Road Test: Peugeot 207 3dr Oxygo+

Nov 4 2011 by Lee Gibson

IF you think, like me, that the government squeezes way too much money out of our already empty household coffers then the idea of not having to cough up for the privilege of driving on our crumbling roads year on year is surely one that appeals.

And the good news is that the push to promote greener motoring gives us all the opportunity to do just that.

If we choose to get around in a car which produces less than 100g/km of harmful carbon dioxide emissions we will be exempt from paying any annual road tax.

And if you thought that any cars meeting this criteria were either unfeasibly small or range-limited electric contraptions, then you’d better think again.

As motor manufacturers have increasingly seen the value in producing cheap-to-run, low-emission models then the competition has begun to hot up and the choice is increasing dramatically.

One such option is the Peugeot 207 Oxygo which, at 98g/km of CO2, creeps in just under that all-important threshold.

It is the lowest emission version of the French firm’s popular small hatchback – achieved with a combination of efficient engine technologies, energy saver tyres and improving the aerodynamics although they puzzlingly continue to shun the start-stop technology which is now par for the course on many rivals’ greenest models.

Naturally, with all these efficiency technologies the savings don’t stop at just avoiding road tax. The Oxygo’s 92bhp, 1.6 litre diesel power pack also offers impressive average fuel consumption of 65.6 miles per gallon and should be relatively cheap to insure, while it also falls into the lowest company car tax band.

But Peugeot have managed to add all this efficiency without too much compromise on performance and the Oxygo is surprisingly sprightly in the low to mid rev-range, coping admirably with nipping in and out of the town traffic while it doesn’t get left behind on the motorway either – where cruising is relaxed and fairly quiet.

Responsive steering and ABS mean that you are always in control and ensure that the 207, as well as being fun, is an easy motor to drive – although that diesel engine will grumble a little if you’re not spot on with your gearshifts.