A lot of caravanners must want the all-weather ability of a 4×4 but don’t want to pay through the nose for their car, fuel or road tax.

Step forward, the new Hyundai ix35. The list price hugely undercuts the BMW X1, and it’s also much cheaper than a Ford Kuga. You can expect 48.7mpg, according to official figures, and carbon dioxide emissions of 154g/km will make paying your road tax each year relatively painless.

The Hyundai’s equipment levels are also extremely good. Its 18-inch alloys, leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control and cruise control are all fitted as standard.

However, what’s under the bonnet is not quite so impressive. The 134bhp 2.0-litre engine is short on punch when compared with its rivals here, with a 19-second time for the 30-60mph test. It’s rather noisy, too. Braking was strong, however, bringing the outfit to a halt in just 10.8 metres.

Even so, the Hyundai needed more steering inputs than most to hold a straight course at 60mph and above. Through the lane-change manoeuvre, the car was dragged off-line even in the lower-speed runs.

The ix35 did manage to make up some lost ground in the hill-start tests. Reversing was problem-free and, other than needing a really firm pull on the handbrake, there was no trouble on the 1-in-6 test slope, either.

Our practicality judge fitted all but one item into the boot and was please to find a full-size spare wheel.