Peugeot 207

A steady improvement over the hugely popular but largely awful 206, the Peugeot 207 is bigger, better built and better to look at, but still falls well short of the competition.

• Comfort

  The 206 had a spectacularly bad driving position, made all the worse by limited adjustment, and Peugeot has tried hard to rectify this. It also rides well for a small car, especially one that handles so well.

  

• Performance

  With the GTI coming in as a half-cocked, underpowered alternative to the likes of the Clio 197, we'd counsel making the most of Peugeot's strong, smooth diesels. The 110 HDi pulls rapidly enough but remains immensely frugal.

  

• Cool

  The 207 is nicely styled and still looks fresh, and with that in mind it's possible to convince yourself there's a bit of Parisienne chic going on here. But all cheap-ish French hatches end up being bangers for students.

  

• Quality

  Although it's not saying much, the 207 is a marked improvement in quality over the car it replaced. Posher plastics, bolder design and a general feeling that things are better stuck together pervades throughout the cabin. If that lasts or not we wouldn't like to say.

  

• Handling

  This is meant to be the area which Peugeot dominates, and while it may lack some of the purity and feel of previous models, the 207 still handles well with light, responsive steering and an agile chassis.

  

• Practicality

  The 207 I substantially larger than the 206, and various similar hatches on the market. The rear is its real triumph however, with two adults now able sit in genuine comfort, head, legs and all.

  

• Running costs

  These HDi engines are clean and economical, which is good news for you and bad news for the taxman. They are also easy to insure, meaning this should be a very cheap car to run, if not to buy.