Peugeot 207
By Andrew Frankel of The Sunday Times
Come on, give us a smile
When a car industry executive said to me the other day, "You know the
fun car is dead?", I was more than a little surprised. Such candour
is always unusual but it is even more surprising when the man
responsible is Olivier Thrierr, father of the new Peugeot 207.
Peugeot used to build the most fun small cars in the world. Names
like 405 Mi-16, 306 GTi-6, 106 GTi and, of course, 205 GTi are
nothing less than classics. They date from an era when, if you needed
an affordable family car but also wanted something sporty, you bought
the best Peugeot your budget would stand. It was as simple as that.
Today Peugeot has no sporting cars. It's as though the person who
used to be the toast of the school playground has wound up as a
librarian.
The 207 is far and away the most important Peugeot to be launched in
the eight years since the 206 first broke cover. Unlike the 206, it
will not be built at Peugeot's Ryton factory in the West Midlands,
but in Spain, France and Slovakia.
The job of the 207 is to emulate the 206's phenomenal success by
becoming the bestselling retail (as opposed to fleet) car in the
country. The 206 maintained outstanding sales long after it had
fallen out of the class best, so the 207 has a lot to live up to.
Just as you'd expect — and as we've seen with all the latest cars to
enter this class, from the Renault
Clio to the Toyota Yaris and Fiat Grande Punto — it's bigger, safer,
better built and heavier.
When it goes on sale in May there will be three and five-door
bodywork on offer and 1.4 and 1.6 litre engines with both petrol and
diesel power. There will be four trim levels and prices will range
from about £10,000 to £14,000, with diesels commanding a premium of
about £800.
Anyone climbing out of a 206 into a 207 will notice the improvement.
Quality levels are beyond comparison (as they needed to be), the
ridiculous driving position has been fixed and there's more room in
both the front and back. The car looks good, too, though perhaps not
sufficiently distinct from other Peugeot models.
Customers will need to pick their 207 with care as rarely has a range
of hatches come to the market with a greater span between best and
worst Avoid the 110bhp 1.6 litre petrol version, at least until its
harsh, gutless motor has been replaced by one designed in conjunction
with BMW this autumn. The 90bhp 1.4 litre petrol engine is not only
smoother, more frugal and cheaper, in the real world it doesn't seem
to offer much less performance. The 110bhp 1.6 litre diesel is
refined and gutsy but likely to be expensive, yet it is the 70bhp 1.4
litre diesel that looks most promising on paper, though it was not
available at the car's launch.
If you're interested in ride comfort you should choose the biggest
wheels you can. Increasing wheel size usually wrecks ride quality
but, bizarrely and for no good reason anyone from Peugeot could
explain, the reverse is true of the 207.
What none of the 207s will provide is much fun on the open road. All
have precise steering and flawlessly safe handling, but aren't
involving in the way French hatches used to be, although I'd still
say they were better to drive than an equivalent new Renault Clio.
Unfortunately the same can't be said when comparing the Peugeot with
its counterparts from Nissan and Toyota. The Micra and Yaris indulge
their drivers more subtly and effectively. Never thought the time
would come when Japanese tin boxes would drive better than cute
French hatchbacks? It's here now.
Predictable though the 207 is, I still think it will find and broadly
deserve its place in the hearts of the hatchback-buying public. It
looks right and with six airbags and a five-star Euro NCAP rating its
safety credentials are impeccable. It will also prove easy to live
with thanks to excellent all-round visibility, a well-shaped boot and
super-light steering at parking speeds.
Those looking for novelty will find it in the fragrance diffuser.
Standard on SE models, there are seven scents — lime, vanilla,
peppermint, orange, mango, jasmine and one convincingly titled "pure
sensation", designed to neutralise the smell of tobacco smoke. They
come in cartridges that plug into the dash.
All of which leaves me feeling reasonably well disposed towards the
207, albeit while wishing Peugeot could have been more adventurous
with its design.
My biggest concern is its creator's assertion that it is no longer
possible to make such cars fun. Not only is he wrong but the
manufacturer that proves it will make hay for years to come.
Model Peugeot 207 1.4 S
Engine type 1360cc, four cylinders
Power/Torque 90bhp @ 5250rpm /98 lb ft @ 3250rpm
Transmission Five-speed manual
Fuel/CO² 44.1mpg / 152g/km
Performance 0-62mph: 12.7sec
Top speed: 112mph
Price about £10,500
Verdict Unadventurous, but an attractive package
Rating 4/5
Release date May
THE OPPOSITION
Model Toyota Yaris T3 1.3 VVT-i £10,495
For Entertaining to drive, clever cabin, good looking
Against Interior quality, a little noisy at speed
Model Renault Clio 1.4 Dynamique £10,550
For Exceptionally well built, spacious interior, safe
Against Dull to drive, rather large for a supermini
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Received on Sat Apr 1 09:21:33 2006
