Taken from R&T’s July 1979 issue, The 604 was essentially a new, larger body with a V6 engine on the underpinnings of the 504. That was a good foundation upon which to move upmarket.
What really signaled the end for the 604 was the 505, which was smaller yet managed to remain comfortable and roomy enough to tick the right boxes. The 604 thus became somewhat of an overkill. Still a very competent car.
The quad headlamps and 3.0 ltr engine make this one nicer than the euro version.
C&D called it the French Mercedes back in 77.
Sadly there is no market for large French cars in the UK . I looked at one ,10 years old
price £550…
I think I’ve only ever seen 1 or 2 of these “in the metal”, and the one or two I’ve seen….were diesels.
I’m not entirely sure why, but I like these more than most other Peugeots produced before all French cars exited the U.S. market. And if it weren’t for the parts/service “situation” I would rather own one of these before the somewhat similar 140-240 Volvos.
This is a car I’ve been wanting to find for ages, in order to complete my Peugeot RWD car coverage. They were reasonably common in LA back in the day, and I was rather fond of them. The enjoyed a bit of a final surge when it became available with the turbocharged diesel four. That made it a cheaper alternative to the Mercedes 300TD/SD, which was the hot car in LA at the time. But the Peugeot diesel four was a rather rough and noisy thing, even for a diesel.
The 604 used a slightly lengthened 504/505 platform, which gave it the splendid ride. And I rather liked the understated PF styling, which of course echoed many of his other designs at the time.
I considered buying a used one, but the iffy rep of the early PRV V6 gave me pause; probably a good thing.
Thanks for the memories.
Paul,
You could have taken chance on bagging one of those 604s during your recent holiday in Austria…
http://tinyurl.com/604forPaul
As Germans like to exclaim when seeing the price: Boah!
I might have said something worse. Those prices seem quite high!
These with a PRV engine that has been looked after is an excellent car, but that’s the thing – it has to have been looked after. Most left in this part of the world haven’t been.
That said, one of the worst drives I ever had was in a 604TD automatic which had been made into a naturally-aspirated car. The owner neglected to mention this over the phone before I went to drive it, and I drove it before looking under the hood. When it couldn’t make it up a particularly steep hill after being manually shifted to first, I pointed the car back downhill and took it back the long way. When I asked about the lack of power, he started getting cagey then finally admitted that the turbo was no more. I walked.
However, one of the best drives in a 604TD was the one I tried which had been converted to a late intercooled 2.5-litre engine from a 505 and a 5-speed manual. It’s a shame that this motor wasn’t available from the start, because it was in many ways preferable to the PRV motor – the big one being near-linear torque delivery. Unfortunately the seller and I couldn’t agree on a price, which was a shame as the rest of the car was very tidy.
The 505 is ultimately the better car, though. The 604 was a great idea on paper and drove well for what it was, but in the liveability stakes the 505 beats it hands-down. Just be prepared to redrill Porsche 944 front discs if your 505 V6 needs brakes; compared to 604 ownership, this is a walk in the park for parts availability.
K.McNamara
Karonetwentyc:
I had a 1980 USA spec 604 V6 which I dropped in a rare USA spec 106- hp inter-cooled spec 1984-1985 505 TD , that dang car would cruise at 90 mph all day along at around 30 mpg…you will never find a car that dampened road/impacts at any price at the price the 604 was prices at. I’ve owned and driven XJSs, 560sels, Rolls,old schools Caddy’s nothing can beat and old-school RWD Peugeot LWD 504 ride . Yep, the 604 is a long wheelbase 504 with a low-cost 3-inch width…………yet with anti-canceling weighted iron/rubber dampers throughout the body-shell and torque-tube drive-drive-line,there is no other vehicle ever produced that can equal a 604.
Yes, it was a difficult to launch in 1st gear with the 5 Speed with a 3.76 differential but once it gathered momentum and overcame its mass, it cud crush, and pass many V8 powered cars/pickups going up 6%+ Grades in 5th gear
Paul,
I’ve got photos of a 604 (and a 505 and lovely 504) I saw in France last year. Happy to share to complete the RWD Peugeot chronicles
I remember first seeing the Peugeot 604. I thought it was better looking than either the 504 or 505.
