Peugeot 207 CC Review & Road Test
This week we have Peugeot’s drop top supermini – the Peugeot 207 CC GT THP 156 – in for a review and road test. Style over substance, or a fun little drop-top?
The sun is actually shining, although it was raining earlier. The rain was expected, if for no other reason than we’ve got a drop top to play with this week. The way the world works is that a drop top for review in summer foretells a period of unseasonably wet and chilly weather, and a capable SUV in January sees the sun break out and spring-like temperatures arrive.
Not that the precipitation and chilly temperatures matter much, for the car we have to review – the Peugeot 207 CC GT THP 156 (thankfully Peugeot settles for just 207 CC and Peugeot on the boot) – turns from summer cruiser to warm and cosy tin-top at the push of a button. This perhaps goes some way to explaining its popularity in the UK.
Not that the 207 CC is popular only in the UK – it’s sold well everywhere since it replaced the 206 CC in 2007 and continues apace since it got its mid-life facelift last summer. That nip and tuck made the little 207 CC seem a bit more premium. The nose got a tidy and the back got some LEDs; more of the bodywork got body coloured, there was a bit more chrome and some new, round fogs up front.
Our car comes complete with a trendy white paint job – which suits the 207 CC perfectly – and a premium interior with dark charcoal leather and Peugeot’s decent looking (although not always entirely accurate) Connect Navigation.
So with its white exterior and snug, leather clad interior it’s ticking all the boxes on the cute front. The nice alloys add to the mix and the sun suddenly breaking through the heavy clouds makes me jump for the keys to take the 207 CC out for a blat before the rain returns.
This 207 CC comes with the pick of the engines on offer in the 207 – the 156bhp 1.6 litre petrol. Which in this frugal, diesel-obsessed age is so nice to see. A peppy, zingy petrol engine to play with in a fun little drop top is a recipe for more enjoyment than the on-off style of a diesel.
Even with the very good engine on offer with its 156bhp and a healthy 180lb/ft of torque from just 1400rpm I’d expected the 207 CC to be a little less than properly lively. After all, Peugeot has had to insert an RSJ or two to try and keep the front and back together without a roof, adding the equivalent of a passenger (and more) in weight in the process.
But the 207 CC is actually quite lively. It gets to 60mph in not much more than 8 seconds, and it does it very easily. That lump of torque available so low down gives the punch it needs and makes this 1.6 litre turbo petrol just as punchy as any turbo diesel, but with the joy of the linearity and wider rev band of a petrol.
That torque also makes for decent fuel consumption, with the 207 CC returning an official 38.2 mph average and a more than commendable 36.9mpg in my lead-footed hands (I know, nothing like mangling the language and mixing one’s metaphors).
Which makes it go very well in a straight line, but is it as much fun as its looks promise when it comes to the twisty stuff?
Well, yes and no.
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