Sector: Crossover Price: £22,445 Fuel: 58.9mpg CO2: 125g/km

Launched in 2009, the Peugeot 3008 arrived just in time to take advantage of the C-segment crossover boom.  Sales have exceeded initial projections by 50% and, of the half a million sold worldwide, one in ten have sold in the UK.

Five years on, and Peugeot has updated the design to bring it in line with the 2008 launched last year. The facelift has added reshaped headlights and the new claw-mark rear light signature at the back, while the nose is a little more aerodnynamic and features an upmarket-looking metal-lined grille like the brand’s newest cars.

It goes a little way towards marking the 3008 out from the 5008 MPV. Despite the model denomination, the cars share a chassis and a strong family resemblance which makes the 3008 a little harder to pigeon hole than the likes of the Qashqai, Kuga or Sportage. The 5008 now looks a little more like the new 308, while the 3008 has moved a little further towards the crossover end of the range.

This should help broaden its appeal, because the 3008 is an impressive car to live with and almost an unsung hero in its class. The cabin feels solidly built and upmarket, wrapping around the driver, and grouping key controls in a bank of toggle switches under the heater vents, and it has the desirable high driving position buyers tend to favour in a crossover. Ride quality is impressive even on large wheels, and there’s not too much tendency to roll around when cornering – it drives like a much smaller car.

It also has a few tricks up its sleeve which no other crossover can match. The tailgate splits, like a Range Rover, making it easy to use the huge boot space which is flat all the way to the dashboard with the passenger seat folded. Four-wheel drive comes in the form of the Hybrid4, which has a unique-to-class electrically-driven rear axle, and the 3008 is also the only car in its class to feature Grip Control on two-wheel drive models. This £470 package adds mud and snow tyres with a clever traction control feature for loose surfaces.

The 115bhp 1.6-litre diesel is at the core of the engine range. It’s the familiar PSA unit due for replacement with the Euro 6 compliant BlueHDI 120 before the end of the year, a move which should bring the 3008 closer to 100g/km CO2 emissions as well as cutting harmful exhaust content.

Despite its age, it pulls well and emits only a faint mechanical whirr at motorway speeds, while average fuel economy settles between 50 and 55mpg at motorway speeds. Peugeot’s lethargic clutchless manual gearbox claims 65.7mpg and 112g/km, but its benefit is offset by the £850 price difference and drop in residual value from 37% to 35% according to CAP figures (at the time of writing).

Running costs are helped further by a price drop for the facelifted model. Despite adding satellite navigation, albeit a slightly fussy system, and reversing camera to the restyled crossover, the Allure has shed £150 from its on-the-road pricing while Access and Active models have come down by £650 and £550 respectively.

While it may not be the most obvious soft-roader in its class, a style upgrade for less money ought to put the 3008 on even more buyers’ radars.

Verdict:

The crossover segment is one which is driven by muscular off-road styling, an area where the 3008 has traditionally fallen behind rivals. But it’s a much better looking car following this very complementary update, and a drop in running costs should help get buyers' attention.