IT'S not the kind of car you would go to Royal Ascot in, but it would certainly accommodate a top hat or a plume of feathers.

The headroom is one of the first thing that strikes you when you climb into the roomy Peugeot Partner Teepee and it is clearly a strong runner in the budget MPV field, but would it make it to the winner's enclosure?

It certainly has a go. It is clear the Teepee Partner is based on the Partner van, but that is no bad thing as even the commercial vehicles these days are pretty comfortable places to be.

But it scores over more sophisticated - and expensive - MPVs by doing what it says on the tin.

It is a multi-purpose vehicle that is a family runabout with space for five or even seven adults, a huge cargo mover that, with all the seats folded or removed offers a massive 3,000 litres of space and all for a starting price of less than £13,000.

Even with the five seats in place 675 litres is available.

Last, but certainly not least, it is very economical, especially when mated to the quirky and jerky semi automatic gearbox.

The DNA of its van background cannot easily be disguised but the car is not unpleasant on the eye and is certainly eye-catching whatever your opinion of the design.

It has a high roof and big front doors and sliding doors offering practicality and easy access to the rear, and, where fitted, rearmost seats.

The five seat version offers a spacious boot area, but with access through a deep rear door with multiple seat combinations to accommodate large and awkwardly-shaped loads.

The rest of the airy interior is chock full of other cubby holes, storage holes and drinks holders and there is a large storage area above the driver and front passenger.

Standard equipment is not that lavish, but there are enough toys to satisfy most needs.

Despite being a tall vehicle which does cause it to wallow into corners, it generally feels pretty stable and offers the occupants a comfortable ride, even at high speeds, where it is surprisingly quiet given the lack of aerodynamic shape.

Road noise is also largely absent and the engine is pretty refined so it all makes for a pretty comfortable journey.

The 90bhp 1.6-litre HDi diesel is already a proven performer and is is mated to a semi-automatic electric gearbox.

The rotary gear selector is mounted on the dash which frees up extra room between driver and passenger but it takes a good while to get used to.

There is no clutch and gear change is either in seqential mode or by the paddles behind the steering wheel. Neither are particularly satisfying with a jerky action and it is not much better in full auto mode.

Acceleration is pedestrian to say the least, but really is not the point of this car with economy and clean emissions the target. Here it scores well, despite its size.

Claimed economy is an impressive 58.9mpg, aided by stop/start technology and CO2 emissions are a low 125g/km.

Add this to a low insurance group and road tax of only £90 per year and a starting price of only £12,796 for the entry level 1.6-litre petrol version and you have real budget motoring with decent levels of quality.

It could be a runner worthy of a punt.