This new Peugeot 2008 is an excellent example of how to evolve a car.

The previous version was hardly looking dated, but this facelift keeps the 2008 at the cutting edge, with improvements inside and out.

First off, visually it’s a nice subtle change, just a bit sharper than before – but in a way that makes you sit up and take notice.

The new model is longer than before and it gets the marque’s new 3D i-Cockpit inside.

The four trim levels remain familiar – Active, Allure, Gt Line and GT.

All cars get alloys, air con, rear parking sensors and the aforementioned new i-Cockpit as part of their standard specification.

Allure adds front parking sensors, bigger wheels, electric parking brake and more, while GT Line, which we drove, gets a reversing camera, heated front seats, 18in alloys, visual embellishments such as chrome exhaust pipes and a black roof, wireless phone charging and ambient lighting.

Topping out the range, the GT gets adaptive cruise control, panoramic roof, lane positioning assist and blind spot monitoring.

This, like all Pugs at the moment, is just one of those cars that’s nice to drive.

The compact steering wheel that sits below the dials feels really nice and especially round town makes for effortlessly light steering.

The petrol we drove – the 1.2 PureTech 130, is light and nippy in standard mode and even livelier in sport.

Eco mode does dull things quite a bit, but is fine for the cruise.

As mentioned, it’s nice and light around town when it comes to handling, but oddly that seems to switch for quite a heavy feel at high speeds.

But it’s all very comfortable with little roll either.

MPG in the low 40s was pretty effortlessly done both in town and on the motorway during our time with the car.

That compared pretty well against the on-paper 43-50 figure.

Other engines come in the form of the lower-power 1.2 petrol, which has 100bhp and nudges slightly better MPG figures.

There’s also the 155bhp 1.2 petrol, which nips to 62mph in 8 seconds.

In line with the trend away from diesels there’s only one on offer, the 1.5 BlueHDi with 100bhp, which returns 54-62 MPG.

An EV is also on the cards, with specs boasting a range of 191 to 206 miles from a charge. We’ll hopefully give that a drive later in the year.

The subtle evolution has continued inside, where materials feel premium and the finish is excellent.

The 3D i-Cockpit features, as you might suspect, a 3D digital display that you can tweak to your liking.

Hazards and road information are projected in hologram form from Allure spec upwards close to the driver’s eye, which Peugeot says improves reaction times.

Either way, it’s very cool and very smart.

Despite this being Peugeot’s baby SUV, rear space is decent and the boot pretty substantial at 434 litres with the seats in use and 1,467 when not.

This facelift keeps the 2008 up there with the best as a great small suv with plenty of character Prices start at a pretty reasonable £20,150, rising to nearly £32,000 for the GT.

The EV will be available in each trim, priced from £28,150, including the Government’s grant.