Fresh from its world premiere in Geneva earlier this year, the new Peugeot 308 SW is set to arrive in showrooms in the coming weeks - and it's one of the most stylish estate cars I have seen in some time.

A replacement for the 307SW, which was launched back in 2002, the new 308SW is a great piece of engineering, looks good and is really enjoyable to drive as well as having the practical benefits of an estate car.

The 308SW shares the same wheelbase as the 307SW, but with an increased length of 72mm and width of 117mm with the mirrors folded, the 308SW provides more interior and luggage space than the outgoing model. Not uncommon in the days when everything seems to be getting larger. A tour of the outside is quite impressive, with the back of the car the most impressive part of the vehicle.

Access to the boot area is either via the rear tailgate or the opening rear tailgate glass, which is rather natty, and I love the curved glass of the boot.

Inside, the panoramic glass roof is now 27 per cent larger and extends beyond the heads of the second row passengers. It looks great and makes the whole interior really light and airy, particularly for anyone on a long journey in the back.

On a practical note, the rear seats in the second row are all individual, easy to remove, identical in size and offer a multitude of combinations. And when you want to carry seven people, two occasional rear seats can be fitted in the third row and is a testament to the way these things have leapt forward - it is easy to switch from bootspace to seating space and vice versa.

With Peugeot, there is plenty of choice of engines under the bonnet and four trim levels to suit diverse tastes and pockets.

While diesel is perhaps the obvious choice with impressive fuel economy I was really impressed with the 1.6 litre THP with 150 bhp and a six-speed manual gearbox. The engine was surprisingly powerful for the SW although I didn't get the opportunity to fill the car and see how it performs with a full load.

Prices start a shade over £14,000 and standard equipment on all models is impressive and includes power steering, driver airbag, passenger airbag, side airbags, curtain airbags, remote control central locking with deadlocks and electric front windows. There is also a good stereo system, seats which adjust well for a comfortable ride and a useful trip computer.

A great package and surely one of this summer's winners.