there is a Peugeot 508 Hybrid, cars that I will be able to drive and, in some way, compare. I feel truly privileged, which makes those childhood memories come alive even more. Who was going to tell me I could drive a 405 Mi16?
Car of the Year in Europe 1988
The Peugeot 405 appeared on the market in 1987. The French firm had needed no less than five years to complete the development of the "D60" project, the name by which this sedan was known. Sales in Spain began in 1988, precisely the same year in which he managed to win the award for "Best car of the year in Europe". It had not even completed a few months of commercialization and was already obtaining awards, as only the greats can do, the cars that are called to success and last in time leaving a great memory.
The French firm has always been a specialist in this type of car. The history of the company, one of the oldest companies in the world with more than 200 years, is full of models with three-body bodywork, some of them true best-sellers. They were the cars that helped to establish the image of a manufacturer of reliable cars, of good design and above all, very roadworthy. Cars to drive, to enjoy the trip to the destination, whatever it may be.
But also cars with a very careful and refined design. Surely you remember the Peugeot 505, a sedan with a very "light" profile and a tremendously personal look. Perhaps you also remember the most recent Peugeot 407, which left everyone speechless with a line that broke with everything previously seen in the brand and offered a very dynamic image. Small examples that we could complete with the Peugeot 504 from 1968 or, of course, with our protagonist. In fact, these two models have in common that they were both designed by Pininfarina.
However, the Peugeot 405 had things that the following sedans of the brand have not had. In reality, something like this was not even offered in pre-405 models: a markedly sporty version. We cannot forget the Peugeot 505 GTI or the 505 Turbo, although these models were very fast but not sporty sedans. The Peugeot 405 hit the market after the production of the Peugeot 505 stopped and it was on sale for no less than 10 years, between 1987 and 1997. During all that time, the French sedan was able to enjoy sports versions that have remained for the memory and imagination of fans: the Peugeot 405 Mi16, the Peugeot 405 Mi16x4 and the Peugeot 405 T16.
Since then, the brand has not released a sedan with such a marked mood. It is true that both the Peugeot 406 and the 407 had two separate V6 engines with powers ranging from 190 to 200 hpBut they weren't sports cars, they were fast and refined sedans, but not sports cars. They also had their respective versions with coupe bodywork, both really successful but with special prominence for the Peugeot 406 Coupé, designed by Pininfarina. But even these were not authentic sports cars, they were closer to the Gran Turismo concept. Now, the segment of sedans in Peugeot is occupied by the 508, a model with which it was intended to replace the Peugeot 407 and the Peugeot 607 and that in its most powerful version, until the arrival of the plug-in hybrid with 360 hp, is the 508 Hybrid with 225 hp. But not even with these we can say that the 508 has a sports version.
The Peugeot 405 also represented the brand in competition, winning the Dakar three times and in the Rise to the Clouds, the Pikes Peak of the North American Rocky Mountains, better known by its English name: Pikes Peak. In both competitions it was the same car with minor changes, the Peugeot 405 T16, the car that was destined to run in Group S of the World Rally Championship until it was canceled. Likewise, he had a Superturismo version for the French championship, where he competed between 1992 and 1996.
Peugeot 405 Mi16: Atmospheric, 16 valves and 160 hp
Perhaps that is why the Peugeot 405 Mi16 is so desired and remembered, because It was the last sports sedan of the brand until the appearance of the Peugeot 508 PSE, a super-performance version of the current representative of the French firm in the segment of mid-size sedans, a device that recovers that sporty spirit of the “old” Mi16 although in a very different way, as it is animated by a plug-in hybrid power unit. Hybridization is the present and, they say, electricity is the future. But when the Peugeot 405 Mi16 appeared there were only two options: turbo or naturally aspirated with 16 valves.
The 405, remember, appeared in 1987 and was postulated as a tough rival for cars like the Renault 21 or the Ford Sierra, both models, especially important in the sector for what they meant and for the very high number of units that were sold. The French sedan did not have it easy and it was necessary to spin very fine so that everything went well. Something that, given the success of the 405, Peugeot knew how to fulfill perfectly. Especially for the good set that it put into circulation, which stood out, like a good Peugeot, for a very road-going gait, very soft cushioned seats and a very high reliability. In addition, the Pininfarina design, without being dazzling, it had a remarkable general balance, with straight and simple lines, but well executed.
