CITY slicker the Peugeot 108 has been described as being like 'a cheese you would like to eat with a nice glass of red wine'.

That's the view of the man who knows the car best, styling chief Ivo Groen who also designed the 108's predecessor the 107.

In the case of the 108 TOP model, the first car of its type from the French brand to sport a retractable fabric lid, he was presumably favouring a summer picnic.

Because the open air feeling from that gentle tug on a button above the rear-view mirror is the next best thing to a full blown convertible.

And you have the comfort of knowing that when the heavens open, as they inevitably will, it takes a mere 10 seconds to secure shelter from the storm.

Competition on the small car scene has never been more fierce with attractive offerings from the likes of SEAT, Skoda, Fiat and VW, let alone the Citroen C1 and Toyota Aygo that share the same production line as the Peugeot.

But there is much to like about the 108, not least the extensive scope for customers to personalise thanks to its extensive range of colours, ambiences, trims and themes.

For instance eight body and three roof colours are up for grabs, the optional extras starting at £100 for a Laser Red ambience, which consists of a red dash insert and porcelain surround on the centre console.

Diamond, Barcode, Dressy, Tattoo, Sport and Playlist personalisation themes cost £350, and if you fancy the TOP it's £850 - appreciably less than the tab charged by some rival manufacturers.

Both three and five-door body styles are on offer with a choice of two low-emissions petrol engines and four trim grades - Access, Active, Allure and Feline.

Prices start at £8,245 for the 108 Hatch 1.0-litre Access three-door model, though the higher spec Allure variant features the more powerful 1.2-litre PureTech unit and costs £12,095.

It's a spirited three-cylinder powerplant that makes the 108 a joy to drive with ample punch - 0-62 in 11 seconds and a potential top speed of 106mph - and handy 65mpg fuel return if you're not too heavy on the pedal.

Both engines boast tax free emission ratings of below 100g/km and are driven via a five-speed manual gearbox.

And if you go for the higher spec models there's stuff like a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with DAB radio, reversing camera, push-button start, Mirror Screen with MirrorLink technology and Bluetooth connectivity for smartphones plus steering wheel-mounted controls.

Don't expect to cram much into the boot and while it's strictly a four-seater that little quartet can at least be adults with some breathing space.