Peugeot 1007When I was learning to drive back in the sixties, most people still had cars left over from before the war.Although we might see pictures of trendy new offerings like the Mini Minor or the Standard Vanguard, we were more used to devices with separate wings and headlights, side-valve engines, suction wipers, cable brakes and huge steering wheels.While many of these features indisputably endowed those old stagers with charm and character, and probably induce a warm glow in people of a certain age even to this day, in the forward march of popular motoring their passing was never really mourned.One valuable feature was lost, however, in the move from glorified stage coach to smooth, low-profile modern motor: accessibility.Where you could walk up to one of those old pre-war buses, open the door and step in, suddenly you were having to be more circumspect. Even if you were getting on a bit and not too flexible, until then you had the headroom and probably some proper running boards to make entry and exit easy. And not just for passengers. Drivers in those days benefited from the now illegal ‘suicide’ door. This was hinged at its rear edge, so you could enter and exit in one easy movement – getting off your seat forwards, as you would normally choose to do. There was, as the name suggests, a certain hazard with this arrangement, in that, if you didn’t check in your (then hopelessly inadequate) mirrors, and opened the door in the path of another vehicle, rather than rip the door off as it would now, it slammed it on whichever bits of you had already passed through it.While this might be seen as an early example of the nanny state spoiling the fun of all to protect a dozy few, it can also be recognised that this was not an ideal arrangement. But then, neither is the forward hinged door which is often difficult to reach by a belted passenger, and is much more likely to impact on adjacent vehicles in supermarket car parks – not least because you have to turn around to get out of it.When Peugeot’s 1007 first emerged, it seemed like a bit of a gimmick. A concept car that had actually been put on sale, funny looking and not really the sort of thing you would expect from them. I had never rushed to try one and, while I welcome any effort to try something different in an ever more anodyne world, I didn’t imagine there would be a big take up for the car.But now, some years on, not only hasn’t it gone away, but it seems to have a more than respectable presence on the road. So I got my hands on one for a week and soon discovered why.It’s not about what it looks like, though its quirky appearance can grow, especially once you start to appreciate its other virtues. It’s not even really about the fun of operating the doors from the key fob. What it’s actually about is its sheer usability.There’s a natural urge to play with the doors when the car first turns up. But later you begin to realise that there are so many real life situations in which being able to open a door that doesn’t get in the way of passing cars, cyclists and pedestrians saves time, stress and even physical injury.I spend long periods of my life waiting for the stream of traffic in New Romney High Street to break, so I can run round the car, do the business with the door and slam it behind me before the next lorry bears down on me. With the 1007, there was this joyous advantage that you could open the door from the kerb. When a nano second break occurred in the traffic, you had only to run around and jump in. Then the motor slid the door quietly and smoothly to a close – no slamming either.In car park and in driveway, the system is just as effective. If you stop at the services or a picnic area, you don’t need to prop the door open or breath through a small window opening. You can open the whole car up to the fresh air.And, while this is the most obvious feature of the car, it’s not the only one that makes it so easy to get on with. Also, like those old buses, it has altitude. There is headroom here, and load height that helps give it a credible luggage and people capacity without having to take up all of the road. This also helps in parking and other manoeuvres by giving the driver a high viewpoint and what-you-see visibility.Of course, all these electric motors and other tackle add weight to the car, and you are somewhat aware of this at first while driving. But you soon become used to its little ways, and of course, the Peugeot-Citroen HDi diesel engine is one of the happiest means of propulsion known to man.If someone can only come up with a way the same thing could be done for rear seat passengers, I would say we’re looking not at a one-off oddity, but the future of family motoring.Dave RandleFeb '09
Peugeot 1007
When I was learning to drive back in the sixties, most
people still had cars left over from before the war.
Although we might see pictures of trendy new offerings
like the Mini Minor or the Standard Vanguard, we were
more used to devices with separate wings and
headlights, side-valve engines, suction wipers, cable
brakes and huge steering wheels.
While many of these features indisputably endowed
those old stagers with charm and character, and
probably induce a warm glow in people of a certain age
even to this day, in the forward march of popular
motoring their passing
was never really
mourned.
One valuable feature
was lost, however, in the
move from glorified
stage coach to smooth,
low-profile modern
motor: accessibility.
Where you could walk
up to one of those old
pre-war buses, open the
door and step in,
suddenly you were
having to be more
circumspect. Even if you
were getting on a bit
and not too flexible, until then you had the headroom
and probably some proper running boards to make entry
and exit easy.
And not just for passengers. Drivers in those days
benefited from the now illegal ‘suicide’ door. This was
hinged at its rear edge, so you could enter and exit in
one easy movement – getting off your seat forwards, as
you would normally choose to do. There was, as the
name suggests, a certain hazard with this arrangement,
in that, if you didn’t check in your (then hopelessly
inadequate) mirrors, and opened the door in the path of
another vehicle, rather than rip the door off as it would
now, it slammed it on whichever bits of you had already
passed through it.
While this might be seen as an early example of the
nanny state spoiling the fun of all to protect a dozy few, it
can also be recognised that this was not an ideal
arrangement. But then, neither is the forward hinged
door which is often difficult to reach by a belted
passenger, and is much more likely to impact on
adjacent vehicles in supermarket car parks – not least
because you have to turn around to get out of it.
When Peugeot’s 1007 first emerged, it seemed like a bit
of a gimmick. A concept car that had actually been put
on sale, funny looking and not really the sort of thing you
would expect from them. I had never rushed to try one
and, while I welcome any effort to try something different
in an ever more anodyne world, I didn’t imagine there
would be a big take up for the car.
But now, some years on, not only hasn’t it gone away,
but it seems to have a more than respectable presence
on the road. So I got my hands on one for a week and
soon discovered why.
It’s not about what it looks like, though its quirky
appearance can grow, especially once you start to
appreciate its other virtues. It’s not even really about the
fun of operating the doors from the key fob. What it’s
actually about is its sheer usability.
There’s a natural urge to play with the doors when the
car first turns up. But later you begin to realise that there
are so many real life situations in which being able to
open a door that doesn’t get in the way of passing cars,
cyclists and pedestrians saves time, stress and even
physical injury.
I spend long periods of my life waiting for the stream of
traffic in New Romney High Street to break, so I can run
round the car, do the business with the door and slam it
behind me before the next
lorry bears down on me.
With the 1007, there was
this joyous advantage that
you could open the door
from the kerb. When a
nano second break
occurred in the traffic, you
had only to run around
and jump in. Then the
motor slid the door quietly
and smoothly to a close –
no slamming either.
In car park and in
driveway, the system is
just as effective. If you
stop at the services or a
picnic area, you don’t need to prop the door open or
breath through a small window opening. You can open
the whole car up to the fresh air.
And, while this is the most obvious feature of the car, it’s
not the only one that makes it so easy to get on with.
Also, like those old buses, it has altitude. There is
headroom here, and load height that helps give it a
credible luggage and people capacity without having to
take up all of the road. This also helps in parking and
other manoeuvres by giving the driver a high viewpoint
and what-you-see visibility.
Of course, all these electric motors and other tackle add
weight to the car, and you are somewhat aware of this at
first while driving. But you soon become used to its little
ways, and of course, the Peugeot-Citroen HDi diesel
engine is one of the happiest means of propulsion known
to man.
If someone can only come up with a way the same thing
could be done for rear seat passengers, I would say
we’re looking not at a one-off oddity, but the future of
family motoring.
Dave Randle
Feb '09
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