Peugeot 1007: Forget about the removable interior trim or the high-roof look: with the 1007, the door's the thing.
It's what marketing folk like to refer to as the "unique selling proposition". The "uniqueness" means two electric sliding doors that motor backwards, and don't open outwards as with nearly every other car we know.
In the people carrier market, it seems sliding doors are the way to go, already featuring on the Peugeot 806 and the new Mazda5.
However, the 1007 represents the very first application of sliding doors on a small car, and these ones are electrically operated as well. It all sounds eminently sensible - and safe too. The doors are opened or closed using the key fob or switches inside the cabin and take about six or seven seconds to open or close. You can also do it manually, though there's quite a bit of resistance. A handy safety feature is that once it encounters resistance the doors are supposed to reverse. However, we tried it several times and it didn't reverse on every occasion.
One major reason behind the sliding doors (though the dealers are unlikely to point this out to potential customers) is that we are getting bigger (more obese) and we are finding it harder to get in and out with elegance when parked in tight shopping centres and the like. Apart from our ever-increasing girth, the sliding doors are also something to consider for those whose driveways are becoming more like postage stamps than parking spaces.
So who will fancy the 1007? After a week of town driving and straw polls around the streets, we reckon it will be the partially disabled, school kids and middle-aged shoppers.
Forget about claims that the 1007 is aimed at the young chic city driver. With the rather odd boxy shape taking from any claims that it is a sleek little number, this car works best for those who have problems with entry and egress. While you won't see many ad campaigns aimed at those who suffer from arthritis or a minor disability, these buyers will find the electric sliding doors a godsend. While I'm no orthopaedic expert, the firm seats and relatively high driving position may also be of benefit.
The other area where it proved to be a hit - albeit a short-term one - was on the school run. Kids find it nothing short of space age, hitting the button on the key fob and seeing left or right doors glide open.
The 1007 is a small car that's quite big. You only really notice its size when you pull up alongside more mainstream models, like the Toyota Yaris or Ford Fiesta. Being 3,731mm long, 1,620mm high and 2,008mm wide, it is bigger than most in its class and comes close to the Ford Focus.
Three engines are on offer, all tried and trusted from the PSA (Peugeot-Citroën) stable. They are 1.4- and 1.6-litre petrol with 75 and 110bhp and a 70bhp 1.4 diesel which will only have limited appeal. The diesel is a relatively noisy affair and best avoided, and no one will be doing the sort of mileage to warrant the extra cost, not in a 1007. Of the petrol units, the 1.4-litre is more than adequate and nips around quite smartly. It was the engine powering our test car and proved quiet, smooth and willing.
A 2-Tronic paddle-shift semi-automatic gearbox is on offer, but we tested it recently and found it lurches between gears in a really annoying way. Forget about it and go for the much smoother five-speed manual.
There's more to the 1007 than simply those doors, however. It bristles with stowage cubbies - it also features two independent modular rear seats and an interior kit called Cameleo. The seats obediently shift, swivel and tumble, allowing all sorts of permutations to be exploited between the luggage and passenger space. One minute the 1007 can be a two-seater with van-like capability, the next a roomy four-seater. The former mode offers a luggage area of 1,192 litres but in the latter, with the rear seats back, this shrinks to 246 litres.
Peugeot has also introduced its new fashion-conscious interior features to the 1007. "Cameleo" is an interior trim kit available in 18 colours, allowing the owner or driver to have a colour trim including the seating to his or her taste. Fitting is simple: it's a DIY job using Velcro and zips.
If only Peugeot had spent as much time on the regular cabin finish, perhaps we would have been more impressed. While the cabin layout is admirable - the gear stick is to hand and all the controls are easily accessible - closer perusal at the way the plastic panels are matched up reveals large spaces around the steering column and in the driver's footwell, where wiring is visible - not the sort of finish we expect from normally well-trimmed Peugeots.
On the road, because of its taller profile, there's a bit more body roll while the ride is a little harsher. However, no one is going to be buying this car for its performance values, nor its cornering ability.
Whatever your views on its appearance, it certainly stands out from the crowd. We're not won over by it, though others were. For us it looks a bit too much like an adapted disability vehicle, yet in a city centre car park there was no shortage of onlookers and admirers. Interestingly all the positive comments came from women, seemingly in their mid- to late-40s (though I was not impolite enough to ask ages).
People were slightly confused about the naming system. Apart from discussions over whether it is the 10-07, the 1,007 or the James Bond-style 1-007, Peugeot hasn't helped matters by launching this car and its 107 city-car within months of each other.
Just to explain the rationale, the 1007 isn't going to be a big volume car: it will be marketed as a niche product rather like Peugeot's 206CC. The company's future naming process sees cars with three figures as mainstream and those with four as that bit different, more avant-garde perhaps.
There were also concerns expressed about how the electrics would stand up to the daily abuse of the Irish climate and over-eager children. The doors can be closed manually, but there is a large number of electric sensors protruding from the door that could be swiped or snapped off by errant school kids. Then there's the issue of the electrics. French makers have had a rather chequered history as regards electrics and electronics on their vehicles.
For all its unique features, a starting price of €19,000 is a little steep for what is in essence a town runaround. No one is going to hit out on holiday to Connemara in this car, apart from the odd American who is renting one. It does, of course, have all the requisite safety armoury, including ABS with EBD, ESP and seven airbags and received the maximum five-star Euro NCAP safety rating for occupants, along with two stars for pedestrian safety and three for child protection.
Electric sliding doors may well become a more common feature in the coming years and Peugeot may set a new trend here. It makes sense both in terms of safety and practicality, which is what people carriers and so-called crossover vehicles are supposed to be about.
But when it comes down to parting with your hard-earned cash, it's up against some stiff opposition. For the same money you can get a Toyota Yaris Verso or a Honda Jazz. Or you could even opt for an entry-level VW Golf or Ford Focus; or combine great value with loads of space and choose the Skoda Fabia Combi estate.
On its own, the 1007 is an innovative addition to the car market. If accessibility is an issue for you, then the 1007 may have the answers. For us, however, neither electric sliding doors nor a changeable interior is enough to see off the competition.