Peugeot 1007 Sport 1.4 HDI - Diesel Road test

Peugeot 1007 Sport 1.4 HDI

Ever daydreamed about how amazing it would be if you didn't have to open your car door every time you got in and out? No, neither have I. Nevertheless, Peugeot reckons it's onto a winner with the world's first supermini with push-button sliding doors.

Sounds more like a concept than a road-going car?
Astute observation. Peugeot unveiled the Sésame study in Paris three years ago. Fans were so keen, they decided to steam ahead and build it. There's nothing new about sliding doors - Peugeot's 807 MPV and Fiat's Ulysse have them for rear access, but this is the first small car to use the trick for access to both front and back. The doors are big and heavy but slide electrically with a prod of the remote keyfob.

So how's it fit in to the Peugeot range?
A bit oddly. It's shorter than a 206, but taller than the bigger-still 307. The cabin floor, in fact, is fairly high off the ground - so, despite the trim dimensions, you sit fairly high, which in these days of offroader plague is no terrible thing. As an idea, this is far from normal Peugeot fare. The styling is mildly eccentric: the car features 'Caméléo' interior trim as standard, which consists of a standard specified colour for panelling inside, plus an extra set of 18 panels in a fresh hue. So when you get bored, you can give your 1007 a makeover and change the 'mood'. Apparently. The Cameleo kit includes door and rear storage box covers, as well as two dashboard mats, air-vent embellishments and eight seat covers. If you've a grubby family it's the proverbial spare pair.

Sounds like you're not into this?
Hold on... it's a hard car not to like. First up, check the quality. It's battleship solid and those sliding doors, albeit odd at first, work with utmost efficiency (and have plenty of safety gubbins built in to ensure they can't open while you're moving, or slice your fingers off like tender carrots). And then there's the dapper aluminium seam that runs around the car's midriff and tailgate. Park this next to the likes of such deformed howlers as Hyundai's Atoz, or Suzuki's Wagon R, and you see it has a certain pleasantness of proportion.