Peugeot 605 

Manufacturer	Peugeot
Production	1989–1999 1995–1999 (facelift)
Predecessor	Peugeot 604 Peugeot 505
Successor	Peugeot 607
Class	executive car
Body style	4-door saloon
Layout	FF layout
Designer(s)	Pininfarina

The Peugeot 605 is an executive car produced by the French manufacturer Peugeot between 1989 and 1999, with a facelift in 1995.

History

The 605 shares the Citroën XM platform . It succeeds both the 604 , whose production had ceased four years earlier, and the Peugeot 505 , replaced by two models, the 405 , smaller, and therefore the top-of-the-range model 605.

Classic notchback sedan typically Peugeot, the 605 was initially designed by Pininfarina , but the release of the Renault 25 phase 2 pushes Peugeot to release its top of the range faster than expected and therefore abandons this project. There is however a small Pininfarina touch through the lateral line in the body, very similar to that of the Alfa Romeo 164 , designed by Pininfarina.

The Peugeot 605 was marketed too quickly and in a rush. The 604 had left a void at the top of the range since production ceased in 1986. However, this rush to launch proved to be very detrimental to the quality of the car. The 605 quickly acquired a bad reputation in terms of reliability, damning its career despite many intrinsic qualities: design, handling, comfort and mechanics of the car. Peugeot had therefore not learned all the lessons from the failure of the 604 , the failure of which was partly explained by the same reason.

High equipment levels, a luxurious interior, a smooth ride, and exceptional handling were strong points for the 605. But Peugeot has always struggled to succeed with large cars outside France, and the 605 was no different. It was too similar in design and appearance to the smaller Peugeot 405 to command a price premium, while its dashboard also drew criticism for its uninspired design.

Also like the XM, the 605 initially suffered from quality issues that resulted in some breakdowns or malfunctions (particularly with the ambitious electrics), which severely damaged the car's reputation. In 1995, Peugeot tried to solve the problems by unveiling an extensively revamped 605 (known as the "Phase 2" model); it received a facelift which looked modern at its time, but also the interior was vastly improved by giving it more ergonomic controls and a refreshed look. Performance and handling were improved as well and many of the reliability issues were solved. Technological advances were made, most remarkably the side airbags.

In July 1994, by launching the second series with the AM (model year) 1995, Peugeot made several changes to the body, interior and mechanics which modify the style of the car from certain angles.

The body of the 605 receives a restyling which will improve the style of the car. There are retouching on the optics and the front and rear shields, the removal of the black sticker on the front door pillar revealing the body tone.

Inside, the manufacturer replaces the control buttons on the dashboard and the steering wheel accommodates an inflatable “airbag” as standard, which will become compulsory in 1998.

After the launch of the well-received Peugeot 406 (that was larger than the 405 it replaced) in 1995, 605 sales dropped to near-insignificant levels, and the 605 was quietly dropped in 1999. The 605's successor, the Peugeot 607, went into production in late 1999 and has been slightly more successful on the domestic and export markets.

This second series also incorporates all the modifications made to cars already marketed during the large-scale recall of March 1992 to correct the many manufacturing defects.

The end of 605 production spelled the end of "05" generation Peugeots in Europe after more than twenty years; this generation had started back in 1977 (UK market 1978) with the 305.

Design and styling

Its appearance resembles that of the Alfa Romeo 164, launched the 7 February 1987 before, and also styled by Pininfarina Despite the resemblance, the Peugeot was not a Type Four car; it rode the same platform as the Citroën XM

It also bears a strong visual resemblance to the smaller Peugeot 405.

In its top-of-the-range version, it is powered at its exit by the  12 and 24-valve “  V6 PRV engine ” developing 170 and 200  hp respectively . These engines give it performance worthy of the best French cars. The 0 to 100  km / h is carried out in 8.9  s for the 12 valves and 8.4  s for the 24 valves. They are supplemented by more modest engines including the 2-  liter 115  hp (carburetor) or 130  hp (injection). They will be supported in 1993 by another 2  liters of123 or 145  ch . It was in 1997 that the new 194 hp  “ ESL V6 engine ” arrived,  which was then used in the 607. Diesel only had four cylinders. The range includes a 2.1-  liter naturally aspirated diesel with 83 hp from the SLd and the 2.1-  liter turbo diesel with 110 hp from the SLdt. They will be supplemented by a 2.5 turbo of 130 hp in 1995 finally offering good performance to Diesel engines.     

The base 4-cylinder petrol engine and the normally aspirated diesel, though reliable, were generally considered to be simply over matched by the car's weight. The fuel-injected inline-4 was better received though it was criticised for lacking low and mid-range punch, whereas the powerful 170 hp (127 kW) V6 suffered from criticisms over poor fuel economy when combined with an automatic gearbox. The same issue affected the top-of-the range V6-24 version in spite of its all-new 24-valve cylinder head, though a top speed of 235 km/h (146 mph) made poor fuel economy more acceptable to generally well-heeled customers. The 2.1 turbo-diesel was widely regarded  as a good powertrain but was outclassed by the new direct-injection engines introduced in 1988 by Audi.

A 2.0-litre (8-valve) turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine (150 bhp) was added in 1991 and provided good performance but proved unreliable. Later, a 2.5 turbodiesel (130 bhp) completed the diesel lineup. In 1997, the antiquated 3.0-litre engine was replaced at long last by an all-new 3.0-litre, 24-valve, 194 bhp (145 kW) V6, finally giving the car a powertrain worthy of its exceptional road holding.