Okay, so this is the all-new second-generation 3008, and it’s a French revolution in terms of the visual impact it makes. It looks seriously trendy inside and out, like a concept that has been lifted straight from the designer’s sketch pad and into production unaltered. So, the new 3008 has got the look, and it’s also managed to bag the European Car of The Year Award. Even before the award was handed out, the 3008 had 100,000 registered pre-orders, many of whom had never bought a Peugeot before.

But we must look at the cold hard facts, and they begin with four trim levels: Active, Allure, GT Line, GT, and entry-level prices that start at £22k, with the all-singing, all-dancing top-of-the-range model dipping into the £33k region.

The engines remain more or less unchanged. Two petrol engines include the award-winning (again) 1.2-litre 128bhp petrol engine and the 1.6-litre unit, which comes in three power derivatives: 99bhp, 118bhp, and 163bhp, the latter available only as an automatic.

Of course, the diesel engines will remain supreme for at least another 23 years. There are effectively two units available in a total of four power derivatives. The 1.6-litre HDi outputs 99bhp or 118bhp, and the 2.0-litre HDi outputs 148bhp or 178bhp, dependent on trim level.

Most engines are available with a 6-speed manual or 6-speed auto gearbox, except for the 2.0-litre diesels, which are automatic only. The 3008 on test featured the 4-cylinder, 120bhp, 300Nm torque 1.6-litre diesel.

Power was plentiful low down—torque is delivered effectively with little delay, as is mid-range torque. Higher up the rev range, the diesel tends to hit its limit, but most people won’t reach these heady heights.

Indeed, the 1.6-litre diesel engine always delivered power smoothly and was assisted ably by the six-speed manual gearbox. The engine was fairly quiet at tick-over, with minimal diesel vibration when revving hard, and the cabin was hushed when travelling at cruising speed.

The ride is, in layman’s terms, soft-firm, and generally, the 3008 delivers a comfortable ride on most surfaces. However, at low speed, it did tend to bounce slightly over less-than-smooth road surfaces, but at motorway cruising speed, the ride was somewhat more composed.

Handling? It’s okay. Personally, I don’t want an edgy SUV with razor-sharp handling. There is no need to go into detail other than it’s typical of a modern-day SUV: good levels of grip, okay electronic steering, easy to navigate through an urban environment.

One thing that Peugeot does differently is the driving position. It seems centered around the new i-cockpit, a fully digital instrument binnacle with flashy graphics. The dash sits higher up than normal, and no matter how high you raise the steering wheel, you always feel slightly out of position.

You eventually get used to the driver’s position, but it can be awkward at first. The interior is simple and well-built, refined, with plenty of soft-touch surfaces, trendily designed, and very inviting. Peugeot does make really good-looking driver’s seats. The 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system houses most of the primary and secondary controls.

There are some analogue buttons on the steering wheel and a row of quick-access buttons located under the touchscreen, but if you want to control the sound/heating, you will have to use the touchscreen. That said, if you can use an iPad, the 3008’s interface is a familiar environment gone digital.

The 3008 is a compact SUV by designation, and while the new generation is slightly wider and longer than before, the compact nature of its design is mostly felt by rear-seated passengers. While space is excellent up front, it can get a little cramped for rear-seated passengers who are 6ft plus.

Boot space is generous with the seats up or folded flat (Magic Flat as Peugeot calls it), going from 561-litres to 1670-litres at the pull of a lever located on either side of the rear internal side walls of the boot.

Equipment levels are fairly generous: DAB, a decent speaker system, Bluetooth, and that i-Cockpit (digital instrument binnacle) is standard, as is dual climate control. Although if you want Sat-Nav, you’re going to have to ignore the entry-level Active spec.

However, all models do get Apple CarPlay and Android Mirrorlink, which enable you to cast your phone onto the 8-inch infotainment system. Of course, the higher up the trim range you go, the better the toys.

The GT Line on test was extremely well-specced with such toys as Lane Assist, etc. The only optional extras were metallic paint (£525) and a panoramic glass roof (£990).

So, the new 3008 is probably the best SUV Peugeot makes right now and probably the best compact SUV on the market. It does have one or two issues—the bouncy low-speed ride, no 4WD (yet)—but it’s a case of move over Audi Q3, BMW X1; the Peugeot 3008 is coming through.