ANYONE looking for a versatile and practical people carrier shouldn't buy without looking at the Peugeot Partner Tepee.

It's small exterior dimensions hide a tardis interior with a massive boot, and some were available with a seven seat option.

The model built until 2018 sits on the same chassis as Peugeot's 308 hatch and drives just like any other car, with very good refinement and the plus of that big family friendly space.

The seven seater's two rearmost seats are only suitable for children, but this does mean boot space is reduced.

Earlier models were available with three different versions of the same 1.6-litre petrol engine with 90, 110 or 120bhp.

And the diesel options were all 1.6Hdi, with 75, 90 and 110bhp. These, with a large amount of updating and the designation BlueHdi, continued right through to the end of production, with either 75, 100 or 120bhp.

The 75 accelerates very slowly as you can imagine, reaching 60 from rest in 14.6 seconds and being capable of 65 mies per gallon.

The 100bhp brings the sprint down to 13 seconds and can still achieve 68mpg, while the 120's economy is only slightly less and it reaches 60 in 11 seconds.

Latterly, the only petrol option was Peugeot's excellent 1.2 Puretech turbo with 110 bhp, giving 0 to 60 in 11.8 seconds and economy of 55mpg.

Earlier petrols are cheaper but of course, much thirstier, and the 90bhp version is very slow.

By far the majority on sale are diesels, and although none are particularly quick, performance is not likely to be important to most buyers.They'r e going to bemore interested in the excellent 50 miles per gallon economy that all are capable of.

But bear in mind that some engines are only available with higher spec models.

A five speed manual gearbox is standard and later 100 and 120bhp diesels were available with an automatic.

The Tepee handles with surprisingly good agility thanks to that up-to-date 308 chassis and it corners with plenty of grip, not too much roll and decent steering feel.

The ride is very good over all surfaces and it's rare in that it handles lumpy roads at town speeds better than most.

The two rear side doors slide very easily open or closed, without the huge efforts needed for some others, but the hatch is very tall, and will be impossible to open if another car has parked too close behind or you park close to a wall.

That said, it makes a very handy cover if the rain comes down!

Mid-range Allure trim comes with a height adjustable driver's seat, audio remote, air conditioning, electric front windows and mirrors, and central locking.

All have handy, wide opening sliding rear doors, and allure also has steering rake and reach adjustment, cruise control, parking sensors, heated mirrors and traction control.

Pay around £8,200 for a '16 16-reg BlueHDi 100 Active, or £13,400 for an '18 18-reg BlueHDi 120 Outdoor with start/stop.