PEUGEOT has begun its new two-pronged assault on the burgeoning crossover market with a little belter.

Its second-generation 2008 is both stylish and a joy to drive, with a comprehensive range of engine choices, colours and trim levels.

Joining it next year will be the bigger 3008, but for those looking for a compact SUV then you really need to put the 2008 on your shopping list.

Priced from under £14,000, it comes with the option of the 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo pure tech petrol engine voted best in category at the International Engine of the Year Awards held this month.

It's a perfect match for the agile 2008, providing acceleration of 0 to 62mph in just over 10 seconds and average fuel consumption of nearly 60mpg.

First impressions of the car are excellent. Peugeot has done a fine job in giving the front end a more modern look by introducing a vertical grille, and there's an aura of robustness and practicality marked out by the scuff plates, wheel arch extensions and roof rails.

Open the low-loading tailgate and you will find plenty of room for luggage plus the option of creating a huge load area by folding the rear seats flat. This has the effect of increasing the volume from 410 litres to 1,400 - and there's an additional 22-litre storage area under the boot lid.

Step into the cabin and it gets even better. Here we find what Peugeot calls its i-Cockpit. Depending on trim level - and there are four to choose from - there's the latest in phone connectivity via voice recognition on a simple and clear seven-inch touchscreen system, some very comfortable seats and even a sporty, leather wrapped steering wheel that looks as if it came straight out of the 208GTi.

In addition, a head-up instrument panel allows driver information to be accessed without taking your eyes off the road.

The steering wheel sits quite low beneath the instrument panel and the huge rakish windscreen, which provides for a superb forward view.

The upgrading process is accompanied by a new trim level, the GT Line, which replaces the Feline specification. Access, Active and Allure levels complete the line-up. The GT Line gets 17-inch alloy wheels as opposed to 15-inchers and gloss black front grille surround, fog light covers, mirror casings and roof bars. Sitting above the grille is another nice touch, red Peugeot, while GT Line badging is displayed on each front wing and on the tailgate.

Now for the difficult bit - which engine to choose. There are five petrol and three diesel engines, and it's really a toss-up on whether to go for the aforementioned three-cylinder petrol unit or the 1.6L BlueHDi 120 S&S.

The petrol engine comes in at £1,300 cheaper than the diesel offering in Allure trim and has a slightly higher top speed. The diesel unit has slightly better acceleration, and more torque, will return about 18 miles more to the gallon and dips below 100g/km of CO2 emissions.

What you gain in performance from the petrol engine, you lose out in the torque stakes, but in the final analysis both of them are best in class and exceptionally refined. Personally, I favour the petrol version, but opinion will be divided and Peugeot expects a 50/50 split in sales.

For those drivers who might venture off-road on to a sandy beach, need to traverse muddy fields or just want some extra grip in the advent of adverse weather conditions, Peugeot also offers an adapted traction system, Grip Control, which works hand-in-hand with the 16cm ground clearance and all- season tyres to optimise traction for standard road conditions, snow, mud and sand.

The 2008 is also equipped with active city brake - a technology which makes it possible to avoid an accident or reduce its seriousness if the driver fails to react - and a park assist feature.

The 2008 has enjoyed continuous growth since its introduction in 2013, notching up 500,000 sales worldwide and more than 40,000 in the UK alone. The new version is a bold statement of intent from Peugeot to grab a bigger slice of the SUV market.