Daimler Sovereign vs Peugeot 604: cross-Channel showdown

By Martin Buckley

| 18 Apr 2024

Classic & Sports Car – Daimler Sovereign vs Peugeot 604: cross-Channel showdown

In the mid-1970s, a whole swathe of newly minted European executive saloon cars appeared.

Some had been held over from the early years of the decade, awaiting the end of the first Fuel Crisis, while others were simply too far down the developmental line to cancel altogether.

Although sales of large saloons were in an overall slump, the promise of higher profit margins per unit, and the chance to boost corporate prestige with a flagship product, made the big-car class a difficult sector to ignore.

The Peugeot 604’s boxy lines (left) contrast with the Daimler Sovereign’s imperious styling

Germany was already in the ascendancy: the relentless success of Mercedes-Benz – with BMW coming up fast on the inside – showed there was still a fortune to be made as long as the product and the image were right.

In Britain, one of the natural homes of the luxury car, Jaguar held the fort while other great names lost their way: the imaginatively designed but abysmally executed 1976 Rover 3500 showed how hard-won reputations for excellence could be casually squandered.

It was hard to predict what the French might come up with.

This highly original Daimler Sovereign 4.2 S2 has covered just 18,000 miles

As strangers to the world of large-engined cars for decades (thanks to punitive taxation on anything over 2.8 litres), the country’s manufacturers tackled the problem of building a luxury saloon for the cash-strapped ’70s with two new designs: enter, within just months of each other in 1975, the Peugeot 604 SL and Renault 30 TS.

At the heart of this two-pronged French assault was a new engine, the same jointly developed, oversquare, 2.7-litre all-alloy V6 seen a year earlier in the Volvo 264 and Peugeot 504 Coupé, but denied – perhaps for reasons of corporate jealousy – to the new Citroën CX.

The light and compact new co-op V6 had a gentle 8.65:1 compression ratio, chain-driven single overhead camshafts and a 90° angle between its cylinder banks: the resulting uneven firing order suggested that, like the Citroën SM V6, it had been conceived initially as a V8 but only realised as a less profligate V6 in the wake of the 1973 fuel shortages.

‘In terms of smoothness and ride, the Peugeot 604 was probably the only car to truly rival the standard-setting Jaguar XJ’

By tweaking the timing, Peugeot made the PRV V6 spin as sweetly as any contemporary, even if the curious combination of one single-choke and one twin-choke carburettor – the former for small throttle openings, the latter for higher loads – didn’t sound like a recipe for seamless acceleration.

The 604 SL was the more traditional of the French newcomers, eschewing front-drive and hatchback versatility for a rear-driven, Pininfarina-styled three-box saloon whose deceptively sophisticated underpinnings had been skilfully extrapolated from the well-established 504 saloon: the 604 was 9in longer overall and had a 2in-longer wheelbase.

The bulkhead, doors and most of the floorpan were shared with the 2-litre car, along with the basics – if not the necessarily the detail – of its suspension and drivetrain.

The Jaguar XJ’s steering is light, but feels slightly detached when driven with gusto

The torque tube, good for damping out harshness and vibration, was typically Peugeot, and a great deal of attention had been paid to the bushing of the long-travel, semi-trailing-arm rear suspension to attenuate the transmission of road noise.

By sharing its components with lesser models, Peugeot was able to price the 604 competitively against international opposition and bring it to market fully equipped for its task.

Four-wheel disc brakes, power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering and electric windows all came as standard, while leather seats, air-con and a wash-wipe for the headlights were optional.

The Daimler Sovereign’s plush cabin provides a clear view out

The 604, allegedly designed in just eight months, was heavy for its 136bhp, and neither was it the fastest in its class nor the most frugal: even with the four-speed manual ’box you could only expect 18mpg.

Yet the 604 offset these criticisms with high levels of refinement, and in terms of smoothness, ride quality, and suppression of road and wind noise, it was probably the only car to truly rival the standard-setting Jaguar XJ – and was certainly way ahead of the relatively noisy, firmly-sprung German saloons of the period.

As one of the most restful and comfortable cars available at any price, the 604 also had class-leading rear-seat head- and legroom, and a cavernously deep boot.

The Daimler Sovereign 4.2 S2 is one of the definitive British-built saloon cars

Things got off to a good start, with 36,000 sold in year one, but that early success tailed off from the late ’70s onwards, despite regular attempts at updating the concept.

In fact, the introduction of the more compact Peugeot 505 in 1979 did as much as anything to curb the popularity of the 604.

In search of more power, Peugeot supplemented the 604 range with the K-Jetronic fuel-injected, 142bhp TI in 1978, then in 1981 the Michelin TRX-shod STI arrived fitted with a ZF (rather than GM) three-speed automatic ’box or a five-speed manual.

