Peugeot hopes its limited edition 107 KISS will further increase the city car’s popularity amongst young people. Matt Low reports.
The design brief for the 107 was to engineer a compact, urban car with a cheeky character that would appeal to young drivers. If the original model hadn’t already succeeded in this, then the limited edition 107 KISS certainly should. Fitted with an improved, iPod compatible music system and upgraded spec, you may well find you love the sound of the 107 KISS.
Those of you who keep tabs on the motoring scene may already know that the 107 came about as a result of as partnership between PSA Peugeot Citroen and Toyota. Manufactured at a specialist plant in Kolin in the Czech Republic, the 107 represents a third of the factory’s 300,000 annual output. The 107 comes in five trim levels, Urban Lite, Urban, Urban Move, Sport and the limited edition KISS.
The design brief for the 107 was to engineer a compact car that would appeal to young drivers and was totally at ease in the urban environment. When it was launched alongside its two sister cars, the Toyota Aygo and the Citroën C1, the Peugeot’s role in the inevitable market carve up wasn’t clear. The Citroën was the cheap one, the Toyota was the upmarket one and the 107, well, that seemed to be the other one. Not so. Thanks to its punchy 1.0-litre engine and excellent safety spec, the 107 then trounced its rivals in terms of sales.
There’s not a lot wrong with the 1.0-litre petrol unit used in the variant we’re looking at here. Given a bootful, this engine will punt the KISS to 60mph in 14 seconds. That doesn’t look too impressive on paper but the 107’s light weight ensures that pick up from rest is very good and you’ll get the drop on much more powerful cars away from the lights, very useful for the cut and thrust of urban driving. You’ll have to give the 68bhp three-cylinder engine a good whipping on the motorway though. A narrowish power band also means you’ll need to keep on top of the gearchanges if the route gets a bit hilly.
Handling is very good. Although the 107 is short and tall, you can push the car very hard and it never feels disconcertingly ‘tippy’. Yes, it does feel as if it’s suffered a mortal blow if you hit a speed bump with some numbers on the clock but you can’t have everything. The front seats are reasonably good and ride quality is otherwise OK. The steering feels a little rubbery at first but you’ll be able to position the 107 with millimetric precision, helped by a throttle pedal that’s easy to modulate.
"This KISS special edition might prove an interesting choice for the discerning young city driver…"
The dimensions of the 107 can really only be appreciated when walking around the car. Compared to the 1007 that Peugeot introduced around the same time - itself no giant - the 107 is smaller in every regard. The three-door shape that the KISS comes in looks the most comfortable from a design perspective. The angled window line gives the car a cute wedge profile and the flared rear haunches really emphasise the wheel-at-each-corner design.
The 107 features some neat design touches too. Aside from the KISS labelled floor mats and livery, the glazed-in area surrounding the rear window is finished in black, giving it a very distinctive rump, especially when the car is painted in paler colours. The front end also features the wide, smiley-mouthed Peugeot family design debuted on the 407. Coupled with the huge eyes created by the headlamps, this gives the 107 a more distinctive face than virtually any other car on sale today.
Assuming that you’re happy with the price (£7,755), the real selling point of the KISS, and the reason for its association with London’s KISS FM radio station, is the improved music system. The stereo has been upgraded to a Clarion radio and CD player with a removable front panel. Upgraded speakers are featured along with a subwoofer with additional volume control and, to top it all off, a USB socket to enable iPod and MP3 player connection. Not bad for less than £500 more than the entry level Urban Lite. Especially when you consider it comes with electric front windows and remote central locking too.
As you’d expect from Peugeot’s 107 range, the KISS is not short of safety equipment, with twin front airbags, ABS and Peugeot’s CSC corner steering control all fitted. The car features KISS livery along the sides and on the floor mats, and comes in either Laser Red or Raven Black metallic paint. The limited addition 107 KISS fits just between the standard Urban Lite and Urban trim levels and only 1,000 of this variant have been made. It comes as a three-door and features the standard 1.0-litre engine as seen across the whole 107 range.
Running a Peugeot 107 is about as financially painless as new car ownership gets. The 1.0-litre engine displays an almost pathological refusal to consume fuel, the average fuel consumption figure pitched at 61.4mpg and emissions are pegged at an excellent 109g/km. Depreciation figures look reasonable and the air conditioning fitted to this version is one of the few fitments guaranteed to have some sort of effect on residual values. The others? Satellite navigation and metallic paint. Two out of three aint bad. Insurance premiums are almost comically low, all 107s being rated in Group 1E, the lowest possible.
Ultra low emissions and amazing fuel economy will endear this car to many but it’s the driving characteristics that cement the 107’s place among the very best city cars money can buy. Coupled with the ultra-cool music set up, this KISS special edition might prove an interesting choice for the discerning young city driver.
The 107 has established itself as the evolutionary victor amongst the trio of small city cars that share a common platform (the Toyota Aygo and Citroen C1 being the others). True, 68bhp doesn’t sound promising but the 107 has an infectious personality and feels relatively indestructible. Use and abuse, the 107 will keep coming back for more.
Facts At A Glance
CAR: Peugeot 107 KISS
PRICE: £7,755 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 1E
CO2 EMISSIONS: 109g/km
PERFORMANCE: [1.0] 0-60mph 14s / Max Speed 96mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 51.3mpg / (extra urban) 68.8mpg / (combined) 61.4mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags on all except entry-level model, ABS, EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 3405/1615/1415mm