Having owned several Peugeots over the years, I know what to expect from the French company: poor build quality, high mpg and a plasticy finish. It's something I've come to expect but I don't mind because I always get a good deal from my local dealer - hence the loyality.
When I upgraded to a 207, I was expecting a bit more than it could deliver. It is a lot better than the 206, but it's still not up to the mark when you compare it to other cars in this sector.
The interior is just too cheap and the driving position is all wrong. It's a car for people who don't like cars; for people who only want a car to get them from A-to-B.
People who like to drive, don't buy this car. You'll be seriously disappointed. That said, however, it's cheap to run, cheap to insure and cheap to tax, so it does have quite a few good points - which is why I've decided to keep mine for another year.
POWAH!!! Haha.. I was after a performance car because basically I'm a bit of a poser and I don't wanna admit I'm growing up. I picked the Peugeot 207 kinda by accident, I was shopping around for different Golfs and then came across the Peugeot 207 GTi and a few things stood out about it.
I haven't been disappointed in terms of the performance but the reliability is really really poor. I forgive it though.. the torque is fantastic and it's got really different 'moods', like if you just wanna cruise round town quietly it's cool with that, and it sort of looks like a regular car (I haven't had any daft paint jobs done on it), but then open it out and RAAAARRR the revs come fast and good, and it's a driver's car.
The handling is fantastic as well, keeps to the road really well, it's always paying attention. What I would say is that I had the fifth gear on my Peugeot 207 tweaked when I got it and that's made a big difference to the top end power.
A reason I picked the Peugeot 207 GTi over a Golf was the space inside, and that's still making me appreciate it. The boot is a really decent size, although we've only got the one baby and it is filling up with the amazing amount of stuff you need to carry around with a littlun. Still at least you can put the seats down separately to extend the boot, and we make use of that.
Ok, so... the problems. A few things have gone, all covered by the warranty, and in fairness the dealer has been good about it (which is rare, and I wouldn't say that means all Peugeot dealers are so good). I probably should take this as a sign and trade it in at some point, but I'm not sure whether I'd lose more doing that than paying out for future repairs. Impossible to tell. Anyway the brakes system thing has played up pretty badly, the cam chain tensioner too, and the suspension struts have been a bit odd sounding. It's all been done in warranty like I said, but seriously I don't drive it like too much of a nutter so it shouldn't be behaving this badly.
One other thing: seriously get a 5 door car if you've got a kid in the back. I had no idea how much hassle it would be arranging an infant in the back of this thing, and it'll get no easier as she grows.
My wife persuaded me to look into the Peugeot 207 after our ancient Sierra packed in. We got it second hand, but it was only a 2009 model so maybe it was a company car or something. Either way it was young and with low mileage, got a pretty good deal.
The economical fuel usage is the most impressive thing, really great diesel engine, easily over 60 miles a gallon on average I think. And the engine runs smoothly and quietly too, I'll be sticking with diesels from now on.
The boot is a good size, altho the wheel rims poke in a bit which can be annoying. I mean if the car was set just a bit higher up and the wheels a bit further out then I could get three suitcases in there easy, but as it is whenever we go away I have to juggle things around in there. It's ok though, and really the Peugeot 207 makes very good use of space.
In the cabin itself the 3 kids easy fit in the back. They're 4, 6 and 10 so not adults really, but they do seem to have loads of space so it should be fine as they grow up.
The high fuel economy also means it's nice and cheap to tax, I think £30 or so, maybe it's changed as we'll be needing to renew soon, but I expect it still to be nice and cheap.
The driver seat is good for me and my wife as we're quite different heights, and it can be adjusted. Same with the steering wheels, goes up and down for different drivers. Very clever. Having said that we're not very tall, but my brother is very tall and he complained he couldn't get comfortable at all in it, something to do with the pedals, but anyway don't bother if you're really tall.
For a second hand car it's been ok I suppose. We've had it for a while now, it was 'born' in I think 2006 or 7. According to the paperwork it had been recalled for the alternator before we got it, and also had a brake servo done. The biggest thing to go wrong for us was a head gasket, but that was fixed inside the used car warranty that the dealer provided.
The fuel economy is good, I think about 40 or a bit over mpg. That's better than previous cars but maybe isn't that great by comparison to newer cars. Likewise tax and insurance relatively good. Those were selling points for us, and thing we'd read up on about the Peugeot 207.
It's very comfy to drive. At first I was very impressed with how stable it felt going round corners, more so than our old car. I've got used to it now but it's still a recommending point.
The dimensions are a bit odd. The Peugeot 207 1.4 Sport feels pretty wide really, I mean more so than it actually is, and you'd really want the opposite feel with a car. Again I'm well used to it now but I remember being thrown quite a bit by it at first, and nearly clipping the odd bollard.
I'd warn against going with the 3 door version though. By the time you get a car second hand the cost saving has all but gone, and the only remaining reason is that it maybe looks better. The trouble with the Peugeot 207 though, which is quite a specific problem, is that the door handles are quite far forward, so if you get out of the front and leave someone in the back, they'll struggle to get forward and open the door. Not really thought through that one.
The gearbox is currently having some trouble, so I'm going to get that looked at before the dealer's warranty expires. Apart from that it's been fine really. I reckon I might shop around for a different make next time, but for now the Peugeot 207 is doing the job.
We had a Peugeot 207 for just over a year in 2007. We bought it new, part exchange for an old Honda. It was ok for all of a few weeks before things started going wrong. Little electrical problems to begin with, which seemed at first like factory faults, but just kept coming. Like mirror motors not working, warning lights playing up. Peugeot had absolutely zero interest in helping us, and even complained that they'd been short-changed by the part ex. They offered the price! I got so annoyed with them after a while.
There were I think two recalls as well, one of the alternator and one for something else. Hardly makes you glow with confidence. There was also some query about some window seals just before we gave up and sold it.
Day to day, when it was actually working, our Peugeot 207 would drive like a pretty decent car. I mean I did buy it after all, I liked it. It was a bit of a struggle to get it up some hills, which might be something to do with the power compared to the overall weight. It was nice and comfy inside, plenty of space, and the steering I remember being nice and light.
The blind spot at the back is a bit big cos of the pillars going down the back. It does take a bit of getting used to. Keep an eye out for cyclists especially as you're turning into side roads, I nearly flattened one when we first had it. The blind spots at the front are pretty big too, again down to the pillars.
Anyway after nearly a year and about 40 thousand miles, the engine died completely. It was in warranty and we just about managed to get Peugeot to sort it out. But that was it, we'd had enough by then. I mean engine failure then just seemed absurd. So we cut our losses (and believe me when you sell a car after 1 year you make quite a loss), ditched the Peugeot 207 and went back to Honda.
The Peugeot 207 is a big car for what is, essentially, a small hatch. It's considerably larger than the 206 that came before it, and looks fat at some angles. But for what I want it for, it's perfect.
We use our 207 Envy for dropping the kids off to school, getting us from A-to-B and for holding the shopping, and I'm pleased to report, it does it all brilliantly. I regularly achieve over 35mpg, service costs are low and petrol isn't really an issue. It may not be as great to drive or to look at as a Focus or an Astra, but who cares? I'm not Schumacher.
The Peugeot 207 is reliable enough to keep me sane and the kids have plenty of room in the back. If all you want is something reliable, big and roomy, then the 207 will do that all day long. Good car.