LET'S NOT kid ourselves that Peugeot's 307CC is any kind of sporty car. Sure, the 180bhp 2.0-litre model shares an engine with the 206 GTi 180 hot hatchback but where the 206 is relatively slimline, the CC has a distinct weight problem resulting from its folding hard-top roof and the associated mechanisms. It's a car for cruising, soaking up some sun and basking in the attention of passers by. Speed is never really of the essence in a car like this and on these grounds the entry-level 110bhp 1.6-litre version, which might look underpowered to the casual observer, makes a surprising amount of sense.

The 1.6-litre engine has a 110bhp maximum output which is enough to spirit a conventional Peugeot 307 along at a healthy lick but with the CC's 130kg of additional weight entering the equation it's not surprising that everything becomes a bit more pedestrian. Maximum power arrives at a lofty 5,800rpm with peak torque of 147Nm available at 4,000rpm. This means that you do find yourself having to rev the engine quite hard to extract the best of its performance.

The one thing that does most to hold the 307CC back in terms of performance and handling is also its greatest strength - that roof. Hold the switch mounted next to the handbrake in the down position and the hydraulics flow effortlessly, and surprisingly quietly, into action.

A flap opens in the tail and the roof smoothly contorts itself inside. It's all done in the small matter of 25 seconds and you're left sitting behind the wheel of a sleek, cohesively styled open topped car. The interior is another big 307CC strong point. There's a quality about the construction, fit and finish that it's hard not to like. Many 307CC buyers are just in it for the styling and the roof, for them the 1.6-litre model seems the obvious choice.