A clean drawing that seen in front of the other guest on this occasion, the Peugeot 508 Hybrid, is even simpler. The 508 is a car that, despite the current trends of offering "lost" lines and somewhat ornate images, is attractive and proportionate. It goes without saying that it makes the forms of the 405 Mi16 out of date at a stroke and makes it seem even small, but it doesn't stop the “old” Peugeot from drawing much more attention. Having both cars next to each other, has allowed the comparisons to be direct and without filters, especially the balance that the 405 Mi16 gives off. Yes, the years are noticeable compared to its current equal, and yes, it is smaller, but the shapes of the Peugeot 405 are more concordant; the front squares with its rear, just as it maintains a coherence with the sides.
The Peugeot 405 Mi16 was available from the first moment, starting its sales in 1987. At first glance you could already see that it was not just another 405, there was something different about it and that was part of its appeal. Like many others in the 80s, it received specific treatment in the form of side skirts, bumpers and a spoiler created specifically for the version, which were accompanied by 15-inch wheels and 195/55 tires. Today they are very small wheels, there is the 508 Hybrid with its wheels made up of 18-inch rims and 235/45 tires. However, at the time they were wheels of respectable size and more than enough to tame the power coming from the engine.
An engine that, retracing our steps a bit, had two ways to go: turbocharging or the cylinder head with four valves per cylinder. Both techniques were very much in vogue in the early 80s, especially the solution of mounting a turbo in almost any car. We are in the turbo era in Formula 1 and the turbo in rallying, who had the missed Group B as senior representatives. When the Peugeot Mi16 was put into circulation, the Group B no longer existed, but their influence was still there, not in vain, the last season was in 1986.
However, Peugeot, which had its representative in the late Group B in the 205 T16, decided to follow the path of natural aspiration and opted for an atmospheric four-cylinder block with 1.9 liters of displacement, specifically 1.905 cubic centimeters, with two overhead camshafts and Bosch Motronic injection feed. The result was 160 hp at 6.500 rpm and a torque of 180 Nm at 5.000 rpm, although they were usable from just 3.000 rpm. The change was manual of five relations and the power came to the front wheels. Of course, there were no electronic assistants except for an ABS. Later would come the Peugeot 405 T16 and its turbo engine of almost 200 hp.
Carlos's Peugeot 405 Mi16
All of these things and a few more come to mind while observing Carlos' 405 Mi16. The car is currently in the process of being restored, although it looks great despite the tires from a Peugeot 406. Also, I had the opportunity to watch the car for a long, long time, as I was driving the Peugeot 508 Hybrid during the session. of pictures. As Carlos told us, the car rescued him in a sorry state, with a body that had lost color in many parts and that even had mold in the boot area, but from my position the car looks tremendous, like the first day and has not lost an iota of its charm. I saw him in static, rolling, through the rear view mirrors, chasing him while the photographers burned the cameras ...
Once stopped, in one of the breaks while the hybrid was the center of attention of the cameras, I was able to approach and investigate more of the 405 Mi16. I hadn't had a chance to mess up and gossip about a unit at will until now, and I didn't hesitate. On the outside, the most remarkable thing is the grille of the grille, since it does not show off the proud Peugeot lion, but it does have a band with the brand's racing colors. The image is a bit strange, something is missing on that front, but it maintains the lines and does not break the harmony of the whole. What's more, yellow fog lights and red filleting on the plastic fenders take you straight back to the 80s.
In the cabin things are not as encouraging as outside, here the years are very noticeable. Carlos, in the restoration process, has put some black leather seats from another Mi16. The result is quite good, but it fails to hide the age of the car. The plastics are hard, the adjustments between parts would set off all the alarms in any current model and the steering wheel without an airbag looks like a paella pan compared to the current Peugeot steering wheel. But nevertheless, the simplicity of the interior is pleasant, with no digital screens to distract from what is important, with the typical rotary knobs for heating ...
I sit in the seats and his French character comes out. They are sports seats, but French-style, soft and soft. They welcome you like the sofa at home would, but they look a bit out of place in a sports version. Nothing to do with the seats of our second guest, the Peugeot 508 Hybrid, which are closer to the softness of German seats than French ones. It must be said that they are very good and also beautiful, offering a huge contrast to the seats of the Peugeot 405 Mi16. The same goes for many other things, such as the finishes of the hybrid, which stand out for being at a great height, or for the general smoothness of the 508's controls, which allows you to feel comfortable from the first moment.
