Peugeot’s new deep-fill approach to its estate version of hatchback, the 308, is a boon for busy families, writes Sharon Walters.

The SW, as Peugeot deems its medium-sized estate, is also a great vehicle to ride through a long recession, given its flexibility and fair spread of proven, long-life engines.

Buy it, keep it for a long time – it won’t age unduly – and it will still prove highly saleable after five years’ use.

You will know, too, that Peugeot is noted for producing dynamic drivers’ cars, but do need to note that here’s a slight exception.

Anyone who’s been around for a while in the motor-noting game will have witnessed the increasing imbalance in the relationship between the drive and practicality of Peugeot’s 300 series.

As the room, versatility and equipment as increased, the handling and relationship with the road has suffered.

The early 304 wasn’t so hot, the 305 was better, but the 306 was a cracker to drive.

Since then, from 307 through to 308, it’s been a gradual downhill journey, and the SW version, at 220mm, or about nine inches, longer than the hatch version, further defines this feeling of dysfunction between helm and highway.

It’s not a bad car to handle, by any means, but you’re always feeling that a little connectivity has been lost somewhere, that the SW’s nose is a little too remote to inspire outright confidence in the car.

A less forgiving chassis and slightly stiffer suspension, together with a little extra height for the front seats – there’s plenty of headroom to intrude on – would see a big improvement.

Nothing wrong at all with the engine, though – it’s a sturdy 1560cc diesel with a six-speed manual gearbox, can handle a full seven-adult load without struggling, and turn in a sound 55.3mpg overall.

So, the mileage in the 60-litre (13.4 gallon) tank is considerable, with performance figures also well-suited to Britain’s crowded roads – 115mph top speed, 0 to 62mph in 12.5 seconds.

This Peugeot enjoyed the best specification – SE – and was bulked-up with the best of equipment, both luxury and safety.

Notable amongst the kit is the fabulous, near full-length glass roof, two extra rear seats, powered door mirrors that also fold away when the car is locked and left, rear tinted glass, and ambience and comfort packs that enhance the cabin experience.

SE trim leads up from the basic S, through SR and then Sport, and was short of only parking sensors and metallic paint, for which the respective charges were £250 and £375.

There’s a lot of leeway in today’s market to argue the latter two into the 308 SW 1.6HDi SE’s asking price of £20,845 – even after you’ve got that tag discounted by anything up to £3,000, depending on where you shop.

BUMPER TO BUMPER:

Price: Peugeot 308 SW 1.6HDi 110 SE five-door £20,845. 308 SW range from 1.4 (£14,995) to 2.0HDi auto (£21,845)

Bodyshell/drivetrain: 4.50m ´ 1.81m, five-door estate; 1560cc, 110bhp four-cylinder engine, driving front wheels through six-speed manual gearbox.

Company car tax liability: 134g per km CO2 emissions (18% of cost of car when new, taxed)

Performance/economy: top speed 115mph, 0-62mph in 12.5 seconds.

Official fuel figures: city 42.8mpg, country 67.2mpg, combined 55.3mpg.

Fuel tank: 60 litres

Insurance group: 7

Warranty: three years/60,000 miles

Website: www.peugeot.co.uk