RoadTest/Peugeot 307: It's all about keeping it in the family. Everyone likes to be considered part of the tribe, sharing some traits with our siblings.
It may be the ears of a prop forward or the nose of a professional boxer, but it's a family trait nonetheless. The single sibling with more in common with the twinkle-eyed milkman will always feel the runt of the litter.
As it is with people, so it is with cars. After all, these lumps of moving metal are created by humans to reflect our personalities - or lack thereof.
So when a designer comes up with a great new look, it's increasingly important for the rest of the model range to mimic it. That can be for good or ill. Taken too literally and the model range can become a slave to the image.
The most recent motoring fashion fad has been for large grilles. Audi has them, VW has them, and Peugeot now has them. For Audi, what looks great on the A6 looks slightly awkward on the A4 and downright strange on the A3 sportsback.
For the French manufacturer the turning point was the new 407. Its 'basking shark' front grille has become a real eyecatcher and fits the sleek lines of the car. So, as is normal in these times, the style gurus ruled that the new look must be passed on to the siblings. So here we have the first of what will be a host of revamped Peugeots, all staring open mouthed at their audience.
Unlike others attempts to shoehorn designs onto other models, Peugeot has managed to pull it off with the 307. Leaving the body lines alone was important. Then again it had little choice: the 307 is an award winner that competes in one of the toughest market segments around, up against the likes of the Ford Focus and Toyota Corolla. To mess around with this car too much could put the firm's finances at risk.
Apart from the new front grille, there are minor changes to the light clusters, a revamped stereo system inside and, well, that's about it. The specification has slightly changed, but only really to keep up with the market.
Ultimately it's the same car, built on the same basic architecture that's now four years old. That said, the 307 won plaudits for its handling and ride quality when it was first launched.
The road test vehicle was powered by Peugeot's 1.4-litre petrol, the main seller in Ireland. While we never really got a chance to test it to the limit, its performance was perky enough for the size of car. However, it fails to meet the standards set recently by Toyota with its 1.4-litre petrol engine or those expected of VW's upcoming 1.4-litre unit. The Peugeot's five-speed transmission is also imprecise and you're never quite sure if you are in third or first, apart from the lack of immediacy from the engine.
The interior plastics are solid on the dash, though the "wood" trim on our test car - standard on the ST - really cheapens the overall look. No one expects to get real wood on a car in this class: that's for luxury saloons. Besides, the feel and look is clearly painted plastic.
The trim is also let down by a flimsy sunglass storage unit in the roof; one ill-tempered tug and it will probably come off in your hand.
There's also a clash of styling in the interior. The central dials are still too reminiscent of the old world charm of Rover. Very analogue and well-suited to the dying Rover brand, but out of sync with the otherwise modern look of the 307. A better choice is the SX trim with aluminium on the central console.
The use of chrome also seems a little out of place with the sporty chic of the outside lines, though Peugeot is hardly going to stand in the way of such a strong global trend as the return of chrome to car design.
Back seats can accommodate two adults comfortably and boot space is up there with the best of them, slightly less than the VW Golf with the rear seats up but more with the seats down.
The big question for 307 owners is will the new car have the same initial problems as the old? While it won European Car of the Year when it first came out in 2002, it went on to suffer a sickening blow when it came to reliability and there were several significant teething problems on the early models that forced it down the likes of the JD Power customer surveys.
These problems were ironed out, but what should have been a real contender for top spot suffered as a result. If it's any reassurance to future owners, the fact that it's really a redressed version of the previous model should act as comfort.
After all, as the more reticent buyers often say: if you buy later in the life cycle of a model, you might lose out in the prestige stakes, but at least you are sure they've uncovered most of the glitches and know how to build the car properly by the time you go to buy it.
Prices are up on the previous version and with the special offers at an end, the entry-level prices now start at €19,695.
Keeping the family look will help the 307 from ageing too quickly, but the Peugeot is up against some stiff opposition in the biggest selling market segment in Ireland.
This car will not see the French marque leap into a leadership position, but it may just keep it fresh enough to avoid it falling too far down the rankings before a totally new version arrives in the next few years.