THERE'S a new kid on the large SUV block and I think it's going to win a lot of friends with its high quality and very competitive prices.

While not a pure SUV with off-road pretensions, it's more a large people carrier that has all the SUV looks so many buyers love and one of the best interiors in the class.

This is the seven seat Peugeot 5008, which has all the right butch SUV looks but comes only with two wheel drive (2WD).

That's the same as many other SUVs of course. Even when some are available with four wheel drive (4WD), most are sold as the cheaper 2WD models.

Buyers often don't want the extra expense of 4WD when they're buying or when they're running such a big car. They simply want the space and looks.

And this big Peugeot, following on from the excellent 3008, has just the right looks from every angle.

I drove the 1.2 turbo petrol with 130bhp - now the petrol mainstay of the Peugeot range - driving through a six speed automatic gearbox.

Now a tiny 1.2, even with 130bhp, doesn't seem big enough for such a large vehicle but in fact it's excellent and has more than enough power for the job, while costing less in personal tax for business users than the diesels in the range.

It also gives better economy than most other large petrol SUVs.

This is one lovely refined cruiser on the motorway and happy to keep up with the usual speeds without ever appearing short of power.

It's also very quiet on the move, apart from a little bump-thump on rougher surfaces from the big wheels and low profile tyres.

The automatic gearbox is now one of the latest torque converter type, which is almost as economical as a manual.

Sixth is a very long gear and not much use under about 55mph. It's a cruising gear for longer journeys.

The 1.2 will pull happily from very low revs in all the other gears, but only when using the gearbox's manual setting. In auto Drive or Sport, it won't go very low before changing down.

The 5008 is hugely comfortable over every surface, including rough country roads at speed and rougher surfaces in town.

Yet Peugeot has managed to dial in excellent roadholding too, with loads of grip and very little roll.

It feels sure and safe through the corners, with taut steering giving good feedback, and huge grip from those big tyres.

The high driving position is one of the things owners like about these vehicles, giving a marvellous view around and over surrounding cars.

The boot is the biggest in class I would think - absolutely huge - and even when the two rearmost seats are lifted up out of the floor, there is still a fair amount of sportsbag room.

All 5008s come with Peugeot's latest - and excellent - i-Cockpit digital dash, which has a number of dial and information layouts the driver can choose from.

It appears above the small steering wheel, which is unusual, but I found I did get used to it fairly quickly.

Equipment in the Allure I drove includes lane departure warning, emergency braking, distance alert, climate, leather steering wheel, DAB radio, MirrorLink, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and auto lights and wipers.