SUV has the mouth of a whale

Peugeot has saddled its first ever offroader with the mouth of a whale - so it's just as well that the belly of the new 4007 can accommodate a whole family of Jonahs.

This exceptionally spacious vehicle is Peugeot's version of the Mitsubishi Outlander SUV - and another similar product, in the form of Citroen's C-Crosser, is imminent too.

The 4007's curious front end resembles the baleen of a whale and is the result of Peugeot trying to graft its corporate grille onto the Outlander template, while attempting to take into account pedestrian safety too.

There's no doubt it's the ugliest of the three versions of this car but I have a sneaking suspicion that the 4007's gurning features may grow on their owners: they may come to regard its gaping smile as 'character'.

And once you get past its looks, the Peugeot has plenty going for it. It's roomy enough for five adults and comes with two seats in the boot which pull up to accommodate children. These seats are standard, unlike the optional ones of the Outlander.

The Peugeot has two trim levels, SE and Sport, and just one engine: the new Peugeot/Citroen 2.2 diesel HDI.

The 2.0 VW-sourced unit in the Outlander is capable enough - but the diesel in the 4007 is smoother, more refined, quicker and more economical too. It should be possible to return around 35mpg and the car is also capable of running on 30 per cent biodiesel.

The car is easy to drive and handles and rides well. It mostly operates in front wheel drive but can change to four-wheel drive as and when it is needed.

It's not designed as a fully fledged mud-plugger but should be able to cope with gentle off-road stuff. I didn't take the 4007 off the tarmac, but I have driven Mitsubishi's version of the car over the military ranges on Salisbury Plain and found it surprisingly capable.

The 4007 has comfortable seats which require little adjustment and the driving position is high and commanding. The steering wheel ought to adjust for reach as well as height but doesn't.

Visibility is good, thanks to large glazed areas and huge side mirrors. Refinement is good for a car of this nature - it's nice and quiet.

With the third row of seats folded away the boot is huge and the split tailgate makes loading much easier. You can also sit on the tailgate when it is lowered, as it will take a weight of up to 200kg - a useful feature.

One optional extra worth considering is the excellent multimedia package. It costs £1,900 but features an easy-to-understand touch screen sat nav unit with information stored on a 30GB disk drive.

Around 10GB of space is available to store up to 2,000 of your favourite tunes and you can listen to them on the 4x35w audio system.

There's a three-band radio and CD player too. The system also incorporates a useful reversing camera which displays a rear view on the seven-inch screen whenever reverse gear is engaged.

There's an optional Bluetooth handsfree kit with a voice recognition function which operates in five different languages.

After a day of dodging the showers in the 4007 with the family on board there was one more hurdle for the car to overcome before it was handed back to Peugeot. Could we possibly squeeze in another three people and take them to their hotel?

The car already seemed pretty full with the four of us, plus weekend luggage, wellies, brollies and the like. But we managed to accommodate another adult, two children and two suitcases - and with surprising ease too.

The 4007 is comfortable, spacious - and so flexible that it's a family car, practical estate and SUV rolled into one.

It's competing in a notoriously fashion-driven sector of the market but Peugeot should still be able to hit its target of around 2,000 units a year.

And if you need to soften the 'gaping mouth' look, try it in black.

By Peter Carroll