Peugeot Expert Tepee (2007) CAR review

The Tepee? Has Peugeot hung out with Skoda for too long? Too many scout jokes for my liking!

Yes, yes. Ignore the silly name, and you have another of the growing breed of vans being geared up for carrying bodies not builders. Ford has been doing it for years with the Transit, but Peugeot is now getting in on the act with the Expert Tepee. Think of it as an MPV+. A people carrier for those with too many children to fit into a Renault Grand Espace or a Chrysler Grand Voyager. But can a car driver really stomach driving around in a van every day? Or should the Expert Tepee driver throw a copy of The Sun on the dashboard and wolf-whistle at passing women? Click 'Next' to find out...

So how van-like are we talking here?

Reset your expectations. The Tepee is clearly based on the Expert van - Peugeot isn't kidding anyone here. But it's adapted to have three rows of up to nine seats, accessed through sliding doors on either side and wide-opening front doors. It's easy to clamber in to the front two rows, and the sliding doors are a cinch to open, although they can require a hefty tug to pull shut. Alas, there's no electric operation, unlike on Peugeot's 807 MPV. To clamber into the third row, you'll need only minor gymnastic ability, tumbling the outside mid-row pews forwards, then jumping into the rearmost row. Once installed, each individually adjustable seat in the seven-seater we drove was very comfy even for adults; no cramped benches here. And one big win with the Expert is the ability to carry lots of people AND their luggage; even with nine seats in place, our long-wheelbase version can carry 770 litres (up to the parcel shelf), or a van-like 1239 litres to the roof. Agoraphobes beware. However, there's probably a good reason for Peugeot speccing its press cars as seven-seaters: the nine-seater option (with three rows of three) looks as if it could involve elbowing your fellow passengers in the guts too much for our liking. But we'd need to have a go first before making such a claim.