Peugeot 107 - Long Term Test : SMALL CAR SIENCE

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Peugeot's 107 has a tough task in the burgeoning city car sector. Can it continue to deliver sales? We've been running one on our long term fleet to find out. Steve Walker reports

Small cars are everywhere just at present, the manufacturers having cottoned onto the fact that these cheap and cheerful conveyances are only going to get more popular in the future. It all bodes well for the Peugeot 107 which got its wheels under the city car market's top table well in advance of the current boom. Whether or not it's able to capitalise on the growing demand will hinge on how it compares to the market's high profile newcomers. We figured that a long term test of Peugeot's little `un was the ideal way to find out.

Manufacturers seem to be testing the city car market at the moment. The appeal of these vehicles with the ever increasing cost of motoring and the congestion in our urban areas is obvious but how much are people willing to pay for one? This is the $64,000 question that cars like the Toyota iQ, Smart ForTwo, Fiat 500 and Mitsubishi i are trying to fathom. They're offering something in addition to the standard city car formula of compact size and low costs, plus they're trying to inject an extra element of desirability and charging handsomely for it. Although not without its own sprinkling of style, Peugeot's 107 is more in line with the city car old school. It also tends to be more practical and affordable than these trend-setting runabouts and for many buyers, that will make it preferable. You can get a 107 for just over £7,500. There are cheaper ways to get a motorised four-wheeler on your driveway but by and large, they feel slightly down market. Even in its most basic form, the 107 is quite well equipped and once the specification is taken into account, it looks better value still. There's electric power steering, a CD stereo with a socket to connect your MP3 player, twin front airbags and ABS with brakeforce distribution.

"Tough build, good practicality and a lively drive all go in the plus column"

The 107 may be simple but it's well conceived and it displays the kind of chirpy, bright design that you want in a little urban scoot. The dimensions can really only be appreciated when walking around the car: it's only 3.4 meters long. The three-door shape looks the most comfortable from a design perspective. The angled window line gives the car a cute wedge profile and the flared rear haunches really emphasise the wheel-at-each-corner design. There are some neat design touches too. The glazed-in area surrounding the rear window is finished in black, giving it a very distinctive rump, especially when the car is painted in paler colours. The five-door car is less arresting to look at but the extra practicality will be a must for many buyers. We've found that headroom inside the car isn't at all bad, even for someone well over six feet tall and the big glass area up front gives an airy feel to the cabin. The rear of the three-door car is notably more claustrophobic and is really only suitable for kids and short journeys. Rear kneeroom in the five door car is little better but at least the car's beltline is a little lower, making it feel a little less hemmed in. Bootspace is the same, whether you choose the three or the five-door - 139 litres with all the seats in place or 751 litres with the rear seat folded. Our testers report that there's not a lot wrong with the 1.0-litre petrol unit used across the range. Given a bootful, this engine will punt the 107 to 60mph in 14 seconds. That doesn't look too impressive on paper but the 107's light weight ensures that pick up from rest is very good and you'll get the drop on much more powerful cars away from the lights. You'll have to give the 68bhp three-cylinder engine a good whipping on the motorway though. A narrowish power band also means you'll need to keep on top of the gearchanges if the route gets a bit hilly. Handling we've found to be very good. Although the 107 is short and tall, you can push the car very hard and it never feels disconcertingly `tippy'. Yes, it does feel as if it's suffered a mortal blow if you hit a speed bump with some numbers on the clock but you can't have everything. The front seats are reasonably good and ride quality is otherwise OK. The steering feels a little rubbery at first but you'll be able to position the 107 with millimetric precision, helped by a throttle pedal that's easy to modulate. The Peugeot 107 sits somewhere in the middle of the modern city car sector. It's not as desirable as the latest crop of chic small cars but it's more engaging that the real budget-orientated stuff that aims to get you from A to B and little else. Tough build, good practicality and a lively drive all go in the plus column for Peugeot's offering and after time spent behind the wheel, you'd have to say there's very little that's seriously wrong. The 107 has established itself well since launch and though the competition is getting stiffer, it should continue to do its manufacturer proud.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Peugeot 107 range
PRICES: £7,595-£8,445 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 1E
CO2 EMISSIONS: 106g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 14s / Max Speed 96mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 51.3mpg / (extra urban) 72.4mpg / (combined) 62.7mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags on all except entry-level model, ABS, EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 3405/1615/1415mm