irishcar.com - Peugeot 307 SW first view

Driving the Peugeot 307 SW south along the coast road from the Moroccan fishing port of Essaouira (formerly Mogadar) allowed me a unique opportunity to test drive the car while at the same time experiencing the local terrain and the lives of those that live there.

Following a brief press conference after landing at the town’s small, but oh so plush new airport, we all headed out on the 110km first leg of the test drive south. The route took in rolling countryside - a mixture of irrigated patches and scrub land that mainly seemed to support small trees - and a steady climb up some of the western foothills of the Atlas mountains with some quite steep drops thrown in for good measure.

First impressions of the car (which can be a full 7-seater) were of space, light and huge visibility. This feeling of space and airiness is mainly down to the huge panoramic roof with a glass area that starts from the back of the sun visor to flush with the rear of the second row of seats, and the width extends as far as the body sides.

I must admit to feeling a bit worried at first that the cabin would become uncomfortably hot from all that glass. However, it is tinted throughout the cabin and together with standard air conditioning ensured a very comfortable trip. After a while, I became very used to the roof and appreciated the bright feeling it provided.

Prior to setting out, we’d been advised to drop our speed to a crawl when passing through towns and villages as locals have a tendency to simply walk out in front of cars to cross the street. This proved sound advice.

We’d also been warned about the groups of small children coming from school who love to wave at passing cars. Unfortunately, their enthusiasm takes them out onto the road. Be warned! If you stop for them they cheekily demand ‘centimes’ or ‘stilos’ (pens in French). Next time I’m in Morocco, I’ll remember to bring a few packs of biros with me, as they seem to be an acceptable ‘hard currency’ option with the children.

Every few hundred yards along the route we encountered men or children selling bottles of argon oil, made from the stones in the fruit of local trees and which is used for cooking and salad dressings. I saw groups of youngsters picking the fruit, but also goats climbing into the trees to eat it ... and I found out later that they regurgitate the stones which are then gathered for crushing and processing.

In rural areas, it was also strange to see camels being used to till the fields, or just grazing along the roadsides.

The roads were decent surfaces mostly, apart from the edges in some places which you really didn’t want to have to drive on. But hilly roads were really well cambered so as to hold the car on the proper line going through bad turns.

Driving impressions of the 2-litre petrol version of the SW was that it was the perfect car for this kind of driving. Back home, it would be an ideal holiday vehicle for a mid-sized family, or to bring the family around at weekends with all their gear. The boot capacity seems well able to cope with the needs of four or five passengers due to the fact that the vehicle is both longer and has a longer wheelbase than the 307 saloon on which it is based.

That petrol engine is a big smoothie. The same engine is used in the larger Peugeot 607 and the 406. It has plenty of power, and suited the type of driving we were doing as we didn’t want to be changing gear all the time.

The same thing applied with the diesel engine on the return leg. It was even better because of the even greater low down torque, which simply means you can stick it into 3rd or 4th gear and that’s pretty well all you need to do in climbing and twisting conditions. It has really plenty of pull in it.

But back to the space inside. If you recall a competitor’s advertisement featuring a bearded man scratching his head at the various configurations offered by another compact MPV, prepare to wallow in the 108 different arrangements of the seats in the 307 SW which can have from two to seven individual seats, each equipped with a three-point safety belt.

And to allow for even greater visibility, the three middle and the two ‘occasional’ rear individual seats are raised, theatre style.

The second row can accommodate two or three individual seats, the middle one being narrower than the others. This middle seat can be left out altogether and the outer ones moved inwards, allowing more elbow room for the occupants All three seats are able to slide forward or backwards by using a lever or a strap by people in the car.

If you want, you can fit the comfier middle row outer seats in the rear, giving superb leg room for two passengers.

On long trips with kiddies, they will love to pull up the sturdy tables behind the front seats, which come with a cup holder and round edges to stop things like crayons from falling off.

Abiding memories of the trip include local ‘shopping malls’ along the route which consisted of long two-storey white buildings with arches fronting small and dark individual ‘lock-up’ shops, the busy fishing port and peculiarly-shaped trawlers, the fort with a big number of impressive 300-year-old Spanish cannons, the old town designed by a French architect in an unusual-for-North Africa grid shape, and whose narrow streets are home to some 37,000 people.

Then there were the stalls, markets and varied shops which included - among many others - butchers, rug makers, wood turners, jewellers, pottery and a flea market. And I saw Orson Wells Square, named after the movie maker because he filmed Hamlet in the old fort in the 50s.

I bought pewter and silver bracelets in the souk which were very reasonable, and found the merchants of Essaouira not just well au fait with the euro, but very engaging and friendly people to deal with. Like any good salesman, even if not a car dealer, they know that you don't let a punter go if there's even the smallest profit to be made.

For me, the first experience of Peugeot’s new 307 ‘Sky Wagon’ was much more than just driving a car. That’s how it should be.