Odd
We were just discussing this afternoon how a 604 was capable of taking Dutch speedbumps…………………at speed.
Personally I do not like the US headlights, the French European version looks much more a combination of arrogance and elegance.
We were also discussing we never saw a color palet of metallic colors as cute and chique as the 604 had.
The blues, greens, greys and even golds were a bit off the beaten tracks
The Blues you got automatically when you had a 604 !
But ow they drove great, everything a 504 or 505 would give you with a little touch of more better softer and more luxuruous.
They have almost all disappeared it seems.
But I’d still like to own one, if only my neighbours 1985 Rover SD1 could turn into a 604 !
Click on the picture you’ll see what I mean the color, the yellow headlights an era when European countries still had their own stance, the French with their yellow headlights and black licence plates, Europe is becoming to look more and more like one big Germany !
Yes, those US-mandated headlights really ruined the original design. That was a problem with many European cars at the time, but especially some like the 604.
604 remembers me somewhat to a modernized ’70s low-budget Facel Vega Excellence EX2.
A couple of months ago I drove past 604 in a storage yard every day same metallic green not many about and that one appeared quite good from the road.
I grew up in a Virginia college town where Peugeots were quite common. We always had a dealer, and we always had humanities professors proudly giving no credence to the real world. For whatever reason, they were all 504s and 505s in the ’70s and ’80s. Whenever I saw a 404, it was obviously a static display in the process of returning to the elements. I read about the 604 in the magazines, but never saw one until a trip to California. There, they were about as common as other Peugeots, which wasn’t particularly common. They were still pretty much daily sightings though. I don’t know what role price played in Virginia Peugeot buyers’ preferences. There was plenty of money in town for Mercedes-Benz products that cost far more. BMWs were always common, as were Volvos and Saabs. I’d love to know why nobody ever bought a 604. I passed the dealer at least once a week, and they never had one in stock. Maybe the dealer just refused to stock the necessary replacement parts and couldn’t sell them.
These used the 505’s doors – an approach that can hamper styling. The squared-off trunk then never seemed to quite gel with the rest of the car – just a little ungainly and in this luxury marketplace that can be fatal.
Chapron did a super-luxe version in France – no sheetmetal changes but a better interior.
Why do you say that, about the doors.Looking at both, they’re clearly not the same. Maybe similar, but there are a number of differences. The 604’s doors are straight along their top edge, while the 505’s doors have an arch that reflects the roof’s arching shape. The 604’s door sides are flatter, compared to the 505, and lack the character line too. And the door handles are different. I don’t see a very strong similarity.
He probably meant the 504’s doors, of which the 604 did use the lower part, among other substantial elements of the 504 it retained.
not the rear door skin: the 504 has a wheel opening lip and the 604 does not.
A new Canadian market 604 in North Vancouver, 1977. We got the correct lights and more or less European-spec engines.
I always thought these were really elegant, a very understated alternative to mid range Mercedes. I really liked the smaller rear wheel opening, a very French (and American) styling touch. While I didn’t see many in the metal, I remember that they had really luxurious seats, which was definitely a Peugeot trait.
Correct, nothing wrong with the Peugeot 604 seats.
Thanks. I liked these as a kid and I still like them 40 years later.
Apologies – correction – these use the 504 doors.
I remember the 604 as the bad guys’ car pursuing 007’s motorcycle through the streets of Cannes in “Never Say Never Again.”
I always thought it was unusual that the ignition switch on the 604 is on the left of the steering column and I wondered if the slits cut in the bottom of the tailpipes had a function.
Majorette made an excellent 1:55 die cast version of the 604 with an opening hood. I used to be part of my collection but I don’t know where it went.
Here’s a 604 registered in Finland with dual headlight wipers for each lamp! I’ve never seen a dual headlight wiper setup before.
I’ve never seen that either.
The screen wiper pattern always struck me as unusual also
A two barrel carb paired with a one barrel….how many other cars had that arrangement?
