If you’ve been to Paris in the last few years you’ll have noticed hundreds of Piaggio MP3’s scooting around the busy city. In fact the MP3 was the best selling scooter in France for a while. Worldwide it’s sold in excess of 130,000 units. The bosses at Peugeot certainly didn’t miss the MP3 plague and the phenomenon must have caused them plenty of sleepless nights as Peugeot market share quickly diminished in the capital city. Time to do something about it…

If you can’t beat ‘em, join them is the phrase that springs to mind. Peugeots home grown competition, the Metropolis, should have been launched two years ago but for whatever reason, (global economy, perfecting the machine or just not being ready to go into mass production) it was put back…until now. The Metropolis has been sold in France since earlier this year but until three staff members from Dorset based Peugeot distributor, Three Cross Motorcycles, went out to the factory and rode the demo scooters back we’d not had one to ride on British roads.

Thankfully the French offering has finally arrived in the UK and was launched at a low-key press event in Oxfordshire, it will also be in Peugeot dealerships very soon. I’m a big fan of the Piaggio MP3, in all it’s forms so I was quite excited about being invited to the launch of this particular new three wheeled scooter.

Stylish

My first ‘proper’ look at the road going Metropolis didn’t disappoint either, it looks stunning. The styling has a very familiar Peugeot look to it and in my opinion it is just right, from its multi spoke black and polished alloys to the vertical LED front running light and stylish bodywork. It’s all set off by the glossy sunburnt orange paintwork, or in the case of the sportier RS version the gunmetal matt paintwork with enhanced detailing; red rim tape, alloy footplates, stainless (if not a little ugly) exhaust etc.

Coming second isn’t easy, especially when first place has gone to such a well-sorted and successful scooter, so Peugeot really had to get the Metropolis right and add a few extras to try and tempt buyers away from its rival. They opted for a keyless ignition, electronic handbrake and on board tyre pressure monitors, plus a few design, build and styling touches lifted from their car department, after all a scooter like this is likely to be bought be a motorist rather than a motorcyclist so bridging the gap between two and four wheels is important. Peugeot Scooters actually collaborated with their automobile department during the design and build process of the Metropolis and I think between them they’ve done quite a good job of bringing two and four wheels together to end up with this fine three wheeled specimen, which is just as well because this scooter is targeted just as much at car drivers as it is scooter riders.

So what makes it different to an MP3?

Piaggio patented their twin front wheel system, so although the Metropolis uses a similar front end it is quite different. The Peugeot Dual Tilting Wheels (DTW) system uses a dual triangulation deformable parallelogram which was designed and built to be lighter (thanks to it’s use of pressure-injected aluminium), stronger, reduce unsprung mass, require less maintenance and make steering lighter and easier. The Peugeot system also utilises conventional ball joints (like you’d find on a car) and the suspension is mounted horizontally at the top, rather than employing independent shock absorbers to each front wheel. The scooter can tilt to a maximum lean angle of 39º (one degree less than the MP3) and like the MP3, the scooter can be locked upright (or at an angle if parking off camber) using a bar mounted switch.

Engine

The automatic single cylinder, 4-valve, fuel injected 399cc engine produces 37.2bhp and 38.1Nm of torque. The engine is liquid cooled, as you’d expect and has a claimed top speed of 150kph (93mph).

Equipment

For starters the Metropolis has an electronic parking brake located in the centre of the handlebars, it makes the centre stand redundant (except for rear wheel removal) but also stops the scooter being wheeled off. The smart-key houses a proximity sensor so you simply have it in your pocket within a range of 1.5 metres, then turn the dial to turn on the ignition and press the starter. The rear boot space and seat can be popped open using buttons on the left of the inner fairing whilst you’ve got the key on you. The screen is adjustable to various positions (note aftermarket Ermax low screen fitted to demo scooters) by simply holding two buttons in and moving it manually, an electric screen would have been nice. There’s also a removable cover just below the screen to mount and wire in a sat nav, a useful addition. An additional 12v socket is located inside the left hand cubby hole, there’s also a glovebox. To be honest storage space is quite limited, the boot is relatively small but we did manage to fit a full face helmet in there, the underseat area isn’t very deep either, which is a shame. There is an optional top box but who wants to ruin the sleek lines of the Metropolis?

Who can ride my tricycle?

Because the scooter is classed as a tricycle you can ride the Metropolis with a full car licence, or at least you can providing you passed your test before 19th January 2013. If you passed a car test after that (or haven’t got a car licence) you’ll need a full A category licence. The Government quite cleverly closed that little loophole with the Third Licencing Directive.

