By Andy Enright

Ten Second Review

Peugeot's 107 is the UK's best selling low emissions car and in recent times has been improved to look cleaner and run greener. Otherwise, it's still a safe and secure city runabout that offers a surprising amount of space for the tight budget it sells to. Available in both three and five door body styles with an up-and-at-'em 1.0-litre petrol engine, the 107 is right on the money.

Background

When Peugeot, Citroen and Toyota announced that they would be working together to create a class-leading citycar, the Peugeot model's role in the whole thing wasn't immediately clear. The Citroen C1, we expected, would be the cheap one, the Toyota Aygo, we surmised, would be the up-market one - and the Peugeot 107? Where exactly might that car fit into the sales spectrum? As it turned out, from its launch in 2005, this would be the best selling one. Simple badge equity got customers into dealerships and tight pricing offered by Peugeot sales staff converted initial interest to firm orders. In the public's eyes, the 107 was neither too cheap nor too dear but in the words of Goldilocks, 'just right'. A package of even greener credentials and a subtle re-style early in 2009 kept things current.

Driving Experience

Get in, turn the key and the 998cc three cylinder petrol motor that's the only engine option sounds pleasingly characterful. It only puts out 68bhp but given that the maximum pulling power can be accessed from as low as 3,600rpm and that this car weighs only around 800kgs, that's quite enough to make it feel zippy around town, despite an apparently unpromising 14.2 second 0-60mph sprint figure. This car is really in its element around town thanks to a high driving position, tiny dimensions and light power steering. Visibility is improved by the over-sized windows, and the short bonnet and stumpy rear make the 107 easy to place when parking in tight city spots. Pot holes and speed bumps are taken in your stride and although there is a little body roll when cornering, the ride is never choppy over rough undulations. True, the gearchange and the steering could be sharper but pushing on, the car can still reward the enthusiastic driver.

Design and Build

Citycars used to be nasty things to have to spend more than short journeys in but these days things are changing, at least in this case. In this 107's brighter interior, there's decent elbow room, the steering wheel adjusts for rake (up and down) - though not for reach - and there's enough fore/aft adjustment in the front seats for even the most portly people. It really is astonishing the amount of space that the designers have managed to cram into a car that's just 3.43m long and 1.63m wide, thanks to the wheel-at-each-corner design. Of course, luggage space is pretty small (139 litres) when the back seat is in use but can be extended to a useful 751 litres if you're travelling only two-up. You access that space via a dark glazed rear hatch, which isn't really a rear hatch at all but an opening rear window. That means it can't extend down to bumper level, so there's a slightly higher ledge than usual over which you must lug heavy items.

Market and Model

Prices lie mainly in the £8,500 to £9,500 bracket, so the 107 slots in just below the starting point for the larger 207 range. Obvious rivals - apart of course from the near identical Toyota Aygo and Citroen C1 models - include cars like the Vauxhall Agila or the Suzuki Splash, though if you're prepared to widen your search to include three-door-only citycars, models like Ford's Ka, Fiat's 500 and Renault's Twingo can also be considered. Though only that single 1.0-litre petrol engine option is offered (the only version of this design offered with diesel power is sold by Citroen), there is the choice of both three or five doors and a variety of funky trim options. Standard specification on all models runs to power steering, twin front airbags, a CD stereo with MP3 compatibility, ABS and CSC cornering stability control. We'd avoid the optional Toyota-sourced 2-Tronic automated manual gearbox option.

Cost of Ownership

Running a Peugeot 107 is about as financially painless as new car ownership gets. The very economical 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine these days returns an even more frugal combined-cycle fuel consumption figure of 62.7mpg - an improvement of 2% over the original version of this car. Over 55 mpg is feasible for gentle everyday use. CO2 emissions are also reduced in post 2008 versions to just 106g/km, retaining the low tax 'B' banding. Depreciation? Well the figures continue to look reasonable and models with optional air conditioning (it's an extra £500) seem to be well received on the used market. Insurance premiums are almost comically low, all 107s being rated in Group 1E, the lowest possible.

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