Review of the new Peugeot 207 Millesim

Not many companies survive to see their 200th birthday but Peugeot has and who can blame the French manufacturer for wanting to celebrate? The cars of today would have looked completely alien to people in the late 19th century, a time when they were still coming to terms with the steam locomotive, but it was then that the Peugeot family sowed the seeds of its dynasty by going into business producing a range of steel household goods. Two centuries later and that move plus all that has followed is being commemorated by the thoroughly modern Peugeot 207 Millesim special edition.

Millesime is French for vintage and Peugeot would doubtless claim that its 207 is a supermini of vintage quality which goes some way to explaining the Millesim branding of this 200th anniversary special edition. Available with a selection of the 207's more affordable engines, the car offers more equipment and low pricing in tried and tested special edition fashion. The plan is for it to revive the fortunes of the competent 207 which has seen its fortunes flagging slightly of late in the face of competition from some talented rivals.

Four engines are available with the 207 Millesim. There's a 75bhp 1.4-litre petrol unit and a 70bhp 1.4-litre HDI diesel. This is quite a heavy car for its class though, so it's better if you can stretch to either the 95bhp 1.4-litre VTi petrol (a much more modern unit anyway) or the 1.6-litre HDi 90 diesel. The car handles with a certain degree of verve but it isn't one of the sportiest superminis on sale and it can be tricky for taller drivers to get comfortable behind the wheel. Ride comfort and refinement are far stronger suits and the 207 feels like a much bigger and more substantial proposition than many superminis you'll encounter.

".distinctive looks ensure that the Peugeot continues to stand out from the crowd"

On the road in the 75bhp 8v 1.4-litre petrol car (which weighs around 1300kgs), the 0-60mph sprint takes 15.7s and the top speed is 106mph. By contrast, a MINI which uses the same engine weighs 1,135kg and can get to 60mph in 10.9s, evidence of the impact that less weight can have. As long as you don't expect too much pace from the Verve models, the 5-speed gearbox is the only real drawback. The slack action isn't what you want in a nimble supermini and it lets the rest of the driving package down a bit.

The 207 represented a big improvement over the old 206 supermini in terms of perceived quality and the latest models have been upgraded further. The materials in the cabin look and feel sturdy with no obvious flaws in terms of the way they all fit together. Rear legroom is not as good as in some rivals, although there's compensation in the shape of a 310-litre boot capacity, and the design of the standard ventilation control panel looks dated.

The styling themes that have gradually rolled out across the Peugeot model range are nothing if not distinctive and as with anything so wilfully out of the ordinary, the look of the 207 may not be to everyone's taste. For the uninitiated, the 207's main distinguishing features are those elongated headlamps that stretch back from the nose into the front wings and the huge grinning grille below, its teeth braced by a dark central bumper. Marking out this Millesim edition from the other 207s are a set of 15" alloy wheels, front fog lights, a sports grille and colour-coded rubbing strips with chrome inserts. Millesim 200 badging is also included.

Customers seduced by the prospect of this 200th anniversary 207 get a choice of three bodystyles. There's the three-door and five-door hatchbacks plus the SW estate version. Equipment includes the features that come as standard on the 207 S models plus a range of styling accessories and Peugeot Connect which incorporates a USB port to attach MP3 players and Bluetooth connectivity. Prices start at around £12,000, an attractive price for a well-equipped supermini.

Running a 207 Millesim is unlikely to cost the earth, thanks to its advanced engine technology. Impressively, the 1.4-litre HDi 70 diesel engine scores better than 64mpg on the combined cycle with tax-friendly emissions of 117g/km, the same as the 1.6-litre HDi 90 variant. Despite a gearshift indicator light to help its driver maximise efficiency, the 75bhp 1.4 8v petrol option manages 44.1mpg and a less parsimonious 147g/km, worse in fact than the more powerful 1.4 VTi petrol unit (44.7mpg/140g/km). All 207 models come with Peugeot's 3-year/60,000-mile warranty and Peugeot assistance breakdown cover, a fairly standard package in the modern marketplace.

Peugeot is rightly proud of its long and illustrious history and the 207 Millesim special edition range is as good a way as any to mark the 200th anniversary of the brand. Car buyers will be more interested in just what they're getting for their money and happily, the answer is quite a bit. A range of styling accessories plus Bluetooth and a USB connector for the stereo increase the desirability levels and the pricing is kept reasonably low.

There are newer superminis out there than the Peugeot 207 and that's felt in aspects of its interior but the distinctive looks ensure that the Peugeot continues to stand out from the crowd, the engines are strong and the driving experience is competitive. The Millesim special edition should ensure Peugeot's supermini retains a place on the shopping lists of UK buyers.

TOP 5 207 DEALS

The results below show the top 207 deals on buyacar

Peugeot 207 1.4 Access 3dr Hatchback
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