Peugeot 404. Driving with a beloved anniversary

This year Peugeot celebrates the 65th anniversary of an illustrious and still very popular model: the 404. The beautiful French model was available in various versions and shapes. The saloon was always the basis. Cor Tjepkema from Leeuwarden owns this version. During the Gaasterland ride his French classic proved why the Peugeot-loving Frisian was so happy to return to his old love.

During a sunny day in the south of Friesland, the Peugeot proves its unparalleled touring qualities. Cor's personalized 404 offers a typical and fairly comfortable seat. For tall people, a bit more legroom (certainly from the driver's seat) would have been desirable, but overall it is striking how pleasantly this classic Peugeot compares to the qualification 'nice touring car'. 

The comfort on board is abundantly present. The seats are French comfortable, and the equipment is as we are used to from classic Peugeot models: modest and pleasantly present in the background chic. The materials are extremely well cared for, modestly elegant and do not impose themselves on you within an atmosphere of excess. They do tell us, however, that a 404 was quite high up in the tree within the segment in which it operated. And also played its own role in that. You notice that, for example, in the way in which you operate the necessary functions. One of them is of course the stubbornly right-placed lever for the indicator. The steering lever is another typical classic showpiece. This is contained in a solid cast holder, and above all gives extra cachet to the classic driving experience that the pleasantly authentic Peugeot offers.

Speaking of driving: the 404 really lives up to its image as an excellent touring car. The damping is quite firm, the suspension comfort is pleasantly French without becoming soft. The rigid rear axle construction gives the driving character of the Peugeot 404 its own, more massive touch compared to most 504 models and the later 505. You notice how the rear recedes into the background, and in this Peugeot that comes across as very pleasant and stable. There is hardly any oversteer character, although you should not challenge the 404. That does not happen either, if only to respect and cherish the classic technology. Moreover, the 404 no longer has to prove anything in that respect.

What stands out: the 1618 cc engine is smooth and elastic. This image is reinforced by the fact that the torque of 117 Nm is already available at a speed of 2500 revolutions per minute. The build-up to this is balanced. The four synchronised gears also have a truly excellent and above all very balanced tuning to the engine character. The drop in revs when changing gears is therefore also excellently absorbed. In addition, the power source comes across as very fresh and reacts alertly to the accelerator pedal. Speaking of alert: the Hydrovac brake system is too. It is certainly not necessary to firmly touch the brake pedal to make the Peugeot slow down. A light, measured pressure is enough to reduce the speed, and that phenomenon is reminiscent of the deceleration manoeuvres in the Citroën DS. The straight-line stability during a deceleration action is also remarkably good.

This also applies to the damping of the driving noises. Of course: with the open sliding roof (what a wonderful feature that remains) you hear some wind noise. But what is especially noticeable is that the engine noise is excellently dampened and is just loud enough to initiate a gear shift in time. Speaking of which: the third gear is far away. Across the board, it is true that the Peugeot prefers to be shifted very quietly.

A beautiful day and a beautiful drive. That suits the Peugeot 404, which in retrospect shows why the car was so popular with the tribes of people who covered the necessary kilometers in a professional sense, and were happy to do so privately. Today, the 404 is a wonderful classic, with which you can still effortlessly drive to France to cover the beautiful and idyllic routes in the land of the Gauls. Or with which you can make a nice tour. A pleasant side effect is that this classic also easily finds its place in modern traffic.

It is not without reason that the balanced and qualitatively strong classic Peugeot is still largely represented in the Netherlands - fifty years after the saloon production stopped. Cor Tjepkema's 404 is one of the twelve hundred answers to the question why that is. You want such a classic. The 404 is impressively good and balanced. It's simple.

With many thanks to Cor Tjepkema