Mademoiselle pays her way

Reader's of MotorMania will have noted our sexy new look in last week's relaunch of the supplement, with the cover story focusing on some of the highly desirable supercars in the stable of the late strip-club king Lolly Jackson. Yum yum.

Our "back page" socked readers between the eyes with a mouthwatering picture of a most attractive blonde sitting "side-saddle" in a car, with her long legs out of the open passenger door, to illustrate an article about what men REALLY want.

So you get the idea. We're going for sexy here, baby!

The used-car corner, however, was somewhat out of kilter, featuring the practical and much-loved Hyundai Getz. It only just sneaks into the bottom end of the "desirable" category, and that would be the sector occupied by the girl next door, who may not be a raving beauty, but will seldom, if ever, let you down. She's kinda cuddly too ...

So how to get with the new-look lip-licking MotorMania, then?

French cars spring instantly to mind. Peugeot's RCZ two-seater is one of the most attractive cars around, with the sort of curves that really catch the eye.

But while it is reasonably priced in its category there are not yet a lot of used versions around. So, we set up a "date" with a barely used little sister, a 2012, 207 Active 1.4 hatchback with less than 8000km on the clock.

While certainly not in the same class as Lolly's "girls" or the daring RCZ, the 207 has sleek and sophisticated looks, dominated by the proud lion badge set into the bonnet, the slanting feline headlights and huge, low-slung grille. The interior, too, is classy, with chrome lines highlighting what would otherwise be dark and sombre areas, in the same way jewellery sets off a little black dress.

It's nicely understated, like the fashionable women of Paris.

The style, I must add, tails off a little towards the rear of the car, where the 207 starts to look like many another hatchback. The boot is spacious and the spare wheel a full-size 185/65 15.

New, the 207 is on the pricey side, coming in at R174900, but a slightly used model like this one could be snapped up for around R155000 and could be a good buy.

There are reasons why it costs more, among them a long and impressive list of specifications.

The on-board computer is comprehensive, including distance to empty, distance travelled, date, time, outside temperature, instantaneous consumption, average speed and average consumption.

It is this last feature that sets the little Peugeot apart and, in this day and age of sky-high fuel prices, makes it truly desirable. On a highway cruise with a little bit of town driving thrown in, it achieved 5.5litres/100km.

Even with more everyday use I was able to keep the consumption to around 6.4l/100km. The 207's consumption is almost as good as that achieved by diesel or hybrid cars.

So the 207 is a real jewel in this sense. This is a mademoiselle who pays her own way.

Other features include cruise control (I found the switch, behind the steering wheel, hard to reach), as well as ABS, aircon, electric windows, radio/CD, doors that lock when you drive off, a seat belt-unfastened warning, and a really efficient heater.

Reputation, in cars as with women, is important. French vehicle manufacturers, according to those in the know, have been working hard to boost their good name in areas such as spares availability, price, and after sales service.

Peugeot, thanks in part to the rock-solid reputation of older models such as the 404, perhaps have a head start in this area. Certainly it can't compete with the big manufacturers such as Toyota in terms of countrywide presence (who can?) but in Gauteng you will find 9 Peugeot dealers, and 15 more countrywide.