Peugeot's 1007 has lots of tricks up its sleeve, as well as those sliding doors. Andrew Hamilton reports from Valencia
The door's the thing! It tops Peugeot's list of "unique selling propositions" for the new 1007 that goes on Irish sale in August. The "uniqueness" means two electric sliding doors that motor backwards and don't open outwards as with nearly every other car we know.
Exceptions are bigger MPVs such as the Peugeot 806, but the 1007 represents the very first application of the slide principle in a small car.
It all sounds eminently sensible - and safe too. At the international press launch in Spain last week Peugeot people told us about drivers and their occupants getting bigger (ie more obese) and not being able to make an elegant withdrawal when in tight parking spaces in shopping centres. It's a consideration also for that minority of motorists who still put their cars into narrow garages.
Most importantly, there's the safety factor: doors don't open outwards into the path of oncoming traffic, be it vehicular or pedestrian. And, of course, stepping out and stepping in is a much easier proposition, whatever our state or condition.
It could surely become the smartest wheels on the school run. There has to be a touch of upmanship about hitting the button on the key fob and seeing left or right doors glide open. The offspring are bound to love it too.
The 1007 is a small car that's quite big. Being 3,731mm long, 1,620mm high and 2,008mm wide, it is bigger than most in its class and comes close dimensionally to the Ford Focus.
There will be three engine options, 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 two petrol versions are expected to account for more than 95 per cent of sales, estimated at around 150 for the remaining months of this year and 300 next year.
The 1007 may be very conventional in its engines and mechanical layout but it's still remarkable for its cleverness and we aren't thinking just of the doors. The cabin 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 as far as possible, this shrinks to 246 litres.
Cameleo is an interior trim kit that's available in 18 colours and allows 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.
Buyers qualify for an additional kit at time of purchase and they can even be offered as presents, being bought at Peugeot dealerships. Selling price of the kit is €250, but that's in France.
Some might be wondering just what's the rationale for a car like the 1007. And couldn't it be confused with the forthcoming 107?
For a start, 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. Inevitably though, there will be confusion.
With so many smart tricks up its sleeve, the 1007's driving seems almost a secondary consideration. Our test was confined to the 1.6 petrol model with a 2-Tronic paddle-shift semi-automatic gearbox that didn't seem in harmony with the engine.
Because of its taller profile, there's a bit more body roll while the ride is a little harsher. Neither will be detrimental enough to upset the 1007's buying constituency, people who above all are likely to be swung by its interior innovation and those sliding doors.
We think they might also be enamoured by the 1007's appearance. It stands out in a crowd and around Valencia last week, there was no shortage of onlookers.
When it goes on sale here in August, we can expect a starting price of just over €19,000 and there will be three levels of specification, S, SE and Sport. The safety armoury includes ABS with EBD, ESP and seven airbags.
Inevitably, with this new take on the supermini theme, we are asking ourselves if Peugeot is setting a trend here. Thirty or more years ago, electric windows made bystanders gasp and now we just couldn't live without them. Electric doors that are remotely controlled could become a norm, the antidote needed for jaded supermini palates. In the evolution of car design, it's another space worth watching.