Company car drivers find their way with Peugeot

Driving on Britain’s roads today can be a stressful experience for the company car driver, especially when they have to contend with longer journeys to unknown destinations through traffic jams, speed cameras, road tolls and congestion charges, which can be compounded by multiple signposting, inclement weather conditions and the incidents that surround them.

To help ease the plight of business motorists, and in response to the results from a recent survey, Peugeot has announced a ground breaking offer for fleet drivers opting for a 407 Saloon or SW to now benefit from the Trafficmaster Smartnav satellite navigation system, worth £1,200.

A survey commissioned earlier this year by Peugeot, found that the item most desired by company car drivers to become standard equipment was a satellite navigation guidance system. In fact 37% of respondents opted for this over and above 19 other choices, with metallic paint getting 9% of votes and air conditioning just 6%.

The key benefits of having satellite navigation include:

Time saving (in terms of planning the quickest route and avoiding traffic jams)
Fuel savings (with the shortest route being recommended)
Reduced driver stress
More productive use of time
Increased driver safety, with a 24 hour personal assistant on call via the system for emergency and breakdown

The Smartnav offer provides an ideal solution for fleet managers wanting to act responsibly in terms of answering the growing concerns for drivers on the road, as well as providing the driver with one of the finest looking and best performing cars in its segment.

The intelligent system acts as a personal travel assistant to help plan your route and warn of traffic congestion, road closures or road works. The system can also be used as a concierge: to book a hotel room, or find the nearest service station or even to send flowers.

The Smartnav system comprises a small dash-mounted touch-screen, microphone and speaker. It can be operated in two ways: either the driver keys in their destination on the touch-screen by postcode, or a couple of touches to the Smartnav screen connects you to a personal assistant at the round-the-clock Smartnav Control Centre. The route is then calculated by the Smartnav central computer and downloads destination guidance to the in-car unit which provides screen-based graphics and verbal turn-by-turn instructions.

SmartNav can also deliver up-to-the-minute traffic information and monitor the road ahead when satellite navigation is in use and immediately offers an alternative route should the planned route be hit by delays.

Should serious problems occur, it can also be used to call for help and pinpoint your exact location, essential if the car breaks down and needs to call the recovery service.

In addition, Peugeot is offering three months’ subscription to Safe Speed, an accident blackspot warning service. The Safe Speed system is designed to alert drivers to most types of safety camera and works by sounding three warning beeps as drivers approach speed monitored zones. This is followed by five beeps that sound just before entering the zone, giving drivers time to correct their speed. As ever, the responsibility to keep within speed limits remains with the driver, but the Safe Speed system can help ensure company car drivers protect their licences, other road users and their employers’ reputations by keeping to the speed limit.

The Peugeot Smartnav offer includes:

Three-years’ subscription to Smartnav
150 calls a year to the Smartnav Control Centre for personal assistant help
Unlimited use of the touch screen for postcode input
Three-months’ free trial of Safe Speed
One month’s subscription to RAC Trackstar
The ideal company car

The 407 Saloon and SW have ‘cut a dash’ since their launch just over a year ago, and have already become style icons on the road with their attractive and distinctive appearance. In SW guise, the 407 benefits from the three-quarter length panoramic glass roof which creates a light and airy feel for both driver and passengers alike.

Both the Saloon and SW have a wealth of other driver friendly standard equipment across all models including: cruise control with speed limiter, ABS with ESP for enhanced braking in adverse driving conditions, front, curtain, side and steering column airbags, front fog lamps, active front seat head restraints, and radio with single CD player. Company car drivers opting for the top-of-the range executive model would also benefit from: xenon headlamps, leather upholstery and interior trim, heated electric seats, rear parking aid, alloy wheels and electric mirrors.

There are five engine choices, three petrol and two diesel – all of which are Euro IV compliant – as well as the option of a manual or Tiptronic automatic gearbox. Diesel engines are available with the innovative Peugeot DPSS filter to ensure cleaner tax saving emissions. The HDi 110 bhp diesel model in particular has emissions of just 145 g/km and a combined figure of 51.3 mpg. Prices for the 407 range start from £15,440 for the 1.8 litre petrol saloon, and £16,555 on the road for the SW model.