Shout Peugeot 405 and everyone brings it to mind. The Fiat Croma may have the same effect to a lesser extent. One sold like crazy, the other not like that. Yet they didn’t even seem to avoid each other that much 30 years ago.
In the second half of the 1980s, both Peugeot and Fiat launched a new mid-sized car. Fiat came in 1986 with the Croma and Peugeot a year later with the 405. In terms of age they hardly differed from each other. In addition, they were both very good-looking cars for that time, for which Peugeot design house Pininfarina and Fiat could thank design master Giorgetto Giugiaro.
This was also evident from our double test of exactly 30 years ago. We picked up a 405 and a Croma that cost almost the same (over 47,000 guilders) and both were equipped with a diesel engine. Of course, both models also had to appeal to the business market and then these diesels were the most obvious choices.
To find out which of the two was the best if you were indeed on the road a lot, we drove it to Geneva. A good drive in one day, to see how you got out of both cars after a day on the road. The Peugeot rolled out as a favorite, because it made a slightly more comfortable impression. The finish, the space for passengers in the back, the seating comfort, the suspension and the noise level of the engine were also better than in the Fiat.
End of story for the Fiat, you would think. Well, no. With the Croma, Fiat really convinced us at the time. The Italian also had a few stripes ahead of the 405. An important advantage was the consumption. For the same money as the 405, the Croma had a larger (2.0 vs. 1.8) diesel engine, one with direct injection and therefore a more favorable consumption. In addition, the Croma offered a much more usable cargo space in the rear, because it had a hatchback lid, divisible rear seat and a much lower lift threshold. In addition, the Croma was also better equipped than the 405 for the same price. Things like electrically operated front and rear windows, an armrest, automatic climate control and curtains in the rear were – unlike in the 405 – present.
It was therefore a difficult choice at the bottom of the line. It was difficult to choose a winner, as they both met slightly different requirements. The Peugeot was more comfortable, better finished, quieter and more convincing in terms of design, the Croma more luxurious, more practical and more economical. However, the sales figures show very clearly which of the two models was the most successful. Peugeot sold a total of 83,000 405s in the Netherlands. Fiat sold roughly 8,000 units of the first Croma.