BOASTING sharp elegant styling, a raft of techno treats, all the storage space you could possibly wish for and a smooth yet punchy diesel engine, the latest Peugeot 308 SW is a fabulous choice for any active family.

And another attractive plus factor is the asking price, which is competitively set against rival models - our car carried a price-tag of £22,950 and for that outlay you get a lot of car.

The Peugeot 308 SW looks dynamic from any angle thanks to its sleek streamlining, aluminium roof rails, chrome trim around the distinctive grille and windows, fog lights, LED headlights, plus smart 17-inch alloys and a panoramic fixed glass roof with interior blind to complete the upmarket styling.

Move inside and the car offers oodles of space for five adults to stretch out in comfort. Even back seat passengers are treated to plenty of leg room and that's with the front seats pushed back quite a way.

There is a clutter-free, minimalist look to the cockpit, but there is still plenty of technology to be explored. The car features Peugeot's i-Cockpit design which includes a compact sports steering wheel with full access to many of the car's features.

There is a large information panel behind the steering wheel that offers all the standard readouts such as speed, revs and fuel levels, but this can be configured according to taste and can offer additional details such as sat nav directions, phone contacts, music and much more.

The idea behind the i-Cockpit is that all the car's infotainment functions can be accessed via the driver's fingertips without having to take their hands from the wheel. This works exceptionally well and is easy to get to grips with. However, on the downside, I did find no matter how much I adjusted my driving position, the steering wheel still blocked the view of some of the readouts on the instrument panel.

On board technology includes full smartphone connectivity with MirrorLink, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There is TomTom 3D sat nav with live traffic updates, voice recognition and a 9.7-inch colour touchscreen. Other features include dual zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors, Bluetooth and a great sound system.

Our car was powered by a 1.5-litre 131bhp diesel engine mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. It could sprint to 62mph from a standing start in 10.2 seconds, topped out at 126mph and, according to official figures, delivers combined fuel economy of 74.3mpg with carbon emissions of 100g/km.

When it comes to performance, the Peugeot 308 SW is an absolute delight to drive. The road-holding is excellent, the acceleration smooth and constant and the car is just as confident weaving through busy town centres as it is hitting the open road.

The driver benefits from excellent all-round visibility and the cabin feels very premium and upmarket when it comes to comfort and refinement. The highly efficient suspension seems to cope well with all but the most severe bumps and the car is well insulated against engine, road surface or wind noise.

SW stands for Station Wagon, so the 308 SW needs to offer good levels of practicality - and it does. The boot has a capacity ranging from 660-1,775 litres with the 60:40 split-folding rear seats lowered and there are numerous handy storage options throughout the car, including deep door pockets, a useful open compartment in front of the gear lever, a decent-sized glovebox, cup holders and a central bin.

The car is also kitted out with a comprehensive list of safety features which helped it secure a maximum five stars when it was tested for its Euro NACP safety rating.