Hyundai Santa Fe

Citroen-specific graphics, meaning the revcounter is an annoyingly tiny bar graph, because you aren’t supposed to be feeling sporty.

The steering has a far more relaxed response rate than, among others, the 3008. It’s light in your hands. The body rolls a lot, though it’s progressive and the Aircross actually fends off understeer well, especially if it isn’t carrying the heavy 2.0 diesel engine.

As promised, payback comes as a gentle ride. The trick is extra hydraulic reservoirs acting progressively as the damper reaches the ends of its travel. This allows super-soft springs, unconstrained in the middle travel, but it maintains control when things are really rough. Sure enough, much of the time it wafts along as if borne on air, especially on medium-smooth surfaces. It’s an odd mix, though, because bad sharp edges send a clang into the body, and some steering-column quiver.

It’s quiet. At a cruise, that’s down to wellsuppressed tyre noise, and on acceleration the engines keep their peace. There are 1.2-litre and 1.6-litre petrols, and 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre diesels. We had a go in the top pair. Both make 180-ish bhp and have an 8spd auto, which is fidgety in the petrol. They both do 0–62mph in the eights, but it’s the petrol that feels the more eager. Not notably eager, though. That’s not the choir it’s joining.