Review of the new Peugeot 107 Range

Peugeot's 107, the best selling low emissions car, has been improved, with slight enhancements to both CO2 emissions and fuel economy, plus a smarter look. Otherwise, it's still a safe and secure city runabout that offers a surprising amount of space for the tight budget it sells to. Available in both three and five door body styles with an up-and-at-'em 1.0-litre petrol engine, the 107 is right on the money.

Marketing gurus sometimes refer to the Goldilocks syndrome. Basically, it states that there is often a 'sweet spot' into which a product can fortunately fall where the pricing and perceived value coincide to provoke big sales. For an automotive equivalent, look no further than Peugeot's 107. When it was launched alongside its two sister cars, the Toyota Aygo and the Citroen C1, the Peugeot's role in the inevitable market carve up wasn't clear. The Citroen was the cheap one, the Toyota was the upmarket one and the 107, well, that seemed to be the other one. Not so.

The 107 then trounced its rivals in terms of sales and the reason was twofold. Simple badge equity got customers into dealerships and big discounts offered by Peugeot sales staff converted initial interest to firm orders. In the public's eyes, the 107 was neither too cheap nor too dear. 'Just right' has a lot to be said for it.

There's not a lot wrong with the 1.0-litre petrol unit used across the range. Given a bootful, this engine will punt the 107 to 60mph in 14 seconds. That doesn't look too impressive on paper but the 107's light weight ensures that pick up from rest is very good and you'll get the drop on much more powerful cars away from the lights. You'll have to give the 68bhp three-cylinder engine a good whipping on the motorway though. A narrowish power band also means you'll need to keep on top of the gearchanges if the route gets a bit hilly.

"Running a Peugeot 107 is about as financially painless as new car ownership gets.."

Handling is very good. Although the 107 is short and tall, you can push the car very hard and it never feels disconcertingly 'tippy'. Yes, it does feel as if it's suffered a mortal blow if you hit a speed bump with some numbers on the clock but you can't have everything. The front seats are reasonably good and ride quality is otherwise OK. The steering feels a little rubbery at first but you'll be able to position the 107 with millimetric precision, helped by a throttle pedal that's easy to modulate.

Changes to this improved 107's exterior include a stylish 'new face', with chrome detailing and a revised wheel trim design to bring a more youthful appearance. The interior has also been upgraded and includes smarter upholstery materials which complement brighter exterior colours in the range. Otherwise, it's as you were. The design brief for the 107 was to engineer a compact car with a cheeky character that would appeal to young drivers, be versatile in use and, above all, be totally at ease in the urban environment. The length of the car wasn't to exceed 3.5 metres, yet a whole host of safety features needed to be included, as well as enough wheelbase to accommodate a five-door body style.

The final execution exceeded initial requirements, breaking the tape at 3.43 metres long. The dimensions of the 107 can really only be appreciated when walking around the car. The three-door shape looks the most comfortable from a design perspective. The angled window line gives the car a cute wedge profile and the flared rear haunches really emphasise the wheel-at-each-corner design. The 107 features some neat design touches too. The glazed-in area surrounding the rear window is finished in black, giving it a very distinctive rump, especially when the car is painted in paler colours.

Running a Peugeot 107 is about as financially painless as new car ownership gets. The driving force that made the Peugeot 107 the 'best-selling, low-emissions car of 2007' is its very economical 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine with a combined-cycle fuel consumption figure of 62.8mpg - an improvement of 2% over the original version of this car. CO2 emissions are also reduced in the latest version to just 106g/km (previously 109g/km), retaining the low £35 road tax 'B' banding.

Depreciation figures look reasonable and the air conditioning fitted to most trim levels is one of the few fitments guaranteed to have some sort of effect on resdiual values. The others? Satellite navigation and metallic paint. Two out of three ain't bad. Insurance premiums are almost comically low, all 107s being rated in Group 1E, the lowest possible.

The 107 has established itself as the evolutionary victor amongst the trio of small cars that share a common platform (the Citroen C1 and Toyota Aygo being the others) and the 1.0-litre petrol engine is the sole powerplant offered.

Ultra low emissions and amazing fuel economy will endear this car to many but it's the driving characteristics that cement the 107's place among the very best city cars money can buy. True, 68bhp doesn't sound promising but the 107 has an infectious personality and feels relatively indestructible. Use and abuse, the 107 will keep coming back for more.

TOP 5 107 DEALS

The results below show the top 107 deals on buyacar

Peugeot 107 1.0 Urban Lite 3dr Hatchback
Price £7,621 Read 107 Reviews	Save £1,074
Peugeot 107 1.0 Urban 3dr 2-Tronic Hatchback
Price £8,356 Read 107 Reviews	Save £1,339
Peugeot 107 1.0 Urban 5dr Hatchback
Price £8,245 Read 107 Reviews	Save £1,300
Peugeot 107 1.0 Urban 5dr 2-Tronic Hatchback
Price £8,613 Read 107 Reviews	Save £1,432
Peugeot 107 1.0 Urban 3dr Hatchback
Price £7,988 Read 107 Reviews	Save £1,207
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