The Motuels took delivery of the Peugeot 807 2.2litre diesel Executive over the weekend and as a family used to large MPVs, their views on this latest entrant to the people-mover stakes should reveal if Peugeot have got it right. With five children under the age of 17 and a child-minding business to run, the Motuel family have the ideal credentials to give the 807 a thorough testing. A weekend is not a huge amount of time to form a lasting opinion on a car, but in this instant we are interested in first impressions. So what did they think?

Graham was taken by the 807's stylish good looks and even more impressed by the easy access to the interior via the clever electric sliding doors. With a large family and their attendant baggage, getting in and out of a vehicle easily and safely is of paramount importance. The sliding doors are also a neat solution to that embarrassing situation when an absent minded child carelessly opens the rear door into a parked car in a crowded car park. Graham was also impressed with how easy it was to fix the child seat for his 8-month old daughter Lydia, especially as the 807 is fitted with leather seats, which usually prove difficult when fitting child seats. The wide access made this usually difficult and uncomfortable job very easy indeed. The whole family found the interior layout to be well designed and extremely comfortable. One recommendation that Graham would like to make is that DVD systems with remote headphones should be standard in all MPVs. The 807's headphones are versatile enough to fit all sizes of children's heads. While the kids watched their favourite DVD, Graham and his wife Natalie sampled the excellent CD stereo in the front, uninterrupted by their contented kids in the back as they took a trip to visit relatives in west London.

Both Graham and Natalie felt that there was just too much technology built into this car. They feely admit that this view is probably formed because they were not given a briefing on how to use the functions and facilities available in the vehicle but had to work it out for themselves. They are also very used to their own MPV and realise that getting used to a new one may take some time. The satellite navigation system, for example, proved too complicated for Natalie to use and also, the automatic headlights appeared to have a mind of their own to the untutored. The fact that these functions are not intuitive to use speaks volumes to manufacturers on how they should develop and then present new technology in their vehicles. Despite it's relatively large size, however, Natalie found parking the 807 very easy, especially when using the parking sensors for reversing. When it came to judging the ride performance, Natalie was not overly impressed. She said that she could feel every pothole and stone that the wheels encountered and as with all MPVs, the dashboard and windscreen felt very remote from the driving position. Despite the 2.0-litre engine's 136bhp, both Graham and Natalie felt that the 807 seemed somewhat underpowered for its size. It was too early to gauge the economy of the engine although the manufacturer's figures suggest 38mpg can be obtained in 'combined' usage.

It's early days and the Motuel jury is still out. Once they have come to terms with the technology, both Graham and his wife feel that their initial scepticism may fade and that they will start to appreciate the 807's virtues. As for the kids? Well they loved the DVD player, the electric doors and the satellite navigation system! The neighbours were also impressed with the new car on the drive!