MOTORNETNEWS  ROAD  TEST  -  JULY  2007

PEUGEOT  207  XT  HDi   HATCHBACK

Just four months after it went on sale Peugeot's smart little 207 model has racked up 616 sales to the end of June and this is very likely to increase rapidly as stocks arrive from France and there are more on the road. Its chic styling, 4-door convenience and diesel economy will ensure that one of the most popular variants of the 207 range will be the XT HDi tested here.

Priced well under $30,000 this could well be the ideal small family car as it is roomy, has excellent luggage space and competes more than favourably economy-wise with the much more expensive Hybrids.

OUTSIDE:

From its wide mouthed grille with inset chrome-ringed driving lights and rubber nudge bar to the swept back headlamps, curvy roofline and cheeky rear end, the 207 4-door hatch stands out from the small car crowd. Body colour side mirrors, door handles and anti-shopping trolley side mouldings give the car a sleeker appearance and the alloy look-a-like plastic wheels covers finish off a pretty picture.

The guards are slightly flared and the wheels are set right at each corner to give the maximum wheelbase for a comfortable ride. The four doors provide very good access to the roomy cabin and the panoramic rear windows ensures excellent rearward vision for the driver. Unlike many European imports, the Peugeot designers swapped the fuel filler cap to the left hand side for the RHD Australian-specified cars. 

The bonnet has insulation underneath and is kept open with a short rod strut. Access to maintenance points is good but the engine layout is a bit messy. Both front and rear bumpers do a fairly good job of protecting the panels and lights. The taillights are very large  and visible from the sides. 

INSIDE:

The roomy interior seats four in comfort with excellent head and leg room front and rear. The front bucket seats are extremely comfortable and offer very good lateral support and both are height adjustable. The rear seats are also comfortable and rear passengers get handy door pockets and pockets in the backs of the front seats for storage.

The all black interior trim and upholstery is relieved by the addition of lighter panels in the seats and light grey covering on the pillars and the roof lining. The plastics on the dash have a nice grained finish and look to be well fitted and of good quality. The 3-spoke steering wheel is leather-wrapped and fully adjustable for height, rake and reach. 

The hooded binnacle houses silver-rimmed dials but the silver highlights on the dash tend to reflect in the windscreen in bright sunlight. There is a large LCD display panel in the centre of the dash at the same eye height as the major instrument dials. 

The glove box has a deceivingly wide door but is actually quite small. Storage spaces around the car are fairly minimal although all four doors do have bins fitted. Twin covered and illuminate vanity mirrors are provided (something some much more expensive cars cannot boast!). 

LUGGAGE SPACE:

For a small car the Peugeot 207 boasts a very large luggage space under the hatch door.  There is a cargo cover fitted to hide your valuables, four tie-down lugs and two recesses in the hatch door for ease of closing. Add a full sized spare wheel and tyre and split fold rear seats and you get an idea that this is a well designed and value-for-money car.

There is even a cargo net to stop items from rolling from side to side and, when the seats are folded, to stop items from siding forward when hard braking. 

The lugs for the child restraints are located just behind the rear seats so that the straps don't intrude across the boot space. 

ON THE ROAD:

The 4-cylinder, 1.6-litre turbo diesel engine delivers 80kW of power at 400rpm but, more significantly, it has a whopping 240Nm of torque from as low as 1750rpm. This means you get effortless acceleration and in-traffic driving without the necessity of changing gears all the time although this isn't a chore as the light clutch and relatively snappy gear box made that task an easy one. The only problem with the gearbox was that it was very easy to change from second to fifth gear with the resultant dramatic drop in performance!  Around town you can virtually stay in 4th gear most of the time as the torquey diesel will pull away strongly in 4th from quite low speeds. Driving the 207 diesel is a very pleasant experience, especially when you can go so far between service station stops.

The average consumption for a week of mostly urban driving with a few freeway excursions resulted in 4.8 litres/100km. The highest recorded was 6.2 in urban traffic and the best was a fuel-sipping 4.1 l/100km on the freeway. The diesel engine is certainly a bit noisier than the petrol-powered 207 but not to the extent that it is annoying. At speeds above 70km/h you won't know the difference.

This little car comes with such excellent standard items as automatic headlights, trip computer, air-conditioning, ABS brakes and dual front and head airbags. the steering is light and positive but the turning circle is a bit larger than expected from a small car.

PRICE:                $27,990 plus on-road costs - 5-speed manual only available.

STANDARD:       ABS with Brake Assist and Electronic Brake Distribution; dual front and head airbags; air-conditioning; central remote locking; cloth trim; fog/driving lights; engine immobiliser; leather steering wheel; power mirrors, steering & windows; 6-speaker audio/CD system; front seat belt pre-tensioners; trip computer.

OPTIONS:            Alarm system $450; 17" alloy wheels $900; cruise control $250; leather upholstery $2,750; metallic paint $680; rear parking distance sensors $450; power sun roof $1,050.