Peugeot Partner Tepee

29-10-2008 11:15

Five years ago, the thought of driving a van look- a-like as a family car would have been preposterous. However, they are now becoming increasingly popular as the number one alternative to the bulky expensive MPV’s.

So what is causing this new cult following? After all they are not the most attractive looking of cars to cause as stir at the school gates, but remember the old saying, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.

Well, those beholders will have a permanent grin on thier faces for they have discovered a car, albeit van shaped, that offers unbeatable value for money, the ultimate in space saving solutions along with a good drive and of course slashed running costs.

Peugeot have now replaced their trusty Partner Combi with a more upbeat Partner Tepee. Three trims are on offer, Urban, S and Outdoor mated to a couple of 1.6 litre petrol engines and three variants of the HDI diesel 1.6 litre engines. Prices start at an extremely competitive £11,215 rising to my test car for the week, the Outdoor on the 1.6 HDi 110 bhp that costs £15,305. Keep smiling.

Focusing empathically on the exterior looks in an attempt to get the car onto a catwalk, the Outdoor, in fairness, may not quite make it that far, but with 16-inch alloy wheels, thick black body protection strips and steel roof rails, it is a pretty good attempt. The main point of focus is to the front with the large light clusters as seen on all new Peugeot cars dripping into the bold front air intake that is trimmed in a thick silver. Either side of this are two front fog lights trimmed in chrome making the Tepee a very distinguishable character. The rear drops straight down making it easy to park with the elongated lights cluster arrangement either side of the wide and large tailgate opening.

Stepping up into the Tepee and an interior so bright, spacious and practical will keep you smiling more than you did on your wedding day. Being on a raised platform, the Tepee has a high driving position for great visibility further accentuated by height adjustable drivers seat. Of course, this means that the children are higher up as well, meaning they can enjoy watching the world go by out of the large rear side windows without distracting other drivers thanks to the privacy glass. The Tepee has rear sliding doors that make accessing for the children so much easier especially in the tight narrow supermarket parking bays.

The layout of the front dashboard is fresh and uncluttered with any space left over miraculously turned into storage binnacles. The steering wheel has the remote controls to the radio; MP3 compatible CD player and cruise control while manual air conditioning keeps everyone cool. The front windows are electric but not the rear so little fingers will not get caught accidentally. The black wide door mirrors are electrically adjustable, heated and fold in when the Tepee is locked away for the night after a hards days work.