A SMATTERING of Spanish would have come in handy in deepest Bedfordshire as we tried to tell the SsangYong's sat nav to take us back to base.

Someone had set the system for the land of paella and siestas and instructions came out of the Tivoli's dashboard with a softly spoken southern inflection, which sounded lovely but meant precious little.

But the destination was eventually plumbed into the TomTom and away we went - in a car that was proving a bit of a surprise.

Taking us on the mystery tour of an unheralded but handsome part of middle England was the latest model of a car you probably haven't heard of yet - the SsangYong Tivoli.

Built in South Korea by a company known until now for its range of tough but basic machines, many with an off-road potential, the Tivoli marks a serious move towards European respectability, where mere cheapness doesn't always succeed.

A decade or so ago a couple of other Koreans - Hyundai and Kia - began their climb upmarket and have succeeded beyond perhaps even their dreams. Can SsangYong do it too?

The earlier Tivoli versions, arriving mid-2015 made a firm case for a positive answer - 'yes!' - and at prices that start at £12,950 for a front-driver with petrol engine.

Which makes it great value rather than an absolute steal; often a sign that makers reckons their cars are now good enough to entice buyers without needing a bargain basement price tag.

SsangYong was right; the first Tivolis were decent enough to drive and very well kitted out for the money. They also felt better put together (on the inside in particular) than opposition selling for more.

But what about a Tivoli selling for more than £20,000 when you've added metallic paint (£500) and a £400 styling pack with fancy alloys, black roof, spoiler and door mirrors?

That's moving the car deep into the European mainstream, where you'll find a host of smart cars looking for style-savvy buyers.

Well, driving is believing and SsangYong has a winner on its hands, so long as it can persuade you to sit in the car and then take it for a drive.

Should your route take in a deep waterhole and a couple of crazily angled slopes, the admiration factor will ramp up quickly.

For here is a car that genuinely surprised in places no sane owner will ever take it. A winter's drive home on snowy roads is going to be chicken feed for this newest version of the Tivoli.

The all-wheel drive system puts all the power through the front wheels until it detects slippage, when the rears are instantly brought into action. This ought to mean better fuel economy than in a car with all the wheels working all the time.

You can have a six-speed manual gearbox or an automatic unit in your Tivoli 4x4 but both will be powered by the same 1.6 diesel engine that became an option in the 2WD range some months ago.

It produces 113bhp, enough for 107mph top speed with the auto box and the sprint to 62mph in 12.3 seconds (109mph/12.0 seconds for the manual), with the auto 'box hitting emissions and fuel consumption, so that the figures of 156g/km and 47.9mpg average look underwhelming - stick to the DIY gearbox and things improve to 123g/km and 60.1mpg.

Out on proper road surfaces the diesel auto 4x4 Tivoli hums along nicely, allowing you to admire its fit and finish and start to take in the goodies that this top version has on board.

Standard kit on the ELX includes satellite navigation (Spanish is optional!), a superbly clear reversing camera, leather upholstery and heated front seats, climate control, keyless entry and start, auto dipping interior mirror, cruise control and (hurrah), a space saver spare wheel.

The ELX 4x4 auto costs £19,500, a six-speed manual is £1,000 less and the EX 4x4 diesel with a bit less kit is £17,100.

SsangYong thinks 500 people will take a Tivoli 4x4 in 2016. They may be surprised, especially if they can persuade showroom visitors to take a drive.