THE GREAT OUTDOORS?

Digging ever deeper in the search for exploitable market niches, Peugeot brings us the 207 SW Outdoor, a small car with a big agenda. Andy Enright reports

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The VTi branding on this petrol unit refers to its implementation of variable valve timing. This is an advanced version of the technology which allows the engine management computer to automatically adjust not only the timing of the exhaust and inlet valves but also the lift of the inlet valves with the aim of minimising fuel consumption and emissions without causing a tail off in performance when you give the throttle a good prodding.

The 207 SW Outdoor is one of the better executed vehicles of its ilk, with styling additions that give it some presence without over-egging the recipe, unlike the old Matra Rancho 'Grand Raid', that was fitted with such off-road extras as an electric winch on the front bumper and a spare wheel mounted on the roof! Instead, the Outdoor sticks to an increased ride height of 16mm at the front and 21mm at the rear, fitment of 16-inch 'Outdoor' alloy wheels and Narbonnais grey wheel arch extensions and sill mouldings.

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 thanks to the full length Cielo panoramic sun roof. The latest models feature LED tail lights and a shapelier front end as well as upgraded trim materials.

So, what's the premium then? Well, given that the 207 SW Outdoor is based on the 207 SW Sport trim level, it's fairly easy to calculate just what Peugeot wants for what is a fairly modest set of additions and the answer is a reasonable £300, model for model. The SW Outdoor is a petrol-engined 1.6 VTi 120, with the diesels costing a bit more. The HDi 90 version and HDi 112 follow on. Standard equipment is generous and includes twin front, side and curtain airbags, sports front seats, leather trimmed gear lever and steering wheel, air conditioning, front fog lights, the Cielo glass panoramic roof and opening rear tailgate glass.

The 207 SW is one of only a few supermini-based estates that are still available on the UK market. Most mainstream manufacturers have put their faith in supermini-based MPVs to cater for the needs of family buyers wanting a small practical car and the 207 SW Outdoor is a clever attempt to woo these potential customers with a better looking and more dynamic 'lifestyle' (how I loathe that term!) option. In short, it's sleeker, better looking and doesn't actually lose out much in terms of real-world versatility to one of the smaller supermini-MPVs.

Buyers can expect some pleasantly thrifty fuel economy figures from the 207 SW's range of modern engines. Predictably, the best combined cycle figures come from the diesels which both return excellent figures, the 90bhp version managing 60.1mpg with the 112bhp variant returning 61.4mpg. Go for the petrol option and the 1.6 VTi turns in a very impressive showing of 44.1mpg, making it possibly the pick of the bunch. Emissions are similarly eco-friendly with the more powerful diesel utilising Peugeot's FAP particulate filter to meet the latest European regulations. Insurance ranges from Group 5 to Group 7 and early estimates indicate that depreciation levels will be among the best in class for compact estate cars.

It's easy to see why some purists get a little exercised about cars that pretend to have certain capabilities but which are actually a good deal more modest in their abilities. Indeed, if you were to subject the Peugeot 207 SW Outdoor to anything more arduous than a smooth gravel track it would likely come up short but that's hardly the point. There's almost a knowing nod and a wink about this car. It doesn't seem to take itself too seriously and offers a slightly better looking and less anonymous ownership proposition than the otherwise rather invisible 207 SW.

It'll never appeal to the mass market but if you're shopping for a practical car with a bit of personality, a decent selection of engines and no off road ability whatsoever, the 207 SW Outdoor is well worth a place on your shortlist. Rather despite myself, I find myself warming to it.