Used Peugeot 207 review: 2007-2012

Graham Smith reviews the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 Peugeot 207 as a used buy.

Compact outside and spacious inside, the Peugeot had the angles covered for engine options and body styles.

New

Thanks to its long-distance rallying successes in the 1950s Peugeot once enjoyed a great reputation in this land, then it dropped off the radar of all but rusted-on Francophiles.

The brand doesn't rank high on most Australian shopping lists despite some decent models in the past few years, among them the small 207.

All owners are unanimous in praise of the 207's economy, whether petrol or turbo diesel.

Larger than the model it replaced, the pretty 207 had a surprisingly roomy cabin for its compact external dimensions. Its boot was also of a decent size, and it could be made even larger by folding the rear seats down.

There was quite a choice of body styles in the range, including a three-door hatch, a five-door hatch and a wagon. There were also a couple of hot hatches, a convertible and a CC coupe/convertible, but the hatches and the wagon as the most popular models are the focus here.

The model range at launch kicked off with the XR and climbed through the XT and XE. A later update brought the Sportium hatch and Outdoor wagon variants.

As might be expected from Peugeot, the 207 had petrol and turbo diesel engine options, with a choice of outputs to suit economy or performance.

Two 1.4-litre petrol fours produced 55kW (tuned towards economy) and 65kW (for more zip). There was also a 1.6-litre four with 88kW that powered the hatches and wagons.

The popular turbo diesel option was a 1.6-litre four, which was high on torque for a smooth driving experience. It began with 80kW/240 Nm but was updated to 82kW/270Nm.

The transmission choices in the front-drive 207 were five and six-speed manuals and four-speed auto.

Typically, given its French antecedents, the 207 was a comfortable and refined car to ride in, the cabin was roomy enough for two adults to travel in comfortable seats with space to spare and the suspension sufficiently soaked up bumps to make the trip a pleasant one. It was perhaps not quite the same for those in the rear, which was really best suited to kids.

Now

The 207, being generally well built, gives little trouble. There are no major problems to be concerned about and second-hand buyers can approach it with reasonable confidence of getting a decent run out of their purchase.

A couple of the owners we spoke to reported issues with the manual gearbox. One said the shift was notchy and not as smooth as some other 207s they'd driven.

More concerning is the other owner's reporting that the gearbox regularly jumped out of gear while driving along. It happened often, and more worrying, the dealer didn't appear able to fix it, and they simply took it as a fact of their driving life. That's unacceptable.

With that knowledge it's important to closely watch the operation of the gearbox in the hope of detecting anything that might seem a problem. A notchy shift could mean a worn clutch.

The four-speed automatic is a regular torque converter job and not a potentially troublesome dual-clutch 'box.

All owners are unanimous in praise of the 207's economy, whether petrol or turbo diesel.

A regular complaint, however, is the cost of servicing. It's the same with all European brands and overall it's best to find a mechanic who specialises in the brand. These mechanics can be worth their weight in gold, as they know the brand intimately and are usually able to get hold of cheaper parts, either new or used, than a dealer's workshop.