Despite having 175bhp and 280lb ft, the Renault Koleos is steady at best with a caravan in tow.

The 30-60mph acceleration time of 14.2 seconds is lethargic, and with the right pedal on the floor there’s a lot of noise from under the bonnet.

Stability is pretty fair, though. There’s little movement at 60mph, although there was noticeable sway at 70mph.

In the lane-change test there was a lot of sliding from the caravan, but the Renault successfully completed the manoeuvre.

The hill-start test showed the Koleos at its best. The electronic parking brake held car and caravan still, and the car pulled to the top of the slope easily in 2WD in the dry. Switching to 4WD allowed the test to be completed without wheelspin in the damp.

However, with or without a caravan in tow the Koleos has a lumpy ride, and it leans heavily when cornering.

Light steering is a plus when parking, but a more progressive weight build up would be welcome on a country road.

Another irritation is the X-Tronic gearbox, which is annoyingly slow to react when pulling out from junctions.

Inside, there’s reasonable space for five, but there’s no option to specify the Koleos with seven seats as you can the Nissan X-Trail.

Boot space is less generous than you’ll find in many rivals – we certainly couldn’t find room for a full load of holiday luggage.

At least the reversing camera gives a good view of the tow ball when hitching up.