I’m feeling guilty about picking on the XC90. It’s not that the 7-seat Volvo isn’t a great SUV but living with one for a week does reveal a few cracks in the public image.

I know that if I was fully loaded with sprogs and dogs it would make a perfect family car. Everywhere you look inside, Volvo has gone the extra mile to make this the safest motor on the market.

The integrated child seat in the back, multiple airbags, lane departure warning system, cameras at every angle – it’s packed with technology.

You might find the brake assist system takes a bit of getting used to. Drive towards any car – even one parked on a bend – and red lights flash at the bottom of the windscreen and buzzer scream.

But otherwise, the Volvo wraps you up in a veil of security. Quite a nice feeling…