Peugeot have rarely, if ever, had it better! While most volume sellers would be delighted to have one ‘good looker’ in the family, the French marque have a fleet full - from the handsome 206 supermini to the redoubtable 607. In between are two of my own top ten, the ageless 406 coupé and the bright and versatile 307 Sky Wagon. And they've just launched another smasher in the shape of the prodigious new 807 MPV.

Looks like another good year in store for a company that witnessed a substantial 10% increase in their Irish passenger car registrations in 2002 - and landed the prestigious WRC driver and constructor's Championship as well.

On top of the abundantly evident French flair, Peugeot have, over the past decade or so, added a tougher edge to their product range. And it shows in the build quality improvement, the superb engine line-up, the added versatility of their range, and the enormous advances they've made in safety features and creature comforts. And that was at a time when they produced two of the best cars ever, the magnificent 205 and the equally talented 306.

And no car captures this better than the 307 Sky Wagon. Utterly practical, the 307SW is chic, different and mightily flexible. Showing off five square metres of glass, the Sky Wagon is far from your average looking car. Light just flows in, through and around the smart looking interior.

Understandable, enough seeing that one-third of the body is glass. There are large side windows. The windscreen is the biggest in the class. And the most striking thing about the car is a huge glass roof that extends the full width of the body from the top of the ’screen and back over the second row of passenger seats.

Beneath the athermic glass lies a three section electric sun blind to block out the sun, or the dark clouds. Or whatever you are having yourself. Air conditioning is, of course, part of the specification package in Ireland. So no worries here about over or under heating.

Peugeot's 307 is very user friendly too. The interior capacity can be utilised to accommodate from two to seven individual seats in a 2+3+2 layout- and / or an enormous cargo. The middle seat in the second row folds down to form a table / work area. Pull out drawers under both front seats are another handy feature.

Of three models driven extensively by yours truly last year, the 1.6-litre and two 2.0 HDis putting out 90 and 110 PS respectively, I was split between the latter (52.3mpg official combined figure) and its 1.6 litre petrol (36.7 mpg official combined) sibling. Touting similar performance figures, the 1.6 tops at 113 mph and darts from 0 to 62mph in 12.8 seconds; the 2.0 litre HDi manages 110mph and does the 0 to 62 sprint in 13.7. Fuel savings and the more accessible HDi power are, however cancelled out by the diesel's high price - much of it Charlie McCreevy's December 2002 budget legacy.

The 16-valve 1.6-litre unit, which is designed with a manifold that favours more the torque at low speeds, offers sure and strong performance. No huffing or puffing, or having to resort to help from the gearbox to keep performance on the boil.

Standard spec includes ABS with electronic brake force distribution, brake assistance, radio/CD with remote control, central locking, 6 airbags, air conditioning, immobiliser, front electric windows, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, driver seat height adjustment and heat reflective glass.