A supermini bursting out of the mould

FirstDrive: Peugeot 207There seems to be a general theme running through the motor industry of late: bigger is better. The fact that Peugeot has now beefed up its 206 replacement - the 207 - following similar moves by Toyota, Renault and Fiat, makes a mockery of the so-called supermini title for these cars.

There's even something of an admission by the car firms that they may be pushing the boundaries too far, in the fact that both Renault and now Peugeot will continue to offer the old versions to those who think the new version is just too big for their needs.

For all that, these cars do offer a viable alternative to those that require that bit more space but feel they don't really need a fully-fledged family hatchback.

Irish motorists are usually interested in the entry-level engines thanks to our punitive car tax regime and for once we have a car that we actually prefer with the entry-level engine.

The new Peugeot brings good news for Irish motorists in that the 1.4-litre petrol engine seems better suited to the car than its 1.6-litre equivalent.

No doubt there are several frustrated 206 owners unhappy with the decision by the French firm to withdraw its 1.1-litre engine from the 206 range. They won't be pleased at news that it has failed to materialise at all in the 207 as the engineers say it's just too small for the new car.

Given that most Irish sales of 206 were in 1.1-litre format, it's likely to put a serious dent in the sales figures for the new car, regardless of how the marketing people at Peugeot might hope to spin it.

What's more, current 206 owners are unlikely to be keen to go down to a 107 to get the engine that best suits their needs.

If the engine range doesn't suit, then at least the body type might. Along with a decision to keep the 206 in production for the foreseeable future - for those who find the 207 unnecessarily big - it has also been confirmed that the range of derivatives for 207 will exceed that of 206.

So we can expect a hard-top convertible CC version, an SW estate and apparently several other formats in the next few years.

Apart from the entry-level unit, a 1.4-litre diesel unit and two 1.6-litre engines - one petrol, one diesel - is offered and most engines come in various power levels. Admittedly none of them will set the world alight, and don't seem as comfortable as one would expect when it comes to mating with their transmissions.

There is some good news ahead, however, in that Peugeot has been working with BMW to create a range of 1.6-litre petrol engines and these will be coming on stream before the end of the year. They will increase power output to 150bhp and should add some poke to the 207 range. Rumours abound about a Gti version though nothing has been confirmed as yet. The likelihood is that it will feature a 2-litre putting out at least 200bhp.

On the road the 207 offers impressive handling, with responsive steering that is often missing in this category. If there is an issue with the handling it is that the car has reached a size where it is starting to feel like a big car and at times on tight and twisting test routes last week it felt as if we were in the family hatchback 307 rather than the supposed supermini.

That's not surprising when you look at the dimensions. The 207 is bigger than the earlier 306 in all but length, which it equals. It's also longer and wider than any of its main competitors bar the Fiat Grande Punto. All that extra metal comes at a price when the car hits the scales; it's up by between 147kg and 201kg depending on specification. For all that, while the boot is quite capricious the rear seats are still quite tight.

In terms of improvements, the interior is vastly better than the 206.

Then there's safety. The 207 managed a five-star rating at the recent Euro NCAP tests, thereby closing the gap with rivals who have played up their safety ratings of late.

Along with the extra bulk, the new trademark open-mouthed grille at the front makes its way onto the Peugeot supermini, this time in two formats: classic and sport. The latter is only available on the upper trim levels (SX and GT) and features a chrome finish to some of the trim levels.

The customer profile of the 206 suggests its contemporary look will be aimed largely at female motorists. Last year female buyers of 206 made up 83.6 per cent of sales and while the larger size may attract more male buyers looking for a hatchback family car, it's unlikely to change dramatically from these figures.

Prices have yet to be confirmed, but with the 206 being retained, they are likely to start above €15,000 to give a little air between it and the older model.