THEY call it squeezing a quart into a pint pot.

Too much clobber and not enough space for it - a common scenario in the wife's closet or the kids' bedrooms.

Then you have the small spaces that expand like her ladyship's waistline.

The Peugeot 5008 is actually billed as a compact MPV, one which clings onto its looks with more success than those flirting with Weight Watchers.

It may not look like a full fat people shifter but fold those two individual rear seats down and the amount of stuff you can pack in is immense.

If people-shifting is the priority then there's space for seven provided the third row occupants are kids.

And accessing them is via a simple pull on a tab, making the second row seat cushion flip up for the entire individual seat unit to slide forward.

As for smaller item stowage there are plenty of cubbies and cupholders, topped off by a well-like central box, so deep you can lose stuff in there.

Leg and headroom is ample wherever you sit, all three centre seats move forwards or back over a distance of 130mm and the front passenger seat can also be folded flat should extra long items need moving.

For the driver there's a cockpit feel rather like being at the controls of an aircraft. And when you opt for Allure spec - top of the three trim grades - you get a jet fighter-style colour head-up display on a translucent panel near the base of the windscreen.

It shows info like speed, cruise control and the gap between your car and the vehicle in front, and while having lit-up numbers in your line of vision could theoretically prove distracting, that's not the case here.

This model also has a huge panoramic glass roof to ensure a light, airy feeling inside, while all have stuff like air-con, Bluetooth, leather steering wheel, auto electric parking brake with Hill Assist and electric front windows, though a reversing camera will set you back an extra £200.

Fuel consumption is terrific for a car of this size at a Combined 54.3mpg while a head/curtain airbag covering all three rows of seats is standard on every model along with electronic stability programme and tyre under-inflation detection.

Starting from £19,050 with the Access 1.6-litre VTi 120bhp petrol variant, the entry level diesel model is the 1.6-litre HDi FAP 115bhp at £20,745.

CO2 emissions are from 113g/km and the 5008 range consists of six engines/transmission combinations, two petrol and four diesels, with manual, or automatic gearboxes