THE SUV market is brimming with worthy seven seat competitors vying for custom, but few can match the value for money and interior style of the Peugeot 5008.

It's strong shape and rakish grille are taken from the 3008 that came earlier, but it has a more spacious interior with very good flexible seating and a massive boot.

As usual with so many seven seaters, the third pair of seats are best left to children, but In my experience, they compete for the right to sit there.

The first 5008 had a rather forgettable balloon shape, despite being an eminently practical and comfortable family holdall.

But this latest model, which seems to be selling like hot cakes judging by the numbers I see on the road, replaced it in 2017 and still looks strong and fresh today.

A 1.2-litre engine in such a large family car would have been impossible not so long ago - it simply would not have had enough power for the weight.

But with the advent of turbochargers under almost every bonnet and the electronics to control the whole engine, it is now becoming quite normal.

So the smallest petrol engine is the Peugeot/Citroen 1.2 Puretech three cylinder turbo, a peppy and sweet sounding little unit that's a joy to use.

Despite 130bhp, it's still not particularly quick with such size to haul around, taking 11 seconds to reach 60 miles an hour from rest.

Howsoever, it is rated at an excellent 51 miles per gallon in the economy stakes, which means that in reality, it should do better than 40 in real driving with a light right foot.

The other two petrols are both 1.6-litre turbos with the company's excellent EAT8 eight speed automatic gearbox as standard.

They have either 165 or 180 horses under the bonnet, cover the sprint in 8.9 or 8.0 seconds and still manage 48 and 49mpg economy.

Over on the diesel pump there's a choice of three very good units. The smallest 1.5 BlueHDi has 130bhp and can do 65mpg while ‘sprinting' to 60 in a leisurely 13.1 seconds.

Then comes an older 1.6 with 120 horses, which surprisingly, is quicker to 60 and more economical than the 1.5.

And finally, the 2.0-litre HDi has 180bhp and again, comes as standard with the EAT8 auto gearbox, giving a 60 sprint in 8.9 seconds and 56mpg.

Like the majority of the large SUVs out there, this is a car that will spend almost all its life on the tarmac so there is no need for a four wheel drive option.

Therefore look elsewhere if you are likely to need mud plugging or heavy grass field towing ability.

Inside, there plenty of space for five in the first two rows of seats, with good elbow and knee room, and good headroom even in the third row.

Those seats are comfortable throughout - so friends who have tried them tell me! And the dash features Peugeot's excellent i-Cockpit, giving the driver about a dozen different configurations for the completely digital instruments.

Unusually - and like other recent Peugeots - the steering wheel is quite small and the instruments appear above it. This takes a little getting used to but works well once you do.

Other technology includes another eight inch touchscreen in the centre console for other functions, including infotainment and automatically connected smartphone.

But Peugeot have learned their lesson, and controls that we all use regularly and which used to be on the touchscreen - like air con and sat nav - now have their own dedicated switches.

All in all, there's a wow feeling about the interior of the 5008 that others do not match.

Safety scores highly, with standard autonomous emergency braking, traffic sign recognitionand a driver inattention warning system.

Base Active models come well equipped, with an alarm, alloy wheels, parking sensors, electric mirrors and windows, headlight washers, cruise control, audio remote and traction control.

Pat about £15,850 for a ‘17 17-reg 1.2 Puretech Active, or £24,700 for a '19 19-reg 1.5 BlueHDi GT-Line.