Peugeot 207

I arrived at this car with a heavy heart, all preconceptions at a subterranean level. After all, Peugeot's sporty 206s and 307s have been seriously underwhelming.

Secondly, the 207s we've seen so far have had as much sparkle as November 6. Finally, this isn't even meant to be a hot hatch, merely a 'warm' one, and that's a category notorious as a repository for the mealy mouthed, the non-committal, the generally half-arsed.

But preconceptions are one thing, and bias is quite another, so I was determined to stay open-minded. And, hey, I was rewarded with a good time.

This is a decent and cheery car. It's also a very promising signpost to the real hot-hatch 207 GTI Turbo, which comes along next year, outfitted with another 27 horsepower, a body kit and a further tone-up of the suspension.

It's this GT turbo's cornering that fizzes unexpectedly. Compared with other 207s, the chassis hasn't been firmed up much, but the overall effect is a lot more playful as it swings into arcs with puppy-dog enthusiasm. You can really feel all four tyres at work, and it gives you the freedom to use the throttle for sharing out the work between them.

The engine is a success, too, but then it was designed with BMW, so you could have expected that. It's a 1.6 with 150bhp, thanks to a turbo, variable inlet cam timing and direct injection. Once past a bit of lag, it'll pull like a big fat bungee from well below 2,000rpm, so if all you want to do is smartly gather up another 10mph on a dual carriageway you can stay in top gear.

Just as well actually, as the gearlever has an off-putting damp-handshake floppiness to it. Once into the 3,000s there's no more lag, and it's a quietish, smooth engine that doesn't mind being redlined. So in the lower gears you can be sure of a decent kick up the backside when you ask for it.

The engine design principle is 'downsizing': getting two-litre power on considerably less fuel. Given hotter cams and more boost, the same engine makes 177bhp, and goes into the Mini Cooper S and, next year, the said 207 GTI Turbo.

Inside? Well sadly it's a rule that even the best car interiors are either well-equipped for the price, or well built for the class, but not both. The 207 GT doesn't smash that rule, but it does stretch the compromise perfectly satisfactorily.

Which is how the whole car is, come to that; in no way outstanding, but really rather good across the board. More than other 207s, it also has enough of a sense of fun to maintain your interest.

Paul Horell