1 Feb 2007
PEUGEOT pitched its bigger and better-equipped 207 into both the light and small car segments.
Fourteen different variants were available at launch, from three-door, five-door, wagon and coupe-cabrio, plus two hot hatches – a GT and GTi.
Powering the French hatch were newly developed 1.6-litre VVT four-cylinder petrol and turbo-diesel HDi engines jointly developed with BMW and shared with the Mini Cooper and Cooper S. Crash safety was also improved.
In July 2007 the 207 CC coupe-convertible followed on from the phenomenally successful 206 CC – but with many improvements.
Chief among these was a larger, stronger body, an all-new roof mechanism made in-house in France, a roomier, quieter and more refined interior and a completely revamped range of engines and gearboxes.
It was built off the same basis as the rest of the 207 light-car range, available with a naturally aspirated 88kW/160Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder or a lightly turbo boosted 110kW/240Nm 1.6-litre four.
Both engines were borne of the joint-venture between Peugeot and BMW. The entry-level CC was available with a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic, while the turbo model is manual only.
But the tin-top convertible weighed a lot, so was is not the performance leader that its direct-injection twin-scroll turbo-charged specification suggested.
In December 2009 the 207 range received a midlife makeover, retaining the XR, XT and GTi model grades, with three body derivatives – hatch, CC and Touring receiving styling changes and extra standard equipment.
Key specification improvements included the fitment of six airbags as standard on the entry-level XR and a glass sunroof as standard on all XT models, which also gained standard dual-zone climate control and an electrochromatic rear-view mirror, plus standard rear privacy glass for XT and GTi.
Cruise control became standard on all 1.6-litre models, including the petrol XR auto and XT five-door hatches, and the XT HDi hatch, as well as the petrol XT auto wagon, the XT HDi wagon, GTi three-door and 207CC convertible.
While the latter continued to be available with 88kW naturally-aspirated and 110kW turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engines (and the GTi with a 128kW version of the 1.6), there was also a new version of the Touring wagon badged as the Outdoor, available with 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engines.
The base XR continued with non-turbo 65kW/133Nm 1.4 and 88kW/160Nm1.6-litre petrol engines – the former mated to a five-speed manual transmission and the latter to a four-speed auto only.
The 1.6 was available with manual and automatic gearboxes in the CC and XT, which was also available with an 80kW/240Nm 1.6-litre HDi turbo-diesel engine, mated solely to a five-speed manual transmission.
Visually, the facelifted 207 was distinguished by a one-piece lower front panel that introduced offset circular foglights (where fitted), located laterally in two aerodynamic recesses, which aimed to add the perception of width to the vehicle.
Premium XT, GTi and CC versions added a more premium feel via extra chrome details, while the new 207 hatchback and CC models got new LED tail-lights comprising two horizontal panels of six LEDs bordered on the inside by a vertical panel of three LEDs. Both the hatch and CC featured body-coloured rear bumpers with rear parking sensors.
Exterior hatch changes were rounded out by new wheels named after Australian cities, with an eight-spoke 15-inch ‘Brisbane’ wheel cover standard on XR and XT models, a 16-inch ‘Canberra’ alloy wheel with five large spokes optional on the XT and a 17-inch ‘Melbourne’ two-tone alloy wheel with eight diamanté spokes standard on the GTi.
Inside the 207 was a new air-conditioning control panel and instrument panel, while XR, XT and CC models featured new metallic detailing. The freshened 207 was available in 10 exterior paint colours, two of them new for 2010 - Inari Blue and Moroccan Red – while the six-strong GTi colour palette gained Moroccan Red.
