NAKED. TOPLESS. EXPOSED. It's difficult to understand the impulse of a convertible, especially here in equatorial Singapore, unless you've had the fortune of actually being a driver or passenger in one. Despite the fact that it is marginally more dangerous, has you at the mercy of the weather and bugs can fly right into your face, convertibles are still quite popular because they're both fun and attention-grabbing.

Convertibles also cost more, usually a result of the redeveloping and redesigning that goes into making sure that the car is rigid. Having lost its roof, a car loses along with it some of its resistance to torsion and body flex.

Peugeot managed to carve itself somewhat of a niche market with the 206 CC, a coupe convertible with a folding hardtop roof. Its only other small convertible coupe competition around at that time was the Opel Tigra Twintop, which the Peugeot beat hands down in sales figures.

The 206 CC wasn't exactly a winner though, with its handling niggles and questionable styling. Luckily its successor, the 207 CC is a huge step forward.

On the whole the 207 CC is sleeker and more elegant than its progenitor. The rear is more attractive that its predecessor, less convoluted and with led-effect rear light clusters. Thankfully the pointless handles and ribbed bootlid of the 206 CC have been ditched for a plain affair with an elegant aluminium panel trim.

The 207 CC's front end is dominated by a cavernous grille and huge Peugeot shield to dispel any doubts of its origin. This lends the car a distinctly more aggressive look than the 206 CC, an effect only spoiled by the black bumper bar across the grille which seems out of place, interrupting the lines of the grille.

Elongated, higher-set headlights complete the front end, which resembles a large, grinning frog (our test car was green) daring you to hop in for a ride.

DRIVING IT

The car is powered by an inline four cylinder 1,598cc engine (the same unit found in the Mini Cooper), featuring variable valve timing and pushing a respectable 120bhp at 6,000rpm. It does the century sprint in 12.6 seconds, but feels more rapid than that.

This might be due to the loudness of the engine, which has its own distinct sound range going from a warble to wail as you accelerate. It's even more noticeable with the top down, and yet another weapon in the attention grabber's arsenal.

Agility and handling are weaknesses for many convertibles, but luckily, the 207 CC has both in spades. Body roll and flex was never a problem and it took both high and low speed corners with ease. The steering is direct and responsive, although a bit on the light side. While it's not as nimble as its harder edged sister, the 207 GTI, the family resemblance shines through strongly here.

But like its sister, the car's weakness is its gearbox. A four-speed Tiptronic affair, it does its job with occasional jerkiness. Shifting into manual mode doesn?t bring much fun either, as the gearshift delay is noticeably long and laggy.

INSIDE IT

The 207 CC's interior is a huge improvement over the 206 CC, which was sometimes criticised for its build quality.

The controls and radio are spartan: not much to look at but solidly built and efficient. The rest of the cabin is nicely framed in leather, aluminium and high quality plastics. The black leather seats with green stitching were comfortable and supportive, sporting the Peugeot lion badge as a nice finishing touch.

The only complaints are predictably those that come with owning a coupe cabriolet. Extremely long and heavy doors (due to reinforcement), a measly 187 litres of boot space with the top down and a pair of rear seats only suitable for hobbits and children.

But perhaps the 207 CC's best attention grabbing trick is its roof: a fully automatic hardtop that needs no catches or manual input except for pressing two buttons.

DOLLAR AND SENSE

With the demise of the Opel Tigra Twintop, the 207 CC has no real competitor in the compact coupe cabriolet sub-market, and is the cheapest hardtop convertible available now. Its closest competitors are the Volkswagen Beetle and Mini Cooper Cabriolets, but both cost at least ten grand more and are soft-tops.

Now that the faults of the 206 CC have been rectified, you also get a car with an excellent engine and handling so its not just all show and no go. Its also the closest you'll ever come to owning a Transformer for $107,900 with COE.

CONCLUSION

Owners of convertibles sacrifice practicality and sometimes driving enjoyment to be able to cruise around with the top down and wind in their hair. The 207 CC proves that you can have all that and not sacrifice driving dynamics, without breaking the bank.


Engine is co-developed with BMW, and is also used in the current Mini Cooper.
Cabin design has a distinctively European slant, and feels well assembled.
The roof folds neatly into the upper half of the boot space.

Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet 2.0 (A) $115,000 with COE
A guaranteed head turner, though its looks instantly sell it as a girl's car. Ride is well sorted, but the roof is fiddly.

Mini Cooper Cabriolet (A) $126,000 with COE
Shares the same engine with the Peugeot 207CC, but is a much more nimble and compact package overall. The interior doesn?t feel all that small either. Handling dynamics is one of the best out there, but wind buffeting is distracting at speed.

1,598cc, in-line 4 cylinder
120bhp at 6000rpm
160Nm at 4250rpm
4 speed automatic
195km/h
12.6 seconds
$107,900 with COE
3 years/ 60,000km
AutoFrance
6376-2288

PLUSES Nice engine, great handling, eye-catching looks
MINUSES Laggy gearbox, small luggage compartment and the predictably near-useless rear seats
VERDICT The most affordable folding hardtop on the market, but doesn't feel that way