Remember the ‘204’ sedan? It was ahead of the rest of the segment players when it made its entry into Malaysia in the 1980’s as a segment favorite. It took the British (who are now out of the car market), Japanese and Koreans out of equation with its comfort ride and handling ability. This 207 sedan is its great grandson. It is bigger than it looks, so it opens up to a roomy interior. It offers a commendable level of features, sophistication, safety and technology. Now we have to look at purchase proposition. The test drive!
From the nose, there are elements of the 206 hatch and 308 hatch merging into one unifying look. The sporty twin air inlets sit on the top corner of the bonnet. Large headlamps light up the road ahead and its lamps are height adjustable from the dash using a rotary switch. The boot in the rear sit high providing for spacious 420-liters of room. Drop the seats and possibilities arise for IKEA flat packs to fit.
The 207 cabin is easy to live with. The spacious cabin is finished like that of a more expensive car and it has comfortable and supportive seats. At first glance the front seats look like normal, but once you’re in them they feel much more comfortable. One reason is that the seats are height adjustable. The roomy interior holds more people and cargo. The rear seats are able to accommodate grownups and all seating positions provide more breathing room. All three seating positions in the rear have three-point belts, though three in the back is a crowd for fast food lovers. The outboard belts are equipped with automatic tensioners, an important safety feature for a car in this segment. Stereo controls are easy and the sound produced is good with a USB port. Other controls are straightforward and easy to use.
The 207 sedan is fun to drive, with a level of performance and handling that’s a pleasant surprise in a compact sedan. It’s powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder of 110 horsepower, which is matched to a very nice four-speed adaptive automatic gearbox. It heavy traffic it hums right along. We drove 207 to 110km/h quite easily on the highway. The car rode stable with wind and tire noise low.
We were happy with the good, sensitive brakes and it stops confidently on the dime with the well-damped suspension. You will like whipping along a challenging single-lane kampong road in the 207 sedan as it feels bigger and more grownup than its competitors. The suspension travel feels adequately long on rough roads, and on really big bumps the bumpers actuate gradually, like in higher end European cars.
Peugeot’s new 207 is a willing sedan with a smoothness that leaves you feeling its worth more than its price. It comes with 2 front airbags, 2 ISOFIX points in the rear, EBA, EBD, ABS and rolling code transponder immobilizer security. We sense that Peugeot is in the position that Volkswagen was………. when its cars were very good, but nobody noticed, and not many purchased. If you’re in the market for an affordable sedan that’s easy to look at and tons of fun to drive, then you shouldn’t wait for Peugeot’s fortunes in the mass market to improve as a result of this new 207. All told, if you’re in the market for a compact sedan that offers a lot of value in a lot of areas, the 207 sedan deserves your attention or at least a test drive.
Peugeot 207 Sedan Specification
Engine: DOHC 16-Valve
Capacity: 1597cc
Max power: 110hp @ 5800rpm
Max torque: 147Nm @ 4000rpm
Top Speed: 180km/h as tested
0-100km/h: NA
Transmission: 4-speed Auto Adaptive Tiptronic
Price: RM72,888.00
