XP400 test – Peugeot had never set foot in the “maxi-scooter” category. The what? These big cars disguised as bathtubs, always practical but rarely sexy.
In 2023, however, the brand is launching with the XP400. As is the trend, the newborn adopts a physics of two-wheeled SUV, off-road scooter. Or all-sidewalk.
In short, an adventurous look that should guarantee him a certain rating with those who confuse potholes and ruts. The usefulness of this trend remains to be demonstrated, but the commercial results are there.
Result: Peugeot goes all out. Handguards, “hard wearing” tires, full LED headlamps, 41 mm Kayaba inverted fork and significant suspension travel, it’s all there. The Honda ADV 350, BMW C 400 X and Kymco DTX 360, main competitors, better watch out.
XP can even disconnect your traction control systemto get out of situations and afford small sways by accelerating on dirt or gravel.
The machine is doing quite well on the roads, but to really deserve adventurer status, it would have needed a disconnectable ABS as well as a position designed for standing driving.
It does not matter: despite the various successes gleaned by Peugeot in this event, no one, a priori, was planning to register for the Dakar with the XP400.
On the road, the Peugeot does its job perfectly. If its length (2.19 meters), its generous wheelbase and its 17-inch front wheel would in principle risk impairing handling, it is easy and comfortable for maneuvering at low speeds, between cars.
Even its rather wide handlebars are forgotten when climbing lines. Its weight, surprisingly substantial (231 kg), goes almost unnoticed in town and on the road. And its big front wheel, shod like its sisterun efficace Pirelli STR Rallybenefits stability.
The XP400, which also offered an original architecture, with a single horizontal rear shock absorber, even admits to being nicely agile and comfortable, although a little firm.
We can only blame him, dynamically, for a little lack of bite. The power of the brakes is there, their effectiveness too. But it is necessary to exert a certain pressure on the levers for the heavy braking, during which the ABS, when it intervenes, acts effectively.
Another small regret: a lack of sensation during acceleration and raises. Taken from the Metropolis 3-wheeler, this 400 cc single-cylinder nevertheless extracts 36 hp and 38 Nm of torque.
But to meet pollution standards, its drive has received heavier rollers, which generate more inertia on takeoff. This slows the response of the transmission, but significantly reduces the peak of rejections generated at each start.
Despite this technical aspect, the XP400 shows good health, reaching quite easily during our test the maximum speed indicated on the technical sheet (137 km/h). Even before reaching this speed, the protection, although very suitable, shows its limits.
The driver remains pampered, however, with a straight, easy position and readable counters. Its passenger is not badly off either, with well-placed handles and a raised seat, so a clear view forward.
To top it all off, the XP400 offers connectivity through an app, with turn-by-turn GPS and text message reading, and all the practical aspects. Keyless start, small storage at the head of the saddle (between the rider’s legs), trunk controlled openings (illuminated) under the saddle and the tank cap, side and central stands. The account is good.
However, only one full-face helmet can be accommodated under the saddle. And the back of the latter, which opens independently giving access to another storage, is not kept open, for lack of a jack.
A detail ultimately without great importance on this scooter which, to convince the last skeptics, has the good taste of being made in Mandeure, Franceon the oldest of Peugeot’s historic sites.
But local production has a price: €8,099 in the Allure finish, and €400 more for the GT finish, covered with a smoked windscreen and pretty tangential spoke rims. Enough to place the XP400, including on the price side, at the top of its segment.
Peugeot XP400 test: our opinion
It is displayed at a high price and could perhaps offer more sensations. But the French, convincing, pleasant, well presented and equipped, has almost everything going for it.
WE love
- Presentation and equipment
- Approval and behavior
- French made
- Satisfactory protection
We love less
- High price
- Lack of mechanical feel
- Double opening saddle
Peugeot XP 400: technical sheet
- Engine: single cylinder 4T, 4 valves, liquid cooled, 400 cc3
- Transmission: variator
- Power (hp @ rpm): 36 @ 8,150
- Torque (Nm at rpm): 38.1 at 5,400
- Poids (kg) : 231
- Lengthxwidth (m): 2.19×0.87
- Seat height (mm): 815
- Tank (l): 13.5
- AV-AR series tires: 110/70-17 – 160/60-15
- Front brakes: double discs Ø 295 mm, ABS
- Rear brakes: single disc Ø 240 mm, ABS
- Price: from €8,099
- Price of the tested version: €8,499 (GT finish)
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