Renault Alpine A310’s for one. Edd China worked on one in an episode of “Wheeler Dealers” and replaced the two carbs with a single Holley 4-barrel. Yes, someone made a manifold for it.
Peugeot’s W116. Never common, but they all seemed to be white, bronze or silver-green with tan leather. Always looked very stylish. I suspect the Ford stylists looked very closely prior to starting work on the Granada and XD Falcon. I’d gladly have one today if the stars aligned but just know finding parts would be another level of hell.
A Peugeot article??
Boy, Paul must have a smile on his face, like Linus seeing the Great Pumpkin. 😛
Happy Halloween!!
Plush seats, plush ride, and Pininfarina elegance. All it lacked was a Teutonic badge.
…..and long term reliability in the USA?
No matter how good a vehicle is, resale value is the bottom line. With French and Italian vehicles, their so so build quality, poor and very limited dealer support, relatively high prices, even the issue of , ” Dad, what would my friends think when you drop me off at school from your Peugeot!” (Maybe okay up in Andover Mass. ,not likely in a blue collar town). That being said, I have a mint 405DL, great car, fun to drive, would buy another, but I maintain it and enjoy it. The average person today wants to be cool in their new Japanese SUV, with a nice resale value to trade in in a few years for the latest cool set of wheels. (Tesla looked real up and coming until the latest reliability issues, oh well back to the Prius.)
604s: some years ago, were common in Spain, particularly equipped with Turbo-Diesel engines.
IMO, its cousin the Talbot Tagora, has a more rakish stance, exotic elegance, than the 604.
Both cars are squarer, and with a Bad luck, with the same Car, that kill them at near same time: Peugeots 505.
Until I discovered the Opera, I thought this might have been a 130 sedan proposal.
Ah, but was the 604 worth $3000 (1979 $, $9800 in today $) more than an Audi 5000?
Lovely cars that I only discovered a few years ago. I’ve never seen one “in the metal” despite the 505 being a frequent sight, and the 504 and 405 occasional visitors, on the roads of my childhood (central North Carolina in the 80’s).
The Euro headlamp arrangement is also so much better. The USA version should have kept the narrower grille and gone with inset indicators, or even a six-lamp look like Pontiac used on the 80’s 6000 and Olds on the 90’s Cutlass Supreme.
In 2007, I bought one of these at auction in Washington State. It was a one owner car with just 74k miles. While it was a Diesel Turbo, the 5 speed manual made it a surprisingly agile car. When you got it up to 70-80mph on the freeway it rolled on like locomotive and was one of the most secure and comfortable cars I’ve ever owned. The styling was always one of my favorites. Yes it was conservative looking, but the proportions and details are so balanced (especially the non-US version) that the car appeals to those who appreciate understatement. Pininfarina was quoted as saying that the car’s styling was meant to evoke the sharp edges and flat surfaces of a diamond and you can see a jewel-like elegance in the flanks of the car, especially in the darker colors. I had the US bumpers remounted bringing them in 2″, but the full 3.5″ required to bring them down to non-US spec would have compromised safety so I had to stop there but that brought about a marginal improvement to the “cow catchers” we here in the US had to put up with.
In 2009, I sold the car to a collector back east. I regretted that sale from the very moment I sold it. But I intend to find a clean V6 5 speed in France and import it to the US very soon.
The 604 I posted above (interior and exterior) is a fully original and immaculate V6 with a 5 speed manual.
I found it on the website of a classic car dealer, it has been sold, but lots of detail pictures right here:
http://www.ruylclassics.nl/peugeot04_eng.htm
Anybody want a 604 50,000 miles. Has been stored for years.
Indianapolis, Indiana
Anyone interested in a 604, 50,000 miles, in storage.
Indianapolis, Indiana USA
Still available ? How much ? What’s the condition ?
I had the chance to drive not one, but two of these.
The looked like a bank vault, felt like a bank vault and drove like a bank vault, albeit a supremely comfortable bank vault.
I am guessing bank vaults don’t handle well and are glacially slow?
