Peugeot 604

Peugeot
604
Production period:	1975-1986
Class :	upper middle class
Body versions :	limousine
Engines:	Otto engines : 2.0–2.9 liters (71–110 kW) Diesel engines : 2.3–2.5 liters (59–70 kW)
Length:	4721 mm
Width:	1770 mm
Height:	1457 mm
Wheelbase :	2800 mm
Empty weight :	1525 kg
successor	Peugeot 605

The Peugeot 604 was the first model in the area of the upper middle class of the French car manufacturer Peugeot since 1931 and successor of the Peugeot 601 . It was produced between the autumn of 1975 and the spring of 1986.

history

The 604 was first presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1975. Peugeot decided to create a luxury vehicle with traditional lines on the technical basis of the 504 .

With its smooth, clear lines, the design by Pininfarina was an inconspicuous but representative touring car. Perhaps that is why the Élysée Palace chose the 604 for use on official occasions. The 604 was designed in the Bavans Technical Center near Montbéliard .

The coachbuilder Heuliez also offered a version with a length of 5.34 m and a landaulet , of which only two were built.

Rear view

The first 604 V6 SL were delivered in September 1975. They used the new PRV -V6 machine with 2664 cm³. This engine was the so-called "Europe V6" and was jointly developed and used by Peugeot (604), Renault (R30) and Volvo (V264) (hence also "PRV"). The cylinder angle of 90 °, which is unusual for a V6, and the associated uneven running behavior are due to the fact that the "Europe V6" was initially designed as an eight-cylinder engine, but was later shortened by two cylinders due to the 1973 oil crisis .

The engine output was initially 136 hp. It was delivered with the manually shiftable BA10 / 4 gearbox with four gears. Alternatively, it was sold as an Automatique with automatic transmission from the production of the General Motors transmission plant in Strasbourg. In 1977 the 604 TI with Bosch - K-Jetronic (144 hp) was introduced. There was now a standard five-speed gearbox BA10 / 5 and a three-speed gearbox from ZF in the automatic vehicles. In September 1980 the STI followed with improved equipment.

At the end of 1979 the model range was supplemented by a model SR with a two-liter four-cylinder injection engine (96 hp) from the 504 (type A18). This version remained in the offer until 1983 and was only delivered to French authorities who wanted an economical but representative vehicle in the wake of the energy crisis.

By the end of production, Peugeot expanded the model range of the 604 to include the 150 hp GTI (2849 cm³, improved with even ignition intervals and smooth running) and some four-cylinder diesel engines: 604 D-Turbo with Garrett turbo and 80 PS (2304 cm³), the modified XD2 machine, which was later divided into the equipment lines GRD and SRD Turbo. In the last few years of production, the engine was replaced by a more powerful version with 95 hp (2498 cm³). A four-speed automatic - also from ZF - was available for the diesel engines.

When the first Peugeot 604 D-Turbo was presented in February 1979, it was the first turbodiesel in a passenger car in Europe and the first to be offered with a manual transmission (Mercedes-Benz had already sold the 300 SD with a five-cylinder engine in the USA in 1976 Turbo diesel engine and four-speed automatic started).

The Peugeot 604 turned out to be an expensive and technically conservative, but comfortable and easy-to-drive luxury car. Its reputation, however, quickly suffered from early rust. To save costs, Peugeot used the front doors of the 504 on the 604.

The GDR State Council Chairman Erich Honecker used the 604 as a state limousine. A 604 landaulet was used by France's President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing , the second as a representative limousine for the President of the Republic of Niger.

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  inner space

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  604 as the state coach by Valery Giscard d'Estaing

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  Peugeot 604 from Erich Honecker
  (IA-1000)

In February 1986 production of the 604 ended after 153,266 (other sources cite 153,252) vehicles.

Peugeot initially tried to fill its offer for the upper middle class with the Peugeot 505 , which was technically upgraded for this. It was not until July 1989 that a direct successor to the 604 appeared with the 605 .

Licensed construction from Kia

Kia Motors manufactured the 604 under license from 1975. Due to the rationalization in the Korean car market, production ended in 1981, whereby the vehicles produced by Peugeot for Kia continued to roll off the production line until 1985. Only with the Kia Potentia in 1992 did Kia again offer a model in the upper middle class.

Web links

Commons : Peugeot 604  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Peugeot 604 D-Turbo (German)
• French 604 Club (English and French)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Breakdown of the years of construction in the spare parts catalog - Microfiche Peugeot 1983
2. ↑ ^{a b} Allain, François (1996). Guide Peugeot: Tous le modèles de 1970 à 1990 EPA 1996
3. ↑ Workshop manual Peugeot 604
4. ↑ 604 Landaulet in Niger ( Memento of the original dated December 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
5. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.