he 605 was a saloon built on the same platform as the Citroën XM and was the successor to the critically well received, but slow selling, Peugeot 604, which went out of production four years earlier.^[2] The popular Peugeot 505 model was thus phased out in the end of the 1980s and beginning of the 1990s in favour of two cars, the large family car 405 and the executive car 605.


Peugeot kept the estate version of the 505 in production until
1992, and had planned to replace it with an estate version of the 605,
but this was eventually abandoned.


The car was launched in July 1989 in left-hand drive form; a
right-hand version was launched onto the British market during the first
half of 1990. At the time of the original launch, only petrol engines
were available.


In April 1990, the turbodiesel followed, and the naturally aspirated diesel was added in autumn 1990.^[3]


High equipment levels, a luxurious interior, a smooth ride, and exceptional handling were strong points for the 605. But Peugeot
had always struggled to succeed with large cars outside France and the
605 was no different. It was too similar in design and appearance to the
smaller Peugeot 405 to command a price premium, while its dashboard also drew criticism for its uninspired design.


PSA Peugeot Citroën, like Vauxhall/Opel, has not been able to address the "luxury brand" issue effectively, the automobile market seeming to reward segmentation by brands from one factory, like Lexus/Toyota, Acura/Honda, and Audi/Volkswagen.


Also like the XM, the 605 initially suffered from quality issues
that resulted in numerous breakdowns or malfunctions (particularly with
the ambitious electrics).^[4]
An extensive recall operation took place at great cost, in which most
of the engine room wiring and exhaust system (as well as numerous other
parts) were exchanged, but by then the damage to the car's reputation
had been done.


In 1995, Peugeot tried to solve the problems by unveiling an
extensively revamped 605 (known as the "Phase 2" model); it received a
facelift which looked modern at its time, but also the interior was
vastly improved by giving it more ergonomic controls and a refreshed
look. The naturally aspirated diesel was discontinued at this time, as
the new 406 was placed to supplant the lower specification 605s.


Performance and handling were improved as well, and many of the
reliability issues were solved. Technological advances were made, most
remarkably the side airbags, although sales remained low.


After the launch of the well received Peugeot 406
(that was larger than the 405 it replaced) in 1995, 605 sales dropped
to near insignificant levels, and it was quietly dropped in September
1999. The 605's successor, the Peugeot 607, was launched in the autumn of 1999, and was slightly more successful on the domestic and export markets.


The end of 605 production in 1999 spelled the end of the "05" generation Peugeots in Europe after more than twenty years, this generation had started in 1977, with the 305.


A 605 served as a French presidential state car, being used to drive around president François Mitterrand.^[5]