CARS, like people, have distinctly different characters.

Some are energetic, almost nervous, bursting with energy and stamina. Others happen to be a bit more relaxed and laid-back.

One of the latter variety is the Honda CR-V, a sizeable SUV that has go-anywhere credentials but delivers an easygoing, comfortable ride and has enough room in the cabin for it to be compared with a small house.

It covers the ground - whether motorway or windy B road - with effortless ability and a minimum of fuss.

Add the recently introduced nine-speed automatic gearbox to the equation and the picture is complete.

With the new 1.6litre turbo diesel engine, the British-built CR-V combines a healthy power output of 158bhp with mile-stretching economy of 40mpg-plus during real-life driving. The official average is 55.3mpg.

The model range starts at just over £22,000 for the two-wheel-drive petrol 2.0litre and goes up to £34,120 for the diesel 4WD EX, which I drove.

Equipped as standard with panoramic fixed glass sunroof, power tailgate, electric driver's seat, leather upholstery, heated front seats and keyless access and start, it takes on the mantle of mini-Range Rover.

Not that the Honda is ‘mini'. The opening tailgate reveals a boot that can absorb 589litres of cargo before the backs seats are folded down, when this expands to 1,148 litres. It's a low platform making loading easy.

You sit high in the CR-V and with a relatively low waistline visibility is good all round. The cabin is a classy place to be with plenty of high grade plastics soft to the touch and switchgear which could have been hewn from rock.

Dials are clear and large and