2009 PEUGEOT 107 reviews

Peugeot 107 107 Verve. 5 Door 2009

With economy conscious motoring there are two ways to go: the convoluted and the commonsense. With all the pugnacity of Gallic savoir-faire, this appealing little Peugeot eschews the fancy, keeps it simple and delivers the goods with a dash of flair and a touch of cheeky verve. You don’t need to be a Count of Monte Cristo behind the wheel to realise that this little machine is a treasure. Let’s chart out some of the goodies. As a recent Prime Minister once said, the triple ’E’ factor is all-important. He meant education, education and education. We mean economy, economy and economy. And talking of triples, even the 68bhp 998cc engine has three cylinders. You might break the bank buying this top of the range five door model tested here at £9,895 (Prices start at £8,495 for the more basic Urban Life 3 Door) but once you’ve got it, it’s an amazingly frugal machine that will make you break into a grin when you realise just how astonishingly good those fuel consumption figures can be. I got nearly 70 mpg on my trip from Wolverhampton to the other side of Cheddar. Aha! ’But it must have taken you all day’ I hear you say. Well, I can tell you that it took two hours and twenty minutes - the same as in the Maserati GTS at16mpg and the John Cooper Works Mini and the 5 Series BMW and the Focus ST.......and the...etc. etc. This, of course, raises an interesting question on the need to spend fortunes on your motoring. All this is achieved without any ’Jekyll and Hyde’ hybrid nonsense. It’s a sensible, comfy car from the tip of its filtered exhaust to the well-tailored interior - sufficient for all your needs, not at all austere and adequate for anyone with, perhaps, the exception of Madame Fifi from Chateau Grosse who will insist on twenty poodle parlours in the glove compartment. But thankfully, she doesn’t live in Telford. This Peugeot has appeal with a capital A. As fresh in conception as a breakfast baguette, it’s instantaneously rewarding to the driver and pleasing to the eye of the idle passer-by. There’s liveliness and vivacity - if not in bucket fulls - but in quantities of thousands of thimbles. In no time I was overtaking two cyclists: leaving them behind in a blur of lycra. My next target was the next best thing to a Lamborghini as a rival - a white van on local deliveries. However, rather than indulge in inappropriate ’boy racer’ activities, I settled back in the comfortable and well upholstered driving seat and reflected on the cleverly designed interior which maximises on space without compromising the cars interior dimensions. It’s a proper five door, four-seater but there’s minimal boot space: just enough room for some ’squashy’ bags. There is a three-door version, but access to the rear seats is pretty restricted in one of those. I have to say that I’ve been in cars much larger than this with footprints that make parking less than a doddle offering accommodation, which, by comparison with this Peugeot, is very pinched. The tallest driver will feel at home and the shortest will feel enthroned like a king or queen. A bishop might struggle to fit in wearing his mitre, but will reflect that any pilgrimage is worth doing in a wonderful little car such as this. Chaucer himself would have admired its saucy brio and dashed off a few poetic lines in praise of French flair. The beauty of a modern little runabout such as this is that it’s a ’get up and go anywhere’ paragon of versatility. At home equally in the supermarket car park and on the motorway where it cruises smoothly and quietly at the legal limit - or should you be so bold, it will touch 100mph. The driver will be forgiven for thinking he was in charge of a great deal more horsepower in a more grandly sized saloon. All this, and saving the planet too. If it comes to an argument between modish minimalism that does not sacrifice much at all in the way of refinement and hybrid complexity - for my money, minimalism wins hands down. Frankly this is a car that no one would object to owning and, of which, many would feel justly proud - if not, indeed, complacent. For they could argue ’If you don’t own one of these you’re a bit of a mug’. On twisty roads there’s as much grip and dexterity as one wants and I never cease to marvel at the way manufacturers today get it so right. The pure luxury of air conditioning in a little package such as this should not be understated. Forget the nay sayers who seem to want to remind one perpetually that air conditioning is not necessarily a good idea with such a tiny engine - providing whole libraries of reassurance on the matter. Believe me when I say that such Cassandras ’know-a-nothing’ as Manuel might say. There might be a flea’s whisker in the argument that air con. means higher fuel consumption and increased maintenance - but as you will realise, the whisker of a flea - which, inadvertently was a carefully chosen comparison - is a very inconsiderable dimension: therefore the conclusion is inescapable. Avoiding air con. is the action characteristic of the ’singlet’ brain: one change of clothes, one idea, little sense and much malodour. With all the vigour, spirit and style one needs these days, this really cheerful, cheeky, practical and rewarding little car made a refreshing change from the usual oversized, ostentatious hippopotamuses that come my way for testing.