03 Jan 07
I have a vested interest in the success of this new addition to the 4Car fleet. The car is a Peugeot 207 THP 150, with the BMW-developed but Peugeot-built turbo engine similar to that used in the new Mini - and already you're wondering what payola has headed my way.
But that's not what I mean. My interest is vested because I really want this car to be good. We've heard the mantra often enough before, but recent small Peugeots just haven't had the fluid, talkative, interactive, feelgood dynamics that were the older ones' USP. Something got lost when 'chef de suspensions' Jean Baudin retired (and I don't just mean the throttle-steering thrill of a 205 GTi).
Every pre-206 Peugeot had a fantastic combination of responsiveness and suppleness that no other cars quite managed. And it's not just a rose-tinted memory. I own a very fit 205 GTi 1.9, with fresh dampers and bushes that are genuine Peugeot parts, so it feels just as it did when new. After you'd marvelled at the extraordinary precision and intimacy of its steering you'd be surprised how supple the ride is by today's taut standards.
But in our family there's also my daughter's 106 1.1, with skinny tyres, no front anti-roll bar and just 60bhp. It's brilliant fun to drive because its engine is so sweet and its handling so, well, transparent. It tells you everything - and it's always the right thing.
So I want the 207 THP to rekindle this flame, because I've always loved the way Peugeots used to be and felt almost betrayed when the company lost the plot. But simple grip and pace won't light the match. It has to be deeper than that, a cohesive fluidity in everything the car does, a feeling that it's in the genes and not a sporty-flavoured surface dressing.
