ROADTEST
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" PEUGEOT 504
gearbox does indeed give better fuel economy, but when loaded to gross weight the vehicle may be "slightly overgeared!" Peugeot says that the fourspeed gearbox would be more appropriate for owners who regularly run the vehicle at gross weight.
The trouble is that the five-speed gearbox provides an over-driven fifth gear that is too high (at an overall 4.00:1) for the laden pickup. This means that fourth gear (4.875:1) has to be used for much of the time which, with the numerically higher differential fitted to the GL version, provides a lower gear than the direct fourth gear (4.22:1) on the four-speed pickup.
In most instances, however, the pickup will be half-laden or empty and then fifth year can be used for cruising, with a worthwhile saving in fuel. On the old four-speed model, all forward gears are higher than their equivalents in Peugeot's new five-speed box.
• PERFORMANCE
Because of the lower gears in the fivespeed gearbox, the performance has not suffered at all. The 0-32km/h time is better on the four-speed model, but after that the acceleration figures reflect the better overall gear ratios of the fivespeed model.
The engine lives up to Peugeot's reputation as a manufacturer of excellent small diesels. Although the diesel injection pump is a modern rotary type, the injection system is based on the Ricardo prechamber system which has been around since 1936, and is none the worse for that. The engine is smooth, and al The nicest thing about the whole vehicle is the seat covering of coarse-weave tweed, which will only improve with use.
though it has to be revved to give of its best,, it remains tolerably quiet. The overdriven fifth certainly makes for less frenetic motorway journeys. The gearlever is short and the gate is quite narrow, so changes have to be accurate.
More serious, however, are the limitations imposed by a very weak clutch and poor detents on the gearbox. It is hard to see how pickup owners in the French Alps cope with a vehicle which will not manage a loaded start on a hill steeper than 20% (1-in-5 and falls out of gear when overrunning down steep descents.
The off-road performance, however, should be enhanced by the standard limited slip-differential and 15in wheels of the GL specification models.
• HANDLING
A coil spring independent front suspension and live rear axle with telescopic damping ought to endow the pickup with reasonable if not sparkling handling characteristics. Between the unloaded, tail-up condition, and the two-thirds loaded state, this is indeed the case, with confident cornering and good high speed stability.
When fully laden the lines of the vehicle are improved as the load bed is lower, but its handling takes a turn for the worse. The pickup wobbles around on its almost-100% aspect ratio tyres at speeds around 641cmill (40mph), while on the motorway stability suffers and constant corrections have to be made to the steering to maintain a straight course.
Mien cornering the whole rear end of the vehicle wumps' sideways as the rear tyre sidewalls flex into a cornering attitude. For most uses and loads the handling is adequate, but some owners must have had unpleasant surprises when driving a fully laden 504 on the motorway, or fast into a corner.
• INTERIOR
With the long bench seat, widely spaced pedals and huge steering wheel, the pickup is a practical vehicle that can easily be driven in the wellies and bulky coats that comprise the haute couture of the building and agricultural trades. The dashboard is made of grey crinkled plastic; the controls are a mixture of push buttons and steering column-mounted switches. On the whole, the mix does not work, particularly the confusing headlamp/windscreen wiper stalk, and the excess fuel knob that would not pull out We would also like to see a few more instruments: the clock is useful, but a water temperature gauge would be even more so.
Aficionados of the great American science fiction 'B' movie will recall the pickup bench seats as a favoured cinematographic vantage point from which to observe flying saucers, green men from Mars, and the occasional amorphous
blob. Here at Commercial Motor we feel the seat is a mixed blessing. On the plus side it can seat three adults in relative
comfort, and the third seat is a useful storage space for items not suitable for the load bed. On the minus side, the third passenger's legs obstruct the gear lever, and the handbrake is sited to the right of the driver where it is very difficult to operate.
The adjustment of the seat means there is a virtually inaccessible space beneath it where we found an Aladdin'scave of test engineers' lost tools, sweets, and notebooks. It also means that a short driver will limit the leg room of the passengers as he pulls the seat forward.
The nicest thing about the seat is the material in which it is covered. It is comfortable to sit on, and dirt can be brushed out as with the best tweed jackets.
• SUMMARY
The Peugeot may not be the most up-tothe-minute pickup on the market, but that will be seen as a significant advantage by some users.
The driveline feels unburstable, the boduwork feels strong, and while we would question the use of metallic paint, the coachwork is of good quality. Inside, the seat covers lend an aura of timelessness, and even the humble two-band wireless rivals more sophisticated receivers by virtue of its ample speakers.
Its handling leaves something to be desired when fully laden, but is perfectly acceptable when the vehicle is part-laden or empty.
At a price of £6,030 plus VAT, the Peugeot 504GL is certainly one of the cheapest one-tonne diesel pickups on the market, and its rivals might be hard pressed to justify the extra cost of their products when faced with such a well-developed rival.