I FEEL slightly ashamed. Since taking over our 307 its fuel economy has plummeted, leading to accusations from some quarters of the office that I must be driving like a lunatic.

Previous keeper Maurice Glover used his featherweight right foot to average 52mpg during his stint behind the wheel, while I’m struggling to get anywhere near that – my best so far is 37mpg.

Now, I’m not a fast driver, and I treat the car sympathetically, so it must be down to the types of journey I undertake. Most of Maurice’s miles were on dual carriageways, while I’m more often to be found stop-starting through city centre traffic.

It highlights what a nightmare it must be for fleet managers trying to predict fuel costs – although the manufacturer’s claimed figure is used as a benchmark, in real-world terms it often doesn’t ring true at all.

Other than the downturn in economy, the 307 is proving to be practical and comfortable transport.

I love the huge glass roof as it lets in so much light, although on the downside it does also let a fair bit of heat out during the winter months.

This left me baffled for a while as the cabin would never warm up sufficiently, despite having the air-conditioning set on full. However, once I’d figured out where the heat was going, closing the blind solved the problem.

Another minor moan is the lack of parking sensors on our top-spec model. Reverse parking the 307 can be tricky thanks to the thick rear pillars and the large centre headrest. For £250, they’re an option well worth specifying.

Model: Peugeot 307 SW 2.0 HDi SE

Price (OTR): £17,800 (£18,539 as tested)
Mileage: 3,600
CO2 emissions (g/km): 148
Company car tax bill (2006) 22% tax-payer: £61 a month
Insurance group: 10
Combined mpg: 50.4
Test mpg: 37.5
CAP Monitor residual value: £4,975/28%
Expenditure to date: Nil
Typical contract hire rate: £327

Figures based on three-years/ 60,000-miles