It was the hand gestures I noticed first. This was not the usual sign language that has, on rare occasions, been offered in response to what the uncharitable might interpret as overenthusiastic driving on my part. This time there was no hostility among the animation.

I was at a set of traffic lights in France in the new Peugeot 307CC. And what the bloke behind was clearly trying to communicate to his evidently rapt family was the brilliance of its folding roof. Looking at him in the mirror, you’d have thought he’d just invented the bread slicer.

Nor was this an isolated incident. Wherever I drove, the usually instinctively indifferent French would stop, stare and point.

At first I was not sure why, as I felt about as ambivalent towards this car as I’d expected to find the French. It wasn’t fast, despite being fitted with a 180bhp 2 litre engine, nor was it thrilling to drive. It looks good but not great and at £20,900 when sales start in a month’s time you’d not be tempted to call it cheap. I wondered what the fuss was about.

But as the kilometres flowed under its elegant 17in wheels I came to realise why — and why Peugeot is so sure of its success. How sure? Confident enough to predict it will bring 8,000 to these shores next year. That’s a huge number, but as the bestselling convertible in the country is another Peugeot — the 206CC which found 10,000 British homes last year — it’s fair to assume the maths is based on more than blind hope.

The simple truth is the 307CC needs no more than modest outright ability because the basic formula upon which it is based is essentially right. I’ll explain.

Clearly the secret of the 206CC’s phenomenal success is its folding steel roof, offering all the enjoyment of a convertible in good weather with the safety, security and refinement of a coupé the rest of the time. The 307CC offers no less but adds the ability to house four average-sized adults in something approaching comfort. More realistically, it’s a genuine family car.

Nothing else on the market, at least until the Renault Mégane Cabriolet arrives later in the year, offers such appetising fodder to both head and heart for remotely similar money. And given that the basics cover so much conceptual ground, who cares if the detailing fails to reach such high standards?

Me, for one. It might not affect sales of this or any other 307 but I still find it sad that Peugeot, the company that, in the 205 GTI, brought you the most fun affordable car of the 1980s, no longer thinks it important that its cars are rewarding to drive. Cross country, the 307CC is fluent to a fault but I tried hard for two hours in the mountains and still failed to raise my heart rate above a lollop. Even with the powerful engine (there’s a 138bhp version available for £18,300), it won’t hit 62mph in single figures, while it handles safely without ever being actively interesting.

On the practical front it is harder to fault. Not only does it have a spacious cabin for such a car, it offers reasonable boot space, even with the roof down. With its lid folded the 307 manages the airflow around it unusually well, meaning the car remains refined well past 90mph. Perversely, it is only when you hear the wind noise at such speeds with the roof in place that the limitations of the design become apparent. It may look like a dedicated coupé but on long journeys you’ll be reminded the roof is only a temporary structure.

The result is a car I admired more than liked. It’s cleverly conceived like so many French cars and it’s also well executed and engineered. I suspect those who buy it will care not one jot that it’s not much fun to drive once the wind-in-the-hair novelty that can be appreciated from any seat wears off.

Soft-top rivals include the Vauxhall Astra Convertible, cheaper versions of the Saab 9-3 Convertible and soon, of course, the Renault Mégane Cabriolet. Were I minded to point £20,000 at such a car, though, I’d be more tempted by the beauty, engineering and residual value of a second-hand Audi A4 or BMW 3-series convertible.

VITAL STATISTICS

Model Peugeot 307CC
Engine type:
Power.Torque:
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel/CO2: 32.1mpg (combined)/210gkm
Acceleration: 0 to 2mph: 10.0 sec
Top speed: 140mph
Price: £20,000
Verdict: Neither fast nor fun, but nevertheless cleverly conceived and very well executed