The Daimler’s 4.2-litre XK straight-six engine is strong on torque

Sales of turbodiesel-equipped 604s had modestly boosted the model’s popularity since the late 1970s, but attempts at capturing the North American market had, predictably, foundered.

The carburetted SL was pensioned off in 1982, and in 1984 the range-topping 155bhp, 2.8-litre 604 GTI replaced the STI.

By the time the 604 appeared, the XJ had been updated to Series 2 specification in 1973.

The waiting lists were as long as ever and not helped by the fact that the workforce seemed to spend as much time on the picket line as the production lines.

The Daimler Sovereign received updated switchgear in Series 2 guise

With the 2.8 discontinued and the long-wheelbase shell now the standard body, Jaguar’s answer for economy-minded buyers was the S2 3.4, which in 1975 met the carburetted 604 SL head-on at just under £5000.

The significantly livelier, better-equipped and barely greedier XJ 4.2 made a lot more sense if you could find the extra £400.

Robert Hughes’ beautifully preserved and almost entirely original S2 Daimler Sovereign 4.2, a beautiful 18,000-mile example, is as familiar to British eyes as the 604 is virtually unknown in 2024, yet there is an air of formal and clean-lined dignity about the big Peugeot that brings with it an appeal all of its own.

The Daimler Sovereign’s cocooning rear chairs

‘Our’ 1981 604 TI must be one of the best in captivity, having been the subject of a great deal of recent restoration work by Salisbury-based HC Classics: as well as tackling the usual 604 rust, the car’s suspension, brakes and steering have all been rebuilt, and its electricals refurbished.

Parts are not easy to find, as you might imagine, but a donor 604 helped.

With its wide-opening doors and lavish rear legroom, it is easy to see why the 604 became the default French ministerial car.

But if the XJ Sovereign – perhaps the definitive British saloon-car shape – doesn’t have a bad angle, the Peugeot can look heavy when caught in the wrong light, with too much boxy rear-end overhang (hence the gigantic boot) but almost nothing at the front, revealing how its designers took advantage of the compact V6.

The classic Daimler manages body movements better than the Peugeot 604

The 604 is slightly narrower and significantly shorter than the Sovereign, and it has an extra inch of wheelbase.

It also gives the impression of towering over the sleek and sinuous maroon XJ, but is actually only half an inch taller.

At 3200lb, the 604 is notably less hefty than the 3700lb Daimler, but, with its 170bhp and 231lb ft of torque, the XK ‘six’ is well equipped to cope with the disparity.

The 604’s alloy V6, covered with injection plumbing, looks an unremarkable installation compared with the elegantly sculptural XK’s proud cam covers and simple twin SU carburettor set-up.

The Peugeot 604 is free-revving and agile

Inside, both cars are good places to be, if for different reasons.

Retrimmed in leather (and converted from manual to automatic for its current doting owner), the 604 has an inviting cabin in which the comfort and wellbeing of its rear passengers has been given as much consideration as that of those in the front, with reading lights and built-in head restraints.

The seats are large and soft but not soggy, and while ’70s road testers complained about the rising runners on the driver’s seat, which meant the cushion was too low when pushed right back, I had no trouble getting comfortable.

The Peugeot 604 TI benefits from a K-Jetronic fuel-injection system

Cloth – standard on the XJ 3.4 and XJC – was an option on the 4.2 saloon, but, like most, this Daimler variant has leather.

You slide down into and almost wear the car, with its narrow footwells, lowish roof and impressive length of bonnet viewed through a narrow windscreen.

The seats appear less lavish than the Peugeot’s, but are more supportive against the decent cornering forces both cars can generate.

Even in rationalised Series 2 form, with new column stalks replacing the handsome rocker switches, the Sovereign has more pleasing – and less brittle – detailing than the Peugeot, with its bland slab of injection-moulded plastic, fussy glassed-in instrumentation and oddly placed minor switchgear.

The Peugeot 604 TI’s smooth V6 engine is compact and relatively light, helping balance

Thin ’screen pillars mean good all-round vision in the XJ, but the 604’s short, flat bonnet, higher-set driving position and squared-off extremities make it particularly easy to place.

Both cars invite you to drive them with confidence, but the XJ has the edge in accurate, progressive throttle movements and easily modulated braking; the sensitive servo action of the 604’s anchors can feel a little sudden.

The extra torque of the Daimler makes its acceleration more authoritative and effortless than that of the Peugeot, but there is less in it than you might think.

The tyres’ generous sidewalls aid the Peugeot 604’s excellent ride

There is not much point in using more than 3500-4000rpm in the Sovereign, at which point a remote if well-bred growl is beginning to disturb the peace.

The 604’s silky V6 revs out freely, offering a slightly busy but not unpleasant sound.

It changes gear more positively than the slightly slurring efforts of the XJ’s three-speed auto – courtesy of Messrs Borg and Warner – and can summon its part-throttle kickdown more readily, so it always feels lively.

