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Peugeot 307CC: Fun for all the family

FUN: Peugeot 307CC
FUN: Peugeot 307CC
YOU'RE looking for a family car which is fun, sporty, sleek and stylish. It has to be able to cope with the weekly shop and the school run but it would also be nice to drop the roof once in a while so that you can enjoy some wind in the hair thrills.

Sounds like an impossible dream? What I really need is two cars? Or an ordinary saloon and a tin opener?

Don't believe a word of it.

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The Peugeot 307CC is among a growing number of so-called coupe cabriolets which have finally helped to put the fun back into family motoring.

It sits along the Renault Megane CC and Volvo C70 as a vehicle which is actually more multi-purpose than the average MPV.

And my family of four put it to test by spending a week at the wheel doing all of the run of the mill things which families have to do - and then taking it to the funfair.

In `Going To The Shops' mode, the Peugeot has two doors, four seats and a proper metal roof which makes it feel like another other three door coupe.

Bootylicious

The bootylicious rear means the CC is 14cm longer than the standard 307 saloon, providing you with plenty of space to carry famiy things like bags full of groceries and pushchairs.

The CC models are available in either S or SE trim level and the SE I was loaned certainly felt well-appointed.

There were lots of nice toys to play with - dual climate control, five CD shuffler, etc - and a good overall feel to the cabin.

The model I tested was powered by the versatile 136bhp 2litre diesel, which more than helped to compensate for the fact that the additional stiffening required for a cabriolet makes the CC a little heavier.

I found the overall driving sensation with the roof up to be really quite pleasant.

It was economical too, returning a combined consumption figure of 47mpg.

The range also includes a choice of three petrol engines: a 110bhp 1.6litre, a 140bhp 2.0litre or a sporty 180bhp 2.0litre.

I haven't driven it, but I'd guess the 1.6litre petrol might be a little bit wishy washy.

It certainly didn't feel as though I'd compromised on ride and handling in order to get a drop top.

The Peugeot is pretty from the outside too, looking far more at home it its skin than the very similar Megane.

Functional

So apart from the lack of two rear doors, the 307CC ticked all the right boxes when it comes to serving as a functional family car.

But getting reaquainted with the idea of allowing rear seat passengers in through the front doors is actually quite a small price to pay.

Now it's time for the `Going To The Funfair' - press day at the Camelot theme park near Charnock Richard, to be exact.

We've done the shopping, completed the working week and now we want to know whether the Pug is as fun as Camelot's jousting show - or a white knuckle ride.

It takes all of 25 seconds - the time it takes for the roof to fold - to find out.

The CC is stiff even with the roof down, ironing out any of those annoying roller coaster attributes you get with some cabriolets. And it looks even prettier now than before.

Boot space is severely compromised as a result, leaving you with about a third as much space as before.

Driver and passenger are protected from the wind by a front screen which rakes sufficiently, yet not intrusively.

And I'll leave the final word on whether a family car can also be fun to my five-year-old.

"Coooool daddy, it's cooool," she said. "This is the coolest car."

Can you have your candy floss and eat it? Can a car that's good for posing be practical enough for every day use?

You bet it can.

For more information select the links below.

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