Peugeot 207CC
Its predecessor, the 206CC, was voted the ultimate hairdresser's car – not that Peugeot minded as sales soared. But that's history. The 207CC is a more-rounded prospect altogether that is going to be with us for a while yet, Pete Burnard reports.
Its predecessor, the 206CC, was voted the ultimate hairdresser's car – not that Peugeot minded as sales soared. But that's history. The 207CC is a more-rounded prospect altogether that is going to be with us for a while yet, Pete Burnard reports.
SPRING is sprung the grass is riz,
Let's go topless, it's the biz.
Just our cars, of course. As if I'd advocate anything else – perish the thought.
Although there was that all-too-brief flash of toplessness on the summer of '64 fashion scene that those of us who were teenagers at the time still remember fondly.
Of course, we still had to wait more than six years before Stephanie Rahn kicked off the Sun's famous Page 3 spot in November 1970.
And we had to wait even longer before Peugeot brought truly practical toplessness to the masses with the Peugeot 206CC, the first easily-affordable car with an electric folding steel roof.
That was back in 2000.
Milestone as that was, you wonder what kept them, for Peugeot had pioneered the power-retracting steel roof back in 1934 on the 401 Eclipse Convertible Coupe.
And to think they let a whole generation of enthusiasts grow up thinking it was Mercedes-Benz whose SLK Vario Roof appeared in the show hall in 1994 and on the street in 1996 who got there first. In fact, Mercedes was a year behind Mitsubishi's 1995 Mitsubishi 3000GT Spyder.
Anyway, the 206CC has long gone, having evolved into the Peugeot 207CC.
Admittedly that was five years ago and it might seem odd tasking my first drive in the Coupe Cabriolet when the 207 is about to be replaced by the 208.
But there are two good reasons. Firstly, any reports of its demise were premature – the lower-volume CC and Station Wagon models will continue to be 207s for some time yet.
And secondly, if you are after a supermini hardtop convertible, this Pug is pretty much a class of one these days, with Daihatsu taking the Copen with them when they withdrew from the UK market and the Nissan Micra C+C and the pretty Vauxhall Tigra no longer coming out of their factories.
So if you choose to ignore the ragtop alternatives, which are more vulnerable to thieves and vandals (whoever reacts to a car alarm?) and generally less snug in inclement weather, what do you get?
Styling is subjective, but it's not a bad looker – six-figure sales prove that. An improvement over 206 certainly, although the need to offer some sort of loadbay for that folded roof does demand a deep boot and that pushes the bootline up.
Step in and there is no room for disagreement. This is a quality interior – a forte of Peugeot of late.
The 207CC is available in Sport or GT trim with a choice of 120bhp naturally aspirated or 150bhp turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol or a 110bhp 1.6 turbodiesel.
The test car married the basic engine with GT trim, making 17-inch wheels, dual-zone climate control air conditioning, leather-covered wheel rim and shift knob, folding mirrors and parking sensors standard kit.
In either five-speed manual or four-speed auto form, that is probably the ideal CC spec.
With the car tipping the scales close to a tonne and a half, you have to accept the less than breakneck progress.
Autocar did get quite respectable performance figures out of the 150bhp CC but if ultimate performance and driving satisfaction are your goal, you will probably not be looking here.
Torquey diesels often make sense but this is probably not going to be a high mileage motor lugging heavy loads and playing to the diesel's strengths.
No, accept the fact that the sports seats, drilled ally pedals and sporty dials are there for show, drop the top and enjoy the fresh air and you will find that this is a very good topless car indeed.
Visibility is fine – some drop-tops have obstructively thick beefed-up screen pillars. No such problem here.
And with the climate control keeping toes unfroze and all but the very longest-bodied occupants well out of the draught, you can enjoy the fresh air even on cooler days.
The cabin stays buffet-free certainly at any speed I'll admit to, windows up or down, and there is no objectionable wind noise from the retractable top when it's up.
Put the roof up – it takes around 20 seconds of button holding and an on-screen display confirms that it is properly locked down – and headroom remains excellent.
And the back seats? More ornament than use, really. I can't think of an MPV's third-row seats that don't look generous by comparison. They would, however, be a great place for luggage when touring.
There is a not-bad 185 litres below the retractable blind in the boot, although accessing it is via a bit of a letterbox.
You can retract the blind and pile in more luggage but then you are committed to having the roof up.
It's not that much of a hardship – with both front and rear windows winding down electrically and no B-post, you end up with an attractive pillarless coupe, a car type that has always appealed to me.
Though I guess once you've checked into your hotel, you can once again experience the joy of topless motoring.
While it's no performance car – it doesn't pretend to be – it's a quite satisfying steer.
For a car without a fixed roof, it feels very taut and rigid and offers a decent balance of ride and handling.
With the 120bhp petrol powerplant, its performance is entirely adequate – and this is a motor that puts a smile on the face, makes its occupants less isolated from the rest of the world and maybe even more accepting of those who have the temerity to share the roads with us.
When you enjoy your journeys more, you don't mind so much when the other guys make them last a little longer.
