Jeremy After a week driving the sublime Jaguar XJ, it would be easy to assume the arrival of a Korean SUV might leave CarCouture a little flat. However, first impressions of the new Santa Fe are extremely favourable. On the outside, it cuts a thoroughly modern look, with more aggressive styling, lower front bumper and a stylish hexagonal grille.

Inside, it’s pretty sorted too, although there’s a good deal of plastic trim and a centre console that may not be to everybody’s taste. The console packs in a lot equipment on the Premium model but even the infotainment system is common-sense straightforward and easy to use.

Fitted with a 2.2-litre diesel engine, modifications to the new model mean it is 120kg lighter. The Santa Fe is certainly no slouch with smooth power delivery from the automatic gearbox and low noise levels inside the cabin.

This seven-seat version has two fold-flat seats in the boot. It looks a little tight for adult headroom in the back row but folded down, there’s a huge boot area. The dog loves it – whether adult passengers will feel the same in Row 3 remains to be seen. So far though, the Santa Fe is holding its own in the Cotswolds…