CLEVER people the French.

While most car makers are content to build cars which can park themselves automatically with the driver just controlling the accelerator and brake Peugeot has gone one stage further - with a car which controls the whole manoeuvre.

On its new 508 SW there's an optional extra which allows you to simply press and hold down one button to let the car control everything for perfect parking.

So no more scuffed alloys and no more parking stress.

If parking is not your forte it's probably worth the £600 extra to let the SW do it all.

The new version of the 508 SW hit the UK market in the summer and boasts some of the most dynamic styling cues of any estate car on the road today.

With it's stunning frontal lines, aggressive grille, dramatic headlights and signature vertical daytime running lights it's a model that's hard to miss.

And at the back the rakish roofline and clever contours in the tailgate are a credit to the designer's art.

But it's not just on the outside that the 508 SW is eye catching.

Open one of the frameless doors and the first thing that hits you is the dramatic quilted soft leather seats followed by the innovative brushed metal piano key style controls on the upper section of the centre console.

In a world where most car interiors look the same Peugeot have dared to be different and it works.

And in the case of the front seats there is more to them than meets the eye. For not only are they heated and electrically adjustable but they also have a multi-choice massage feature built into them so even after long journeys you arrive free of stiff joints.

Like other Peugeots the SW gets the brand's ubiquitous tiny steering wheel which not only allows you to have a better view of the dashboard dials above it but also gives the car a far more sporty feel.

And with Peugeot's I-Cockpit you can adjust the appearance of the dials to suit your taste.

Powered by a 2.0-litre, 177bhp diesel engine mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox the GT version tested here offers sharp, punchy performance and seamless gear changing.

It's an ideal long distance cruiser with eighth gear very much an overdrive gear and normally not coming into play into you are over 70 miles per hour.

A switch near the gear shift allows you to select the driving mode you want, with eco, comfort, normal and sport all available and there are paddles behind the steering wheel for manual gear changing when the mood takes you.

For many, however, estate are all about space and with the SW there's a hefty 1,780 litres available with 530 beneath the luggage cover.

It's also a car packed with a host of safety features and you can even order one with a night vision system - an extra £1,300 - which picks out people and animals beyond the range of the headlamps using an infra-red camera and distinguishes between them.