Peugeot Bipper Tepee (09 on) - Review

Thanks to the tall shape, there's plenty of head room for passengers in the back, helped by a raised seating position which means a good view out. Leg room is a little tighter, especially for adults, but for children it's fine. If you go for the HDi engine, you'll find it fairly noisy on start up and at higher revs, but it's quiet enough at motorway speeds and more relaxed than the petrol. Either way, road and wind noise are acceptably low. Air conditioning is standard on the Outdoor but it's a fairly expensive optional extra on the S and with its large windows, the Bipper Tepee can get very warm in the summer. Worse still, the rear windows only pop open, which means limited ventilation for those in the back. The seats are comfortable enough, but they lack lower back support which is telling on longer journeys.

With good all round visibility and a near vertical tailgate the Bipper Tepee is easy to park and manoeuvre into tight spaces, although for extra reassurance, rear parking sensors are available as an optional extra. The large chunky bumpers mean minor scrapes (such as wayward supermarket trolleys) won't damage the paintwork. The boot is usefully large and features a wide and tall opening, however the downside is a bulky tailgate which can be awkward in confined spaces. The best features are the sliding side doors which are ideal if you have younger children and prevent that heart-stopping moment when a back door swings open and hits the car parked next to you. They also make getting in and out much easier, especially in narrow spaces. The rear seats split 60/40, fold down and also flip forward to boost luggage space. If you've got something larger to transport, the seats can be removed altogether to give a true van-like load area. But the standard boot boasts a useful 356 litres of room - slightly larger than a Vauxhall Astra and more than enough for every day shopping. There's decent stowage up front too with a large glovebox, while there's even a handy removable torch housed in the boot.

It's from behind the wheel where the Bipper Tepee's commercial-vehicle origins are perhaps most evident. It feels very much like a practical, van-based car rather than a sophisticated people carrier with drab grey plastics and hard-wearing materials. It feels well put together and robust, but the quality is lacking in certain areas and overall it doesn't have the appearance of a particularly modern car. On the plus side, the controls are all very straightforward, the instruments are easy to read and visibility is good, helped by the large glass area. There's also plenty of adjustment in the seat along with both height and reach adjustment on the steering column.