You may, if you have been around the car business as long as I have, remember a dreadful thing called the Matra Rancho, eventually sold under the Talbot badge.
This was a product of desperation from a French company that had created some very fine sports cars. But, when times are hard, like after the fuel crisis of the early to mid 70s, sports cars don’t put food on the table for your employees’ kids.
Enter the Rancho, intended to be a family model that was great on style. The only sad thing about it was that style was what it lacked.
But it started a trend and thanks to the Rancho you can now drive round in smaller SUVs, some with four wheel drive and others, like the Rancho, without. Matra can only have dreamed of the reality that has come Nissan’s way. The Japanese company has had to recruit extra staff at its Sunderland factory to satisfy demand for its Qashqai.
The Rancho was a clever idea. Matra took a Simca pick-up truck, hacked off the back and fitted a big and boxy plastic body in its place. The rest of the car / van / thing was then tarted up with lights fitted with protector grilles (even two you could move about on the scuttle in front of the windscreen in case you wanted to go on a rabbit hunt where the rabbits would win), and cladding. End result was a pseudo 4x4 that would actually slither to a halt at even a hint of a damp grass blade or slushy snow flake.
Loosely speaking, the Rancho still has a successor today in the Peugeot range that followed on from Talbot in the UK. It’s the Peugeot 207 SW Outdoor, still with body cladding but not so ridiculously large at the back.
It doesn’t have its origins in a tired van with a clattery engine (they used to say that the more noise the Simca valve gear made, the better the engine was running) and it won’t bring you the delights of seven seats, the two in the back rearward facing so your kids can see their 44 tonne Nemesis bearing down on them on the motorway.
You might feel tempted to have a snigger at the Outdoor but that pseudo off roader appearance does actually bring some benefits.
For a start, the car rides higher than the standard 207 SW and older people will find this little bit of a rise in body height makes a lot of difference when getting into the car. My parents in law have a Peugeot Partner Combi Escapade purely because it has a higher ride height than the standard Partner and Mum finds it so much easier to get in. So instantly dismissing cars like the 207 Outdoor should not be something you indulge in.
True, there are silly features, too, like the sill mouldings that are intended to make it look like an SUV. But then next time someone dings your wheelarch in a car park you’ll wish you had an Outdoor, where the plastic trim could be easily and cheaply replaced and not require a trip to the paint shop.
Even small detail like washable mats make all the difference to a family that leads an active lifestyle but I’m not sure I’m sold on decorative trimming inside that goes under the name of “Grinium”. It sounds too much like that gaping smile of a grille that defaces all modern Peugeots.
At the rear, the package is equally sensible. The 207 SW offers 1,433 litres of space and the seats fold easily to give a flat load floor.
There are three engine choices and we’ve tried both the 1.6 litre petrol with 120 bhp and the same capacity diesel with 110 bhp, the car I prefer. It has virtually the same benchmark performance figures but is much stronger for in-gear acceleration while virtually 50 mpg. The price is a bit strong at £14,740, though.
Maurice Hardy
I’m still going to take some convincing that estate cars don’t make a better case for themselves than hatchbacks.
But in the world of superminis, the choice of estates is limited as many makers seem to prefer mini SUVs. I don’t, so I welcome the 207 SW and the Skoda Fabia estate we are currently running for six months. These cars, to me, make perfect sense.
It’s amazing how much load space can be squeezed into these relatively compact bodies and the Peugeot brings some very useful features, like an opening window in the tailgate for inserting small items into the boot.
I’m not so keen on the glass roof panel, although some outdoor types might like the opportunity for star gazing, and I think the rear window shape a little reminiscent of 1950s wraparound glass, which seems to be as popular today as big grilles have become at the front.
The 207 SW is also a comfortable car to ride in and the rear seats, slightly raised when compared with those of the standard hatch, also give a good view out, which will help keep the kids amused on the way to your next mountaineering / fishing / extreme cycling / shopping expedition.
Annette Hardy
Car: Peugeot 207 SW Outdoor HDi 110
Does it fit your ego?...
0-62 mph: 11.7 secs
Top speed: 117 mph
Bhp: 110 @ 4000 rpm,br>
Torque: 180 lb ft @ 1750 rpm
...and your wallet?...
Price: £14,740
Urban: 46.3 mpg
Extra urban: 64.1 mpg
Combined: 56.4 mpg
CO2 emissions: 131 g/km
Insurance Group: 6 / 14
Best bits: roomy body; comfortable ride; great economy.
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