Peugeot 1007

Our verdict

The Peugeot 1007 is a car we all got very excited about, what with its sliding doors and in-your-face Frenchness, that actually turned out to be a bit disappointing. Those doors take so long to open or shut that you just lose patience.

Comfort

The 1007 is very softly sprung and as such rides with relative serenity for such a small car. Typically light steering also makes manoeuvring at slow speeds a doddle.

Performance

Despite being small the 1007 is fairly lardy with its complicated electric doors. This means that all the engine options struggle to make much progress and the only one to go for is the larger 1.6-litre diesel.

Cool

So you could be forgiven for thinking, but no, the 1007 just makes you look like a prat. Driving one of these is like wearing one of those Guinness hats on St Patrick's day. You think you're a wag, everyone else thinks you're a...

Quality

Some cheap interior plastics aside, the 1007 should be pretty well built and the engines are all proven tough and reliable. Who knows about those electric doors though. They didn't work too well on the 807 MPV. And it is French.

Handling

A small French car that doesn't handle? Sacre Bleu! But yes, sadly the 1007, with its massive height and miniature wheelbase, is beset by body roll and has natural agility more akin with an American SUV.

Practicality

If you can overlook the infuriating length of time it takes to get the doors open or closed, the 1007 is fairly practical. It's easy to get into if you're a bit decrepit and the two rear seats move independently on one another.

Running costs

The smaller diesel will get you 60mpg, which is excellent, and it should be cheap to insure, but the 1007 is pricey even in its lowliest trim and unlikely to fair to well at resale.