Peugeot Partner Tepee Review

There are plenty of cars that boast masses of storage for family travel, good fuel economy with good driving characteristics and plenty of room. Few, however, can deliver on those promises in the same way as the Peugeot Partner Tepee.

The Peugeot Partner Tepee is seen as a replacement for the Peugeot Partner Combi and is part of Peugeot's range of flexible family vehicles. Clearly they are all van derivatives, which could put some people off, but Peugeot have done a very good job in transforming the commercial load-lugger into a more family oriented car.

Okay, so it doesn't have the sleek lines of a coupe, it doesn't shout of executive interiors and attitudes, it is never going to win customers over with its outstanding good looks and ridiculous top speeds but, and it is a big but, the Peugeot Partner Tepee is perfect for 'real' families. The ones that need to carry a lot of kid-related stuff. There is a home for the toys and crayons, there's a home for the Nintendo DS and even the dog will have plenty of room in the very back of the cabin. Every square centimetre has been ingeniously put to use and in the Zenith version, it goes even further.

It starts right at the front of the cabin where there is a rigged document tray moulded into the top of the fascia, on the passenger side. On the driver's side, it has a lid and is, in effect, a sizeable glovebox. These are positioned either side of the small information display panel, at the top of the centre console. Below this, there are two smaller oddments holders in a similar shape and size to the circular air vents, just above.

On the passenger side, there is either an open glovebox or one that is lidded and cooled, depending on the trim level. Also on this side, at the base of the high-level gear-shift pedestal, there is an open cubby, while between the front seats of the Peugeot Partner Tepee test car was a deep removable console with a capacity of 13-litres. It doesn't double as a picnic cooler but it does mean that it can be washed easily.

This was an optional extra and part of the £140 Family Pack, which also includes an auxiliary socket for mobile music with sunblinds and nets for the rear sliding doors. However, the Family Pack and the Bluetooth Phone Kit (£180) are mutually exclusive.

Back on the subject of storage; there is some 12.5-litres of overhead storage at the front and two more cubbies under the feet of the rear passengers. Also available as an option in the S and Outdoor models, are the drawers under the front seats, which add a further 7-litres but if that still isn't enough, there is the Zenith Multi-Purpose Roof system.

The Zenith system does add around £550 to the on-the-road prices of the Peugeot Partner Tepee S and Outdoors and is included in the new standalone Zenith trim. It is an alternative to the £90 overhead system but does preclude taking up the option of external roof bars.

The Peugeot Partner Tepee Zenith comprises a variety of storage areas and four glazed roof panels or personal sunroofs. At the front, the standard overhead shelving is incorporated into the system. From there, a panel stretches back to the rear of the car ending in an overhead cupboard with sliding doors. This section runs the full width of the boot at hinge level and is accessible from the rear seats or via the boot.

So, not only do you get the extra central shelving with a translucent section towards the rear but extra air vents for the rear passengers and a fragrance diffuser. I mentioned earlier that the roof bars cannot be specified with the Zenith system but further reading reveals that Zenith has its own system of exterior roof rails.