Peugeot 207 CC GT - With the impending heat wave looming, finally we can get our tops off and no better way to start than with the 207 CC GT courtesy of Peugeot.
Did you know that back in 1921 a young dental technician and car enthusiast, Georges Paulin, watched a neighbour struggling to close the roof of his cabriolet in a thunderstorm?
Eleven years later Georges had designed and patented his ‘Eclipse’ retractable roof system and duly put it on his Peugeot 301. Well, Peugeot were so impressed with this ‘Roadster’ they brought the rights to the Eclipse and so began Peugeot’s love affair with coupe cabriolets which in turn has made them the No I best seller in this segment.
I think it can be fair to say that the iconic 206 CC broke all the rules in coupe Cabriolet back in 2001with the electric folding roof system and now, as the 206 CC is laid to rest, the 207 CC takes over incorporating all the traits of the 206 CC but with more presence in terms of style, interior comfort and innovations.
Two trims are available the Sport and the GT mated to three petrol 1.6 litre engines and a 1.6 diesel. My test car for the week was the 1.6 litre petrol THP with 150 bhp mated to a manual five-speed gearbox.
Targeting the younger audience the 207 CC is pretty much the same as the 207 in general with the GT version distinguishes from its sibling in having an aluminium finish to the front air intake grille, a tinted rear screen, 17 “ alloy wheels, aluminium doorsill kick panels an - again, being Peugeot, small aluminium pedals.
The interior shares similar dimensions to the hatchback yet are slightly higher emphasising the coupe effect. For driver comfort the 207 CC comes with automatic dual zone air conditioning, electrically folding rear view mirrors, leather height adjustable steering wheel, electric front windows, electrically operated and door mirrors that are also heated and electrically folded when the car is locked which is perfect as I am convinced these parking bays are getting smaller. My test car came with black leather upholstery on the height adjustable driver and passenger seats that are also very comfortable especially on long journeys. I also had a host to optional extras such as the brilliant red metallic paint, sat nav so I could not get lost, cruise control so I kept a clean licence and to calm me down on the M25 was not just a five disc CD interchanger but also a rather nice smelling fragrance diffuser that works via the air conditioning.
But of course there is nothing like fresh air so time for the 207 CC to really come into it’s own. This electrically operated folding roof system differs slightly from that seen on the outgoing 206 CC in the fact that it is now an entirely automatic operation without the need for any manual roof release, well, apart from putting your finger on the button and keeping it there for 25 seconds during which time the whole roof is opened and neatly tucked into the rather generous luggage area. It’s quite an awesome sight especially when done at low speeds but no more than 6 mph and certainly is a head turner as I found out when the sun decided to shine on the M1 that cheered me up as I sat there twiddling my thumbs in traffic. Well it gave me soothing to do!
One cannot help feeling vulnerable in a coupe Cabriolet but Peugeot has paid particular attention in this department making sure the 207 CC has a high degree of rigidity and strengthened structure that also helps to improve noise suppression, which does not interfere with my chosen music. The 207 CC has a double impact absorption structure that allows better distribution of the impact energy in a frontal impact, deformable steering column, a lower impact bean and protective padding on both beams in case a pedestrian gets in the way as well as reinforced pillars. But in the awful event of a rollover which is every cabriolet drivers dread, the active vehicle rollover protection system will kick in that comprises of two active rear rollover protection bars that will provide a protective safety cell if the sensors detect a problem. ABS is standard incorporating EBDA and EBA along with ESP thus keeping the 207 CC firmly on the road.
That’s the car taken care of, but what about the passengers? Well they should come out without a scratch thanks to the front driver and passenger airbags, two ‘head –chest’ air bags in the rear of the front seat backrests, steering wheel airbag, driver’s knee airbag and all four seats – two very incey wincey in the rear- have inertia reel, have three point belts with force limiters.
At the heart of the 207 CC is a 1.6 litre 16-valve petrol engine that achieves a maximum speed of 129 mph, races from 0-61 in just 8.6 seconds yet does not compromise on fuel consumption guzzling only 48.7 mpg on a combined cycle. CO2 emissions are down at 171 thus falls into insurance group 12E. The five speed manual gearbox glides though the roads and bends with precision while the ‘brushless’ electric power steering renowned for its versatility being loose at low speed and tightening up beautifully for higher, will tackle even the smallest of parking spaces.
The Peugeot 207 CC is a lot of fun to drive and certainly an exhilarating experience as Coupe Cabriolets should be. My test car stood in at £16,922 which is pretty good value for money considering she adorns so much technology, gutsy spirit in her drive and interior comfort.
FemaleFirst Jackie Violet