Both cars are cloister-calm when cruising – wind noise is lower in the Daimler – but would be nicer machines with higher gearing.

The Peugeot 604 TI has an inviting cabin, but some of the trim feels cheap

The light engine makes the 604 well balanced front-to-rear and nimble on the road, with the feeling of something smaller and lighter, and it combines this sense of agility with a ride so good you wonder what designers have been up to for the intervening 40-odd years.

It shares with the XJ a sense of indifference to bumps, potholes and noise-inducing surface textures that is uncanny.

Carefully calibrated dampers are the secret (Peugeot was unique in making its own), plus the aforementioned hefty bushes to filter out noise.

Clear but workmanlike dials in the Peugeot 604 TI

In this respect the Peugeot might just have the edge on the XJ, but the British car – with its uncompromising, quad-damped and carefully isolated rear end – has less low-speed bump-thump and, because it manages roll and pitch more effectively than the 604, tends to cause its occupants less disquiet when driven hard.

The Peugeot’s steering has the weight and feel to make the car slightly handier.

Jaguar/Daimler customers liked the light, slightly detached feeling of the XJ’s otherwise pleasant helm, but drive briskly through a succession of curves and it can leave you guessing a little as to how quickly the understeer is building.

The Peugeot 604’s rear passengers are well cared for

Both of these superbly refined 1970s saloons were created with an understanding that the ability to connect two places at high speed with as little effort but as much pleasure as possible – for both driver and passengers – is the true definition of luxury in an automobile.

They were designed with a sense of finesse and judgement that long predated an obsession with Nürburgring handling.

The XJ6 set such a high standard in so many areas, yet it was such good value that it made many much more exotic cars seem irrelevant.

Pretty and poised, it is still an irresistible package in so many ways (if a rather familiar one) that it wins the sentimental vote because it feels not only so English, but also so personal to the characters that created it.

‘Both were designed with a sense of finesse and judgement that predated an obsession with Nürburgring handling’

Not so the Peugeot 604: it was, and is, a fine car – perhaps the definitive big Euro saloon of its day – designed with absolute competence by the world’s second-oldest car maker, yet lacking a crucial element of charm, Gallic or otherwise.

Almost four decades after its demise, sheer rarity value makes up for this: fewer than 20 examples are thought to remain on British roads.

It has become a symbol of futility and failure in the realm of overreaching luxury-car ambitions of ‘bread-and-butter’ marques that didn’t know their place.

The Daimler (furthest) is more potent on paper, but its extra mass levels the performance

Yet the 604 was not a straightforward commercial disaster.

When sales of the model ended in 1985, 153,252 of them had been produced, making the big Peugeot marginally less popular than the Renault 30, if nothing like as numerous as the various premium-brand rivals from Stuttgart, Munich and Coventry’s Browns Lane built during the same period.

The Jaguar XJ series remained the car to beat, even in the face of the better-quality German opposition.

The remarkable thing about the Peugeot 604 is that, in the areas that really mattered, it probably got closer to matching the Jaguar than any other car.

Images: Max Edleston

Thanks to: HC Classics; Robert Hughes Automobiles

Factfiles

Peugeot 604 TI

Sold/number built 1975-’85/153,252 (all)
Construction steel monocoque
Engine all-alloy, sohc-per-bank 2664cc 90° V6, Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection
Max power 142bhp @ 5500rpm
Max torque 160Ib ft @ 3000rpm
Transmission three-speed auto, RWD
Suspension independent, at front by struts, lower wishbones rear semi-trailing arms, coil springs, telescopic dampers; anti-roll bar f/r
Steering power-assisted rack and pinion
Brakes discs, with servo
Length 15ft 5½in (4712mm)
Width 5ft 9½in (1765mm)
Height 4ft 6½in (1384mm)
Wheelbase 9ft 2in (2794mm)
Weight 3200Ib (1451kg)
Mpg 18
0-60mph 11.3 secs
Top speed 117mph
Price new £13,995
Price now £15,000*

Daimler Sovereign S2 4.2

Sold/number built 1973-’79/11,825 (including coupés)
Construction steel monocoque
Engine iron-block, alloy-head, dohc 4235cc straight-six, twin SU carburettors
Max power 170bhp @ 4500rpm
Max torque 231Ib ft @ 3500rpm
Transmission three-speed auto, RWD
Suspension independent, at front by wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear lower wishbones/upper driveshaft link, radius arms, twin spring/damper units
Steering power-assisted rack and pinion
Brakes discs, with servo
Length 16ft 2¾in (4947mm)
Width 5ft 9¼in (1759mm)
Height 4ft 6in (1372mm)
Wheelbase 9ft 4¾in (2864mm)
Weight 3700Ib (1678kg)
Mpg 15
0-60mph 10.1 secs
Top speed 120mph
Price new £5823
Price now £25,000*