2007 Peugeot 207 RC and 207 CC
And Another 207 That’s a Twofer
From the Paris auto show last October, we showed you a Peugeot concept called the 207 Epure, which ran on compressed hydrogen but, more important, was a 207-based folding-hardtop coupe/cabriolet. Although we feel comfortable saying the compressed hydrogen part of that car will not be on the market any time soon, the production version of the folding-hardtop 207 is being introduced at the Geneva auto show.
Although the hardtop convertible is still a new concept gaining steam in the U.S., the predecessor to this car, the 206 CC, went on sale in Europe in 2000 and has since chalked up an impressive 360,000 in sales, making it the bestselling retractable-hardtop car in the world. In some European countries, the CC has made up as much as 40 percent of 206 sales.
To ensure that the 206 CC’s successor can maintain that level of achievement, Peugeot is changing little in this formula. The car—15 inches shorter than a Volkswagen Eos—remains a two-plus-two, with no pretenses of a third seating row in the back. The trunk is quite spacious for a car this size, seven cubic feet with the top stowed and a cavernous 16—nearly two full hogsheads of wine—with it up; and that’s with a space-saver spare tire, too.
Top operation is fully automated, with no manual releases anywhere. You can’t say that about a lot of cars, including the Porsche Boxster. The transition from coupe to convertible or back again takes about 25 seconds and can be performed in stop-and-go traffic at speeds up to 6 mph. Peugeot proudly boasts that it did the complete roof design by itself, with no help from anybody else. Not even a little bit.
Propulsion for the 207 CC comes from a selection of engines plucked from the 207 range of inline-fours. There are two gas options, producing 118 or 148 horsepower, and a diesel making 107 horsepower. Concerns about diesel fumes roiling into your convertible while idling in traffic are alleviated by an optional fragrance diffuser with a choice of seven scents. We hope one of them is a cheese.
MORE AT CAR & DRIVER
2007 Peugeot 207 RC and 207 CC Photo Gallery
CARandDRIVER.com Geneva Auto Show Coverage
