Peugeot 207 Economique (2009): first official photos

By Alex Michaelides

First Official Pictures

20 July 2009 11:15

Peugeot has come over all green with this, the new Peugeot 207 Economique. No surprises for guessing its purpose – it's another eco special, aimed squarely at cars such as the Polo BlueMotion. The 207 Economique boasts emissions of just 99g/km of CO2 and a frugal 74.3mpg.

So, how did Peugeot make the 207 Economique cleaner?

Peugeot uses its trusty 1.6 HDI oil burner, but in a detuned guise. This gives the 207 a respectable 90bhp (16 ponies more than the Polo), but also makes it dirtier and thirstier than its German rival which manages a very low 87g/km of CO2.

Other attempts to clean up the 207’s act include a 5mm drop in ride height, a newly designed front bumper and rear spoiler and new aerodynamic hubcaps to cover the 15in steel rims. To help lighten an over-enthusiastic driver's lead foot, a gearshift indicator also comes as standard.

A clean Peugeot, surely it’s a Blue Lion then?

This gets a bit confusing.... Don’t think of Blue Lion as a model line, like BlueMotion is to VW, but more of a theory spread across the range. Blue Lion cars are 95% recyclable and have emissions of no more than 120g/km of CO2. So while all Economique models use Blue Lion tech, you won’t really find it mentioned on the car. Instead, only the '99g' badge appears on the flanks – with no mention of the Economique name...

When it goes on sale in October 2009, the Peugeot 207 Economique will start from £12,995 for the standard three-door. This rises to £13,895 for the Economique+, which adds air-con and electric heated door mirrors. Expect to pay a £600 premium for the five-door, which is released at the same time.

By Alex Michaelides