As a 407 owner I disagree.  Never had a 406, by previous car was a 306.  But
the 407 is the first car in its class that I have driven that is a better
drive than a Mondeo (at least with the Hdi 136).

Compared to the 407, the 306 feels like driving a tractor.  My only
disappointment with the 407 has been fuel consumption, which has been
consistently been about 10mpg less than I expected,  But today I drove from
Leicester to Peterborough and back (about 80 miles) with the climate control
off and didnt reset the trip computer till I got clear of Leicester and its
traffic lights.  I got 44mpg, which is a lot better than the average of 37
that I was getting.

The 407 handles superbly and goes well, even if you can almost see the fuel
gauge dropping if you use the performance.  But I suspect the 406 was the
same in this respect.  

I had a ride in a 406 airport taxi recently, and the driver said he could get
46mpg from the HDI engine, but nearly all his driving was on motorways at a
constant 70mph.  BNasically he drove very gently, and I think you need to do
the same with the 407 to get good fuel consumption.

Martin