IF you want a car that epitomises the best of the medium SUV class, look no further than the 3008 from Peugeot.

It's funky and good looking, with sharp lines that few others match, as well as having a stylish and distinctive interior with plenty of family friendly features.

The 3008 introduced the brilliant Peugeot i-Cockpit in most models - a fully digital screen of instruments behind the wheel that can be tailored to any one of 12 different configurations by the driver.

This was the first time such a binnacle had been part of the kit in a car from this class and although it's not as rare now it's usually only offered in higher range models.

In fact, all models in the 3008 range also come very well equipped straight out of the box, which is another reason so many people wanted one.

There was a facelift in 2021 with a restyled nose and a number of other changes. These included a smaller range of models and a greater emphasis on petrol/electric hybrids as part of the company's transition towards an all-electric range.

At the launch in 2016 Peugeot said its research had shown that there would be minimum demand for four wheel drive and so they decided to save on development costs and keep it front wheel drive only.

But now there are petrol/electric hybrids available with the electric motor driving the rear wheels and the petrol engine driving the front.

Being a Peugeot, there are both petrol and diesel engines as well as the hybrids.

Diesels start with a 1.6 BlueHDi that has 120bhp and sprints from zero to 60 miles an hour in 10.8 seconds. It's rated at a fantastic 71mpg.

In later models it was replaced by a 1.5 that has 130bhp and is also capable of 71mpg while bringing the sprint down to 9.8 seconds.

Range toppers were available with a 2.0-litre HDi which has 150 or 180bhp. The 150 covers the sprint in 9.3 seconds and will do 64mpg, and the 180 is quicker of course but consumption drops to 59mpg. Many of these will be fitted with the very good Peugeot/Citroen eight speed automatic gearbox.

There's a wide choice of petrol engines, which start with the 1.2-litre PureTech turbo now well known throughout the Peugeot and Citroen ranges.

Here it has 130bhp and covers the 0 to 60 sprint in 9.2 seconds, while returning a very best of 55mpg.

Next comes a 1.6 PureTech turbo with 180bhp, covering the 60 sprint in 7.7 seconds and capable of 50mpg.

The hybrids also use this 1.6 petrol engine and eight speed automatic gearbox with an added electric motor. First comes a 225bhp unit with drive to the front wheels giving a sprint of 8.6 seconds and a best of 41mpg.

Then finally there is a plug-in 300bhp version with 4WD that brings the sprint down to 5.9 seconds, with best economy of 43mpg. It is capable of over 30 miles on electric power alone.

The ride is superb - better than many in the class - although not by much since they are all pretty comfortable.

But this one floats over poor surfaces with complete aplomb and great body control.

It takes speed humps very easily and yet despite this suppleness of suspension, it still goes through the corners with agility and safety. There's not too much roll, and the direct steering has good feedback.

The boot is huge, with folding back seats to make it massive, and there is loads of legroom both front and rear.

Upper models have cordless phone charging and built-in wifi with its own sim card, and all have audio remote controls, parking sensors, heated electric mirrors, alloys, DAB radio and an alarm.

On top of that, the mid-range Allure has the i-Cockpit, sat nav and cruise.

Pay about £12,200 for a '69 19-reg 1.2 PureTech Allure manual, or £17,450 for a '21 21-reg 1.6THP GT-Line automatic.