A stylish, relaxing ride

Peugeot's newest 3008, pitched a little more upmarket than its forebears, combines tidy handling with a premium feel and a truly standout interior

- By Sean O'Grady

It's been some years now since Peugeot decided to try to move the marque a little bit back upmarket, concentrating on quality, real and perceived, and a bolder, more distinctive approach to design. Well, the marque is still not bracketed with the holy trinity of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, but the latest iteration of the 3008, a mid-market staple, shows the designers' efforts haven't been in vain.

The interior is, or should be, what sells this car. It is stunningly modern without being self-consciously “futuristic” for the sake of it, and the curved 21in high-definition digital screen, perched on the dash like a piece of domestic audio equipment, is something of a scene-stealer and talking point.

The long, trapezoidal shape grabs the attention immediately, and rightly so. Subtly decorated with a little French tricolour (this model is manufactured solely at the historic Le Sochaux works), with the dials placed almost directly in your eyeline, it offers something like the electronic “heads up” display available on, well, more premium products, but without the complexity.