Drop-tops, it seemed, were doomed to remain a rare sight until the likes of the Mazda MX5 and BMW Z3 started wooing small numbers of people away from their staid saloons and converted them to ‘wind in the hair’ motoring.
These days there seem to be two very different alternatives to ‘normal’ cars, namely the 4×4 and the convertibles. The Peugeot 206 CC, (for coupé cabriolet) is a relative newcomer to the ‘soft-top’ family. However, in the CC’s case the car features an electro-hydraulic folding steel roof (á lá Mercedes SLK).
The roof is manufactured by specialist company Heuliez, and then painted, boxed and delivered to the 206 production line at the Mulhouse factory in Alsace. Here the roof is fitted
to specially converted 206 bodyshells, strengthened in many places to make up for the rigidity that inevitably gets lost in chopping the roof.
Both 1,6 and two-litre models are available in South Africa. The former offers 80 kW with 147 N.m at 4 000 r/min, and
features 15-inch alloys with 195/55 tyres. The latter, featured in this test, has 100 kW on tap, peak torque of 190 N.m at
4 100 r/min, and larger 16-inch wheels with 205/45 tyres.
Styling is very modern, with a ‘cab forward’ appearance and a short overhang. The rear end is quite large, with wheels near the rear extremities and an
unusual ribbed boot lid with rails that can be used to carry additional luggage. Up to 20 kg can be placed on the boot, but must be removed before raising or lowering the roof.
Safety features include dual front as well as side airbags, steel tubes in the A pillars and roll over hoops behind the seats for protection in the event of a roll-over accident, pyrotechnically tensioned seatbelts, front and rear fog lamps (the rear one not adding to the beauty of the car due to its ‘Cyclops’ appearance), and ABS braking with EBD.
Among the other standard features on both models are leather seats and steering wheel, air conditioning with
climate control, electric windows and mirrors and a built-in Clarion CD radio that is infinitely better than those fiddly aftermarket examples. This includes the highly useful satellite
control stalk mounted to the right of the steering wheel. Additional features on the two-litre model are a white background instrument panel and an aluminium gear knob. The pedals are also aluminium with rubber inserts filling the drilled holes. One of the few criticisms that can be levelled at the car is that the pedals are too close to each other and are collectively not situated far enough into the footwell. This results in a long arm driving position for those with long legs. The seats, on the other hand, are well shaped with lots of side support and reasonable padding around the thighs. The overall driving
position is good with ample elbow space.
The rear seats are small and legroom is severely limited – acceptable for young children or one adult behind the passenger, provided that the front seat is moved forward and the rear seat passenger sits with legs angled towards the right. There are decently sized door pockets and a glove box with two drinks holders in the lid. Though these are shallow, they are tapered so as to wedge in a cool-drink tin making them practical even when cornering. A handy oddments tray is
provided on the facia top in front of the passenger.
A
previous criticism of 206’s was the plastickiness of the facia,
but this seems to have been
improved by changing the sheen of the material to something less shiny – a visible
improvement. An unusual feature is an oblong lid mounted between the rear seat backrests that opens to reveal a storage bin large enough to accept a 750 ml bottle.
One wonders whether the trim engineers considered piping conditioned air to this bin in order to keep a bottle of French wine cool?
The Jaeger instruments are well laid out and legible, with a white background, red needles and black lettering that, at night is attractively backlit in orange.
In the centre top of the facia is a binnacle display for the sound system and trip/consumption computer. This is hooded for better daylight visibility and, once again is backlit in orange, the intensity of which is variable to reduce glare at night. On switching the lights on, the
intensity of all displays (sound system and climate control) is reduced automatically.
The body strengthening adds 50 kg to the vehicle’s mass, and the electro-hydraulic roof adds a further 50 kg. Our test car weighed in at 1 218 kg including test equipment, and when
compared with the 1077 kg of the 206 GTi tested in the August 2000 issue, this amounts to an additional 141 kg. But the extra weight did not have a detrimental effect on the acceleration times, which were, in fact, quicker. We achieved a best time of 9,0 seconds and a top speed 0f 203 km/h.
To lower the roof, one merely releases two catches and presses a button between the seats, after which the windows are lowered, the boot hinges backwards, the rear window and roof top fold away and the boot lid closes. The process takes only 20 seconds. A fabric screen must be in place in
the boot to allow sufficient space for roof stowage or the procedure will not be carried out.
With the screen in place the available space beneath amounts to 120 dm3; with the roof closed and the screen retracted, a total luggage volume of 280 dm3 can be utilised. This is outstanding for a car with sporting pretentions, larger than some saloons’ boots. As an
example of what can be loaded, a 57 cm kettle braai (with legs dismantled) is swallowed with ease. There is a catch, of course.
The superior boot space comes at the expense of a spare wheel. A pair of tins of puncture-fixing liquid are provided instead, as a get-you-home device.
Dynamically, the car is very similar to the
206 GTi, with suspension tuned to firmer settings than the French norm, yet still compliant with virtually no body roll and
easily controlled understeer in fast corners. Braking was outstanding with an average of just under three seconds from
100 km/h.
The engine mountings seem to have been beefed up, since there
was none of the drivetrain movement (manifested by a moving gear lever) which was evident at the international launch of the car. Some
scuttle shake is evident on bumpy roads, with a few squeaks emanating from
points where the roof sections are separated by rubber
extrusions, but the fit of all
sections was perfect and no water leaks were evident in a downpour.
Fuel consumption
is very good with an index
figure of 9,7 litres per 100 km, although the range is not
wonderful due to the smallish 50-litre tank. The car’s on-
board economy computer proved to be very accurate compared with our Pierburg flow meter.