The engine does not weigh the years
In fact, the first car I could drive was the Peugeot 508 Hybrid courtesy of Mr. Pablo Mayo, director of spiritRACER.com. He picked me up at the door of the house and from there, to the area where we would take the photos, the hybrid was my thing. And it did not disappoint, it is a very successful car, it is comfortable, easy to drive, fast (its hybrid motor group yields 225 hp) and with the automatic transmission you forget about the gears unless you put it in manual mode and use the paddles placed on the steering column. It makes everything easy if you do not exceed the limits and takes you wherever you want to go..
And the most curious thing is that once at the wheel of the Peugeot 405 Mi16 the feeling is the same: if you do not reach the limits, everything is simple, comfortable, pleasant. The unit that appears in the photos is standard except for the exhaust line, the wheels and the rear suspension, so the overall feeling was not very tainted.
One of the things that attracts the most attention when we start the march is the direction. I was expecting a little slack given the age of the car and that it is still to be polished, but none of that, the steering is relatively direct and precise, but it is above all hard. Its assistance is hydraulic and not electric, offering a tougher touch and showing the potholes and irregularities of the road. The steering wheel rim is thick, upholstered in leather and has height adjustment. Equipment details that were remarkable at the time.
Testing a classic requires changing the chip a bit, it cannot be measured under current standards and used to testing new models, I found myself looking for faults and defects. So I got carried away and tried to enjoy the occasion, stretching the engine in high gears, noticing how the suspensions worked, listening to the engine (the insulation is much less than now) ... in the end, the most remarkable thing is that the engine is still there in top shape, though it is a 16 valve in its purest essence, an engine that wants to rev up to give the best of itself even though it gets carried away slowly. The change is typically Peugeot, with unacceptable play and travel nowadays but… isn't there the charm of a classic?
Category Leading Aerodynamics
One of the things that the brand itself stood out at its launch was the aerodynamics of the body.. It is widely known that Pininfarina is a true expert in this field and applies this knowledge to all the cars it designs, not just Ferraris (which by the way, it has not designed for a long time) and the Peugeot 405 was one of the beneficiaries of that way of working.
Specifically, the Peugeot 405 Mi16, for example, announced a Cx of 0,30, one of the best figures in its category in those years. It is true that it is currently widely surpassed, there is the Mercedes A-Class sedan presented in 2019, whose Cx is 0,22 or the Cx of 0,26 of its rival in this comparison, the Peugeot 508. But it is also true that the The figure announced by the 405 is relatively current and is little, very little below the segment average even today. And it shows when you are driving, there is little aerodynamic noise even at high speeds and you do not feel buoyancy when cornering at a good pace, the general feeling is of poise and good stability. Even with the suspension fitted on Carlos's unit, which was not at its best.
That aerodynamics was also noticeable in the consumption, although we could not verify it. We had little time in the car, it is not a press unit and it has an owner who has invested a lot of money, a lot of time and has poured desire and passion into it. In addition, in a car like this, with 30 years behind him, something like that does not make sense. However, Arturo de Andrés, in a test for the 1987 Automobile magazine, managed to consumption of a minimum of 7,56 liters per 100 kilometers and a maximum of 13,93 liters going, as they say, with the knife between the teeth.
Version with all-wheel drive and later, with turbo
We cannot deny that Carlos has allowed a child's dream to come true, drive a Mi16 and also, we have been able to compare the model with a current one, something that not everyone can boast of having done. We are totally delighted and of course we send our thanks from here and hope that you will enjoy your Peugeot 405 Mi16 for many years to come.
The Peugeot 405 Mi16 was and still is today a special car. It may even be more special these days, because of its history, because it is a rare model in the Peugeot range and because it offers a fairly round package. But the Mi16 was only the tip of the iceberg. In 1989, a version highly coveted by collectors appeared, given its small number, although less interesting than the Carlos model as it had lower performance. That version was the Mi16 with all-wheel drive, or as it was officially called, Peugeot 405 Mi16x4. Borrowed from the Citroën BX the all-wheel drive and the rear axle with hydropneumatic suspension.
For 1992, the typical mid-life restyling was carried out, which polished some details and improved the design and quality of the interior many integers. He also improved the performance of the Mi16 with a car that even today is very fast: the Peugeot 405 T16, a version equipped with a 220 hp turbo engine, 324 Nm of torque and all-wheel drive system, which is one of the most desirable versions of the French sedan.
