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Peugeot 207 SW (2007 - 2012)

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BY ANDY ENRIGHT

Introductionword count: 144

Big things often get expected of small cars. The Peugeot 207 SW certainly had quite a track record to live up to. The 205 and 206 series hatchbacks had sold in huge numbers, the latter clocking up over five million units, a figured aided by the introduction of a spacious 206 SW estate version. The 207 hatch got off to a strong start, selling around half a million cars in its first year on sale, but Peugeot had bigger plans for it. The 207 SW compact estate model was shown at the 2007 Geneva Show ready for an on-sale date of July 2007. Could it live up to the weight of expectation? It turned out that the 207 SW was possibly the best of the 207 line and used examples are around in big numbers. Here's what to look for when shopping for one.

Modelsword count: 18

Models covered: five-door supermini estate (1.4, 1.6 petrol, 1.4, 1.6 HDi diesel [S, Sport, Active, Allure, Outdoor, Millesim])

Historyword count: 300

That the 207 was a better car than the 206 before it brooks no argument. The 206 was always something of an enigma; a car that looked good but never drove very well, felt cheap inside and proved unreliable. Still, it seemed that people were willing to give the 207 a chance. The SW estate's debut in July 2007 saw it introduced with a choice of either a 1.4 VTi 95PS or 1.6 VTi 120PS petrol engines, while diesel buyers chose between HDi 90 or HDi 110 1.6-litre powerplants and a choice of either S or Sport trim levels. It didn't take Peugeot long to add to the range, with the 207 SW Outdoor appearing in December 2007. Based on the 207 Sport trim, the underwhelming Outdoor added off-road styling but no mechanical capability and was offered with the more powerful petrol engine and both diesels. The biggest changes were announced in mid 2009 for an August 2009 launch. The interiors were spruced up, the exterior was tidied with a revised front end and there were also the obligatory improvements to economy and emissions across the range. The engine choice was changed too. The 207 SW was also offered with a 75PS 1.4-litre petrol engine, as well as a 70PS HDi diesel. In March 2010, the HDi 110 engine was replaced by a Euro-5 compatible HDi 112 unit and in June, a Millesim special edition model was added to the line up based on the S but with 15” alloy wheels, Peugeot Connect USB & Bluetooth, front fog lights, sports front grille with chrome detailing, coloured coded side rubbing strips with chrome inserts, aluminium roof bars and Millesim 200 badging. The 207 SW was deleted in 2012 to make way for the much-improved 208 supermini and its 2008 Crossover spin-off..

What You Getword count: 245

The 207 SW is based on the standard 207 five-door hatchback but it's 119mm longer and 38mm taller. Inside, the larger body gives you extra luggage space to the tune of 55 litres. That means there's a total of 325-litres available, which can be increased to 1,410-litres if you fold the rear seats down. The seating drops down very simply to create a flat load floor which helps when sliding items inside. There's additional headroom in the rear as well and the impression of a whole lot more if you find a car fitted with the optional full length Cielo panoramic sun roof. If you're familiar with the way the 407 SW and the old 307 SW look, you could almost give your retinas a rest and avoid eye contact with the 207 SW completely. Peugeot's designers have taken a Russian doll approach with their estate range with each model simply a slightly shrunken version of the last. Not that this is a bad thing, if you like the marque's frontal styling treatment from this period which was apparently based on the cheesy grin of an adolescent with serious orthodontic issues. At the rear, the estate bit is neatly integrated with the standard 207 shape with the roofline sloping down at the back and a diagonal swage line that meets side window line to create a notch effect. The thick pillars around the rear flanks at the rear of the car don't help rear visibility.

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Scoring (subset of scores)

Category: Spacious Family Cars

Performance
70%
Handling
70%
Comfort
60%
Space
70%
Styling, Build, Value, Equipment, Depreciation, Handling, Insurance and Total scores are available with our full data feed.

This is an excerpt from our full review.
To access the full content library please contact us on 0330 0020 227 or click here

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