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By
EWAN KENNEDY
26 February 2006
Peugeot 207 takes the French marque’s styling theme one step
further than ever before. Coming as it does with a large radiator
grille, a long sleek nose and complex headlights that go almost all the
way to the windscreen. The shoulder angles are sharp and highlight the
triangular shape of the C-pillar that was first introduced in the
Peugeot 307. The overall effect is stunning and there are many who will
buy the Peugeot 207 on its shape along.
The 207 is substantially larger than the 206 it replaces. This
is particularly noticeable in the cabin. Not only is it
significantly bigger in every dimension, but the Peugeot designers
have again shown that they can build interiors that appear to be
more spacious than they really are. It goes without saying that
style is a major feature of the new car’s interior.
The rear seat is spacious for a car in this class, with
headroom for a six-footer and legroom to match, though it’s
necessary to shift the front seat forward a notch or two to be
able to stretch out in the back.
Boot space at 270 litres is pretty good for a car in this
class. It can be expanded by double-folding the back seats.
Power comes from a number of engines, indeed the powerplant
range is one of the largest on the Australian market. There are
1.4-litre petrol units in two different formats, one a full-on
economy unit with 55 kW and 120 Nm, the other producing 65 kW and
133 Nm.
There's a 1.6-litre petrol engine that’s sold with or without
a turbocharger, power and torque outputs are 88 kW / 160 Nm, and
110 kW / 240 Nm respectively. Peak torque on the turbo engine
begins at an amazingly low 1400 rpm, then continues all the way to
3500 rpm.
Peugeot is pushing strongly in the diesel field in Australia
and for the first time its small car will have a turbo-diesel
option in this country. The 207 HDi is a 1.6-litre 80 kW unit with
a strong 240 Newton metres under normal conditions. And an
additional 20 Nm for a few seconds under hard acceleration to make
for prompter overtaking.
Our market will be one of the first to receive automatic
transmissions as we have a much higher rate of take up in these
than do European countries. Only to be mated with the 16-litre
petrol engine, it has four forward speeds and can be used as a
full auto or with Porsche-style tiptronic overrides. The manual
gearbox has five ratios.
Peugeot 207 will initially be sold as three- and five-door
hatchbacks. A 207CC is due here in June and a Touring station
wagon will arrive in October. Peugeot has hinted we may see an
important sneak preview of at least one of these models at the
Melbourne Motor Show.
Model choices are also expansive, with Peugeot 207 being sold
as the XR, XT, XE and GT variants. With a hot GTi model arriving
in June.
Not all engine/transmission/body choices are available in every
Peugeot 207 model. Contact www.peugeot.com.au/ or call your local
Peugeot dealer for a comprehensive list of what is on offer.
Our initial road testing of the Peugeot 207 was done on
challenging roads in Tasmania and we came away impressed with the
way the car coped with the terrain. Suspension and steering of the
new 207 follow the company’s long tradition of giving a smooth,
comfortable ride, allied to good comfort. Comfort that is retained
even on harsh Australian backroads. Steering is sharp and precise
with fast turn in and good feel back through the wheel.
We were only able to sample the GT 1.6 turbo-petrol and XT
turbo-diesel engines as they were the only ones available in
Australia at the time of the pre-launch look at the cars. Both
have impressive torque and good response.
Prices for the new Peugeots range from $19,990 for a 207 with
the economy 1.4-litre manual in three-door XR format, and go up to
$32,490 for an automatic XE five-door. In between are the $24,990
XT five-door with the 1.6 petrol engine and the $27,990 XT HDi
turbo-diesel. Again, we suggest contacting Peugeot for a full
price list.
Though it had been planned to sell the Peugeot 207 alongside a
lower-cost version of the Peugeot 206, that idea has been shelved
for Australia. That’s because the factory which builds
right-hand-drive versions of the 206 is being closed down and
there would have been a considerable delay before the cars could
be made in an alternative plant.
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Marque Publishing Company
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