Brakes

The Metropolis has three disk brakes and to comply with tricycle regulations it has to have a linked system and include a foot brake. There are still two conventional levers for front brake (operates both front disks) and a left lever which operates all three brakes simultaneously, as does the foot brake. Although Peugeot have produced some great scooter braking systems in the past I thought this was one area the Metropolis was lacking, using the linked system didn’t seem to stop the scooter as quickly as I’d have liked and it makes trail braking into a corner a bit tricky. The front wasn’t quite as potent as I’d have liked either and it seemed quite surprising that there’s no ABS as standard on a range topping machine. Having said that I enjoy a sports orientated ride, the Metropolis is built for the commuters primarily, rather than weekend back lane scratchers.

Engine

Pulling away you quickly realise that although this is a bulky machine the engine is quite powerful and it does accelerate quickly. You’ll enjoy traffic light Grand Prix’s on this scooter in a morning. There’s good useable power throughout the rev range so doing a roll on from 60mph for instance produces instant results and you’ll soon see 80mph on the clock. The top speed I saw was an indicated 99mph, so it’s quick enough to get you into, or out of bother. I couldn’t fault the engine really, plenty of torque, sounds pleasant enough and is quick enough to keep you entertained at the weekend if you enjoy a good ride.

Having ridden all variations of the MP3 and Fuoco the Peugeot Metropolis had some big shoes to fill, so would it cut the mustard? First impressions for me, other than how good it looks up close was that the seating position, although comfortable and low was a bit cramped. Your legs have to sit at 90º rather than being able to stretch out, which isn’t a problem around town and commuting but might be when you start doing longer distances. It would have been nicer if you could stretch your legs a bit, or sit further back in the seat but it’s humped so you can’t. The view from the cockpit is good though and all the controls are of good quality and the whole scooter has a plush feel to it. The clocks are nice and clear, as with all modern Peugeots and have various functions for trip, fuel, time etc. There’s also an MPG function but Peugeot are sending out an update for it because it’s not calibrated properly so no MPG figures I’m afraid.

Out on the road

I suppose we’d better get out and ride it then… Turn the ignition dial (key tucked away in a pocket), the dial turns blue and the scooter does it’s pre start checks then you can start it up by holding a brake lever in and pressing the starter. Remember before blipping the throttle that the body will auto unlock itself if you give it a handful, so it’s best to keep your feet down to begin with. There’s an amber graphic on the instrument’s to let you know if the body is locked, it also gives an audible alert. The scooter has a couple of added safety devices, with the electronic brake on the revs are limited and the boot can’t be opened when you’re sat in the saddle. The handbrake is released by sliding the button down on the centre of the handlebars, unless you know it’s there you wouldn’t notice it so it’s also an added security feature.

Riding a tilting three wheeled scooter can be a strange experience and it takes a few minutes to get your head around the concept but once you learn to put some faith in it you realise it is ingenious. Damp patches, soggy leaves, gravel, diesel and ice are all hazards a conventional motorcycle/scooter is best to avoid but with the extra wheel these dangers become a new playground to explore! Giving a scooter a handful of throttle on wet leaves is ordinarily a fast track way to get to casualty but the Metropolis laughs in the face of danger. Three Michelin City Grip tyres, three disk brakes and the stability of a triangular footprint all help to make riding much safer, ideal for novice riders or car drivers who want to use a more convenient method of transport. Having said that though it did take me a while to trust in the handling characteristics and on a couple of occasions I felt like the front wanted to wash out on me during a tight turn where I was trying to get some lean angle. I think it’s more a case of learning to trust the machine though rather any fault in the handling. You do have to use a bit more rider input to get around faster corners though, so a bit of lean and pressure on the inside foot helps to steer the scooter. Slow speed stability is very good, you can crawl at a walking pace and keep your feet off the ground, get to around 5-6mph and you can also lock the body so you can come to a standstill and not touch the floor. I felt that it would have been better if the lock could be used slightly earlier though at times. There’s an audible bleep when the body is locked but in traffic or during windy conditions it is easy to miss the sound and it’s always best to have a glance at the display to make sure you’re locked, falling off at a junction because it’s tilted unexpectedly would be expensive and very embarrassing! It’s quite amusing to watch people’s reactions as they see what still looks like a novelty three wheeled vehicle coming towards them, LED mouth and eyebrows shining brightly and grabbing attention along the way. Our test ride covered 75 miles and took in all types of road from motorways to dual carriageways, country lanes to town centres. The Metropolis handled them all very well; it’s the kind of scooter that does need more time on board to get the best from it though and on press launches we don’t always get enough time to sit back and just enjoy the ride. I imagine a regular commuter would quickly grow pretty attached to the Metropolis though and would be able to do every journey without ever touching the floor. Whether or not they’ll want to fork out £6999 for the privilege or not remains to be seen but with a machine like this you’re not just buying ‘a scooter’ this is year round executive transport with all the benefits of two wheels but the added safety factor of three thrown in for good measure. I’ve not ridden the competition for a couple of years but will do a back to back comparison test in the future to see who really is the king of three wheels, France or Italy?

Images: M Nicolaou