The Peugeot e-Legend Concept Has Tesla-Beating Looks and Range
Peugeot's 504 coupe is an undisputed classic, but it never made much of a splash in the U.S. market; it was something of an iconoclast's choice on our shores. The 504 shopper didn't just buy his peppermills and bicycles from Peugeot; he was fundamentally infatuated with the values of the entire enterprise. Whatever those were.
In keeping with Peugeot's reputation, the 504 was also less outré than its contemporaries from future stablemate Citroën; the Maserati-powered SM and the pluckily awkward Ami spring to mind, as does Renault's 16, which featured a different wheelbase on its port side than it did on its starboard.
Globally, however, the 504 could be considered a grand success. If the 504 was an oddball also-ran in our market, to much of the rest of the world it was both standout and standby. Although French domestic production ran from 1968 through 1983, the car continued to be built in Nigeria and Kenya until 2006. Given the propensity of manufacturers to reach into a grab bag of greatest hits to evoke warm feelings, it was only a matter of time before Peugeot paid tribute to this long-running automobile on the international auto-show circuit. And so this e-Legend concept, a wholly modern take on the 504 coupe, is making its debut at the Paris auto show.
Peugeot CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato described it with a flourish: "The Peugeot e-Legend concept is not just a technological manifesto. This is the vision of a brand, Peugeot, actively focused on an optimistic and ultra-desirable future." Them's big words, Tex. Happily, the car is supremely cool. The e-Legend's exterior takes the basic shape of the 504 coupe and makes the creases bolder and the stance more aggressive. It's as if perhaps the Bullitt-addled designers couldn't decide whether they wanted to build a French Charger or a Gallic Mustang, so they did both, opting for a pony-car patootie paired with a face reminiscent of the Dodge's 2005 revival. Though, come to think of it, the first four-door Charger's headlights carried more than a soupçon of 504 to them. Regardless of influence, the result is a sharp-looking, distinctive automobile that weds some of the more successful lines of the past with a heaping helping of now. Crucially, Peugeot's designers managed this without falling into the schmaltz trap that snared Ford's revived Thunderbird, or the "Oh, it's a less detailed, chunkier Miura" hole that Lamborghini wisely avoided by not putting its concept from 2006 into production.
Underneath, the retro-modern Pug carries not a whiff of the old. It's a pure battery-electric EV. A 100.0-kWh pack feeds juice to a powerplant that churns out 590 lb-ft of torque and 455 horsepower. That respectable helping of power is routed to all four wheels. Peugeot claims it'll trot to 62 mph in under four seconds and top out at 137 mph. On the new European cycle, range has been determined to be 372 miles. Now how's about that, Mr. Musk? For reference, the Model S 100D is rated at 267 miles under the same test regime. Its range as rated by our EPA is 335 miles. Of course, the Model S is six years old at this point, and the Peugeot is merely a concept car. If they wanted, Peugeot could assert that the e-Legend runs on éclairs and Chanel No. 5, and we'd all nod our heads and intone "Ouais!" with much seriousness.
Range, however, isn't the only arena where Peugeot seems to be taking direct aim at Elon Musk's automotive enterprise. The e-Legend's got whimsy, albeit French whimsy, which is distinct from South-African-by-way-of-Silicon-Valley whimsy largely because it's more inscrutable yet less goofy. While Tesla touts its Autopilot system, Peugeot's gone ahead and come up with two separate autonomous-driving modes for the e-Legend. Soft mode is meant to cosset the occupants and features only the bare essential amount of information on the car's screens, so as not to bombard passengers with a whole lot of distracting hoo-ha. Sharp mode delivers a livelier experience, offering maximum connectivity and engagement, Check Facebook without fear of the gendarmes, mon ami! What's more, in autonomous mode, the steering wheel retracts, offering an uninterrupted view of the car's 49-inch screen. Occupants can watch films or play integrated video games on the central screen, or in the smaller screens embedded in the sun visors. The car also features a voice-activated digital assistant capable of speaking 17 languages in the voice of Peugeot Style director Gilles Vidal. They worked with Focal on the sound system, which can send navigation messages solely to the driver while passengers' music remains blissfully uninterrupted. The same technology allows François to enjoy his Burning Heads record while sister Brigitte enjoys some classic yé-yé sides-sans the need for headphones.
If you'd prefer to drive the e-Legend yourself, Cruising mode arranges the interior to evoke simpler days of motoring. The digital dash displays three dials, reminiscent of the old 504, and the sun-visor screens display a digital facsimile of wood. In Boost mode, the road is projected on the large single screen, offering what Peugeot refers to as "180-degree immersion."
We hope PSA sees fit to build something like the e-Legend. Its handsome looks are a world away from the assortment of jellybeans the brand currently has on offer, and its quoted range is serious business. Heck, we'll take the power upgrade over the old 504 as well. The old car may have been iconic, but it was never renowned for being exactly quick. So far, however, the company has only confirmed that a version of the new digital assistant will be available in its production cars within two years. According to Imparato, "Boredom will never be a part of our DNA." Having stared at the e-Legend long enough-and longingly enough-we'd be inclined to believe it, had we not encountered some rather dreadful Peugeots on European roads in the 27 years since the brand pulled up stakes in America. Wanna come back to the States, guys? Build one of these based on the 504 wagon, give it a bit of a lift, and sell it as a crossover. But, just for us, bring the coupe, too.
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