1007 a space oddity

Yet another revolutionary vehicle from French car maker Peugeot, the 1007 will change the way you think about travelling in a little tin box.

My first impression of this car is a somewhat confused one, I admit. It is a small car in all dimensions but its height, and yet when parked alongside your average saloon it seems big.

When parked in your average car park, the 1007 stands proud above most other cars, especially if it has the roof bars fitted. However, it is stumpy in length, great for parallel parking in small spaces.

Wearing the unmistakable face of Peugeot, you can recognise the DNA instantly, but unlike the other models in Peugeot's range it is not typically car shaped.

Okay, so it's not stunningly beautiful, sleek or sporty, nor does it look like a pedigree champion, but it has all the quirkiness and character of the mongrel at the rescue home that has stolen your heart and you want to take home. I'm hooked.

This odd little pug' has been given a luke-warm reception from some traditionalists. It is not a conventional hatchback, supermini or MPV, yet it has made huge strides into all these markets, crossing over a little into each.

And, there are so many things about this car that are really good, it might take me all day to explain them.

Remote-control electric sliding doors have come in for criticism. Mostly from people who think they are too slow. But for safety's sake, they're probably just right.

At the touch of a button the huge door opens and slides back along the length of the car. It moves swiftly, following the metal runner at a steady pace. If you like things to be done instantly you might be disappointed. On the other hand, you know it's not going to take your fingers off when it closes.

A wide opening reveals the front seats, which tilt and slide forward to allow easy access to the rear two seats. The back two seats are individual and amply sized for two adults. I took a trip in the back and I felt quite high up, commanding a good view over the front occupants, as well as a great view out of the large side windows.

There is no high step to negotiate and getting into the front seats requires a simple manoeuvre. This will be effortless for anyone who has trouble getting in and out of cars.

A great thing about these doors, is that you don't ever have to pull the handle to open them, from inside or out. Another step to lazydom! There are buttons on the dashboard and keyfob.

If your children are running up to the car, you can open the doors for them. There's something quite spaceship' and surreal about the whole thing.

One of the not-so-great things about this car, though and it's purely a self-conscious thing you cannot help but imagine everyone is staring at you when the doors open, seemingly on their own. You can't help feeling a bit childish like you're playing in a great big toy. It's a strange feeling, but I'm sure I'm not alone with that thought.

By the end of the week, however, living with the car's uniqueness was almost second nature and getting back into my own car was somewhat of a let-down as far as the doors were concerned!

Enough of the doors then! Once you're in, you realise just how spacious this little car is. It's quite cavernous and in the cold weather I was filled with dread at the prospect of getting into this tin box and being freezing cold, but I have to say it warmed up in no time.

Storage cubbies abound and everything is very well laid out. The dashboard is particularly delightful. It's really deep and is quite space-age in its design. Of particular note is the satellite navigation system. The screen sits on top of the dashboard in the middle and is large and full colour.

Admittedly, at £1,600 it's a lot of money, but if you ask me, it's money well spent. It is one of the best systems I have seen and is easily operated via stereo-like controls in the centre console. You can zoom right out until you're almost at satellite's distance, or zoom right in to your street. It's amazing.

I also like the multi-function steering wheel with its cruise control buttons. Before long, cars won't even need steering wheels and they'll be driving us everywhere on voice commands just don't shout at the children when you're supposed to be commanding the car!

The rear hatch is well designed and feels nice and light to open. It reveals a wide opening but a not-so-wide boot space. However, at the pull of a little handle, the rear seats slide forward making the boot really spacious. We had plenty of room to get all our groceries in. You could still get a couple of passengers in the back too, but legroom does become restricted.

Transform your interior in less than fifteen minutes with eighteen switchable coloured panels and mats. Cameleo personalisation of the interior helps prevent you getting bored with the interior. It's really easy to clean too. Just pop the covers in the washing machine. The model on test also had an electric sliding roof with fitted sunblinds. I'm having so much fun with this car before I've even started the engine.

Driving this MPV-cum-supermini proves fun and practicality can mix. Despite this car having a fairly tardy 1.4-litre engine, I found it coped well considering the weight of the doors, their mechanisms and me.

When pushed hard, I could accelerate uphill just so long as I didn't change gear too soon. I even overtook some cars and never felt like I was struggling to make ground.

Corners proved no problem for this little gem thanks to the standard electronic stability programme ESP a safety feature normally found on much larger cars.

1007 seemed to fit into the smallest parking spaces and despite feeling like a big car on the inside, it handled like a hatchback with small external dimensions.

Economy-wise, the car hardly seemed to touch a drop of fuel, and I put it through some serious paces so a big thumbs up here.

If it wasn't sporting such a hefty price tag, I'm sure we'd see lots of these cars on the road because once you've tried one, you'll want to keep it. Of course, exclusivity could be the deciding factor.

PEUGEOT 1007 1.4 16V SPORT 5-speed manual transmission. Vital statistics: Top speed: 107 mph 0-62 mph: 13.6 seconds; Max power: 90 bhp @ 5250 rpm; Max torque: 100 bhp @ 3250 rpm; Urban economy: 33.6 mpg; Extra urban: 53.3 mpg; Combined: 44.1 mpg; CO2 emissions: 153 g/km Emission category: EU4; Euro NCAP 5-star front/side impact rating; 2 star pedestrian, 3 star child. Insurance group: 4E. OTR price: £11,850 Standard features: Aluminium interior trim, 16-inch alloy wheels, sports front seats, Cameleo kit, leather steering wheel, athermic windscreen, electric windows, seven airbags, air conditioning, remote-control front sliding doors, ABS, ESP, five-star NCAP rating.

Optional extras: Metallic paint £350; Protection pack (parking sensors, electric folding mirrors and ultrasonic alarm) £450; Cruise control £200; JBL hi-fi £400; RT3 colour sat nav with radio/single CD/GSM phone including 5 disc CD autochanger £1,650, roof bars £150; electric sliding roof £550.