Hyundai Tucson is new from the ground up and offers good value to buyers

The popular SUV feels spacious, solid and comfortable. It has a stylish and distinctive new exterior, new chassis, new engines and transmissions and a new cabin, as well as some new options and features inside and out.

In terms of acceleration, the 1.7-litre diesel version, tested here, feels more like a workhorse than a racehorse. At nearly 14 seconds, the time it takes to get from 0-62mph feels more like a marathon than a sprint.

To compensate for the less than blistering acceleration, the Tucson delivers some pleasing economy figures with a combined figure of more than 60mpg - pretty impressive for such a sizeable vehicle. I had to drive for some distance before noticing the fuel gauge move.

What's more, when you do get up to a decent speed, the ride quality is very impressive.

Indeed, the Tucson soaks up bumps with ease and delivers a great deal of comfort to its occupants.

The handling is also trustworthy, with accurate steering meaning the vehicle is much easier to place on the road.

The solid Tucson came into its own on Yorkshire's partly-flooded roads through the stormy early part of this week, bursting through pooled water with ease and remaining stable on the road in the process.

The vehicle has been engineered and tested in Europe to meet European requirements, which goes some way towards accounting for its ability to cope with England's sometimes pothole-riddled backroads.

The Tucson makes the most of the space it has to offer. In the front, you'll find acres of legroom and the headroom is also decent.

It’s a similar story in the back with sufficient head and legroom for full-size adults.

Meanwhile, the boot is gigantic and well-shaped. You should be able to fit anything you want in it, within reason. There's also the option of an electric tailgate and a false floor to give a little more space. In the cabin there are plenty of useful storage areas including a generous centre console box.

All cars, even the entry level specification, come well kitted-out. Alloys, air con, auto lights, Bluetooth, downhill brake control, electric windows, reclining rear seats, digital radio and trailer stability assist are all on the entry S model.

And buyers can build on that, with SE trim getting bigger alloys, dual-zone climate control, heated front seats, lane departure warning and lane keep assist, some leather in the interior, rear parking sensors.

SE Nav, tested here, adds an eight-inch touch screen nav system, reversing camera and several other bits and pieces. If you go even further onto Premium, features include 19in alloys, auto wipers, automatic emergency braking and various other safety features, and heated rear seats.

In broader terms, Hyundia seems to have been improving its offering with each new model, and the latest Tucson has continued that positive trend.

he Tucson is sufficiently smart and stylish to look more expensive than it really is, which is a clever trick if you can pull it off.

THE LOWDOWN

Hyundai Tucson SE Nav

Price: from £21,295

Engine: 1.7-litre diesel producing 115 PS

Maximum speed: 109mph and 0-62 in 13.7 seconds

Fuel consumption: 61.7mpg combined

Emissions: 119g/km

Will's ratings

PERFORMANCE: 3

ECONOMY: 5

RIDE/HANDLING: 5

SPACE: 5

EQUIPMENT: 4

SECURITY: 4

VALUE: 4

OVERALL: 4