EVERY time Lewis or Nico win a Grand Prix their car is being helped by something that also aids the latest Toyota RAV4 as it trundles along the motorway.

You'll have to look hard at the door mirrors and rear lamp covers to spot the Formula 1 inspired assistance, but it's there all right, in the shape of tiny fins moulded into the plastics to direct the air passing over the car.

Also used in today's top racers, they help keep the car running straight at speed and, perhaps more than anything, show the attention to detail lavished by Toyota on this mid-sized SUV.

It deserves to be treated with this sort of respect; sales of the RAV4 approach five million since the first one appeared in 1994 and fuelled a worldwide demand for cars that look tough and chunky but enjoy the running costs of a normal family hatch.

Today we're at the fourth generation of RAV4, with a car that's grown larger with every design update but also more frugal, safer and better equipped. For 2014, there have been minor upgrades aimed at keeping the car fresh in the minds of potential buyers.

It means bigger alloy wheels on most models, new colours and the option of a frugal diesel (like the one in the test car) on the all-wheel drive version of the RAV4, as well as the front-driver model you see here.

We first saw this new RAV4 in 2012, with a body that gave much improved legroom in the rear seats, extra luggage space and a quieter ride.

It also managed to look rather crisper and more upmarket on the outside and a touch more luxurious inside, with contrast stitching on the dash and flashes of pretend metal dotted about on dash and doors.

There are three model grades of RAV4: Active, Icon and Invincible with prices from £22,495 to £29,305.

This car is a mid-range Icon which adds larger alloy wheels, touchscreen with rear view camera and DAB radio, cruise control, keyless entry, climate control and auto mirror, lights and wipers to the base spec.

Also part of the Icon package is a tailgate that opens and closes at the press of a button on the key fob and which in the course of a week became almost the killer feature of the car (yes, there were a lot of supermarket shops on the agenda).

For an extra £750 you can add a satellite navigation system that worked well enough but without the no-bother approach of the best set ups; this one took some figuring out before it wanted to help me home.

Much more approachable was a driving position that reminds you why so many owners love their SUVs; sitting up high really does lower stress levels as you spot traffic problems further up the road than those sitting in all the family hatchbacks who won't see trouble coming.

It's also a notably quiet car these days. After the expected diesel rattle from a cold start the engine settles down to a distant hum on the move, meaning that the speed camera warning built into the sat nav proved its worth more than once.

Despite an encouraging rate of forward progress the test car showed 51mpg on its trip computer, a fine result and rather better than Lewis or Nico could dream of.