CITROEN'S C3Aircrossoffers unique looks amongst a rash of smallSUVsthat allow it to stand out from the crowd.

And while its style may not suit everyone there is no doubt that it is a much better car than the Picasso it replaces in the French manufacturer's range.

Owners have huge scope to personalise their choice and make their car even more distinctive and they can also select from a choice of petrol or diesel engines.

All are efficient units and theAircrossalso offers a degree of practicality that is missing from some of its competitors.

With prices of the range starting from just a fiver under £14,000, theAircrossoffers considerable interior space and is really a taller, longer version of the company's popular C3 hatchback.

It may have boxy looks but customers can choose between an astonishing 85 combinations of trims and colours including the duo paint scheme in the car I drove, which featured soft sand with a spicy orange roof and black roof rails.

The cabin offers loads room for four adults to travel in comfort and is large enough to take five on shorter journeys.

The boot is good for 410 litres and if you collapse the 60/40 split rear seats this increases to 1,289 litres.

I drove the 130ps three-cylinder petrol 1,199cc car finished in the top Flair trim and it offered all the creature comforts you could want as well as an excellent driving position.

Flair gives you 17-inch diamond alloys, dual-zone air con, auto wipers, rear parking sensors,keylessentry and ignition as well as a touchscreen with integrated navigation. It also gives you a contrast-colour roof and a style pack as standard.

If you make good use of the six-speed manual gearbox theAircrossfeels lively enough and it reaches 62mph in 10.4 seconds before going on to a top speed of 124mph.

This engine is used in a variety ofPSAgroup models and offers a decent blend of performance and economy. It is fairly refined and never feels strained unless you push it above its limits.

TheAircrossis available only with front-wheel-drive and has not been designed for off-roadingbut the Flair spec does give you Grip Control - an advanced stability programme - which allows you to adjust things for snow or muddy conditions. It also gives you a hill descent setting.

Like most of its opposition theAircrosswill spend most of its time in urban settings but it is also a decent performer out on open roads and it cruises nicely at motorway limits.