The US headlights and bumpers ruin it’s elegant looks
This must’ve been one of the first imports to have square sealed-beam headlights on the US market, possibly the first if you don’t count PA-built VW Rabbits. Whatever you think of the effect, imagine how bad it would’ve looked with round sealed beams!
There was one Peugeot 604 that I would see when I was a teenager in my parents neighborhood in the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh. It was black and very distinctive as Peugeots were not a common sight in Western PA. You would see the occasional 505 and then 405s but if you were an import driver, the car of choice was a Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi, or Volvo with a less common Saab and an occasional Jaguar thrown into the mix. There was a Peugeot-Cadillac dealer on Baum Blvd in Oakland but they closed many years ago though Peugeot sign painted on the side of the building was there for many years. I usually saw it driving along McKnight Road heading towards downtown Pittsburgh in the early 1980s. I don’t recall seeing it after 1985 and I wonder what replaced it when it was time to trade.
It’s interesting that the Mercedes-Benz premium was more than 100% relative to the Audi. I suspect that the premium between an Audi and a Mercedes isn’t more than 10% today. Which car had a major change in quality?
Audi definitely was moving upmarket. The 5000 (100 in Europe) was larger than its 100LS predecessor and approached a 5 series in size.
It couldn’t be helped, actually. Just look at the original prices of a 1970 BMW 2002 ($3275) versus a 1980 320i ($11,810). Inflation certainly comes into play, but the devaluation of the dollar with respect to the mark (a dollar was worth 4 DM in 1970, closer to 2 in 1980) forced German cars into higher market segments. GM couldn’t import Opels profitably and VW opened up a plant in Pennsylvania to offset the rise in price relative to the competition. Meanwhile, all Audis, BMW’s and Mercedes imported to the US had top-level trim appropriate to the higher segment they competed in versus their home market.
It also affected the Japanese imports as the yen strengthened as well. Honda went from peddling little 600’s to larger Civics to fully equipped Accords. By 1982, they were building the Accords in Marysville, Ohio.
It wasn’t just the mark and yen, as the franc and kronor strengthened too, making Peugeots and Volvos more expensive.
Add one more victim to the stronger Euro currencies – the Capri.
Ford imported them from Germany but had to replace them in 1979 with a locally built Fox body version of the Mustang. Guess why?
As I´ve mentioned before, I´ve driven one of these, an early example. The car is as described in the road tests: super steering and very comfortable indeed. It´s also well-made when compared to products from Ford, Opel, Citroen and Renault, for example but not in the supernatural league of Mercedes from the same period. I´d like to own one as a toy but not as a daily driver given the rather high fuel consumption.
The good news is that the Peugeot 406 does exactly the same things as the 604 but with rust protection and reliability. If you get a 2.0 litre 5 speed 406 you can experience pretty much all the great qualities of the 604 with much better fuel economy. The 406 is very robust too and has fabulous seats for the front and rear passengers and the boot is huge. Handling is excellent as period reviews pointed out when the car went on sale. One further point is that compared to all its peers from 1995-2002, the 406 is surviving very well: the mid-90ss Ford, Opel, Renault and Citroen equivalents are rather rare in comparison whereas I see 406s all the time. I imagine even the Mercedes C-class from 1995 is surviving in smaller numbers than the 406. The 406 happens to look a bit boring from the outside and the dashboard design is unsatisfying – I can live with that given what I call the car´s high level of competence.
Here’s a shot of Pioneer Auto in Edmonton Alberta back when 504s and 604s were new. Photo from Citroenvie. Again, Canadian gasoline powered 504s 1974-1980 and 604s 1977-1981 had E-Code headlights.
I have a 1980 Peugeot 604 TD: Best car I’ve ever had. Had two, sold one to Museum. I have over 500,000 miles on her and never had any serious issues. Very dependable, very comfortable……………..No drag racer, but she always gets me to and from anywhere.
She is in terrific condition, Black with a tan interior.
I’d love to upload a photo, but I can’t seem to figure out a way to do it. Anyone have an idea how to do that?
Yes, make sure it’s a JPEG image, and that’s approximately 1800 pixels wide by 1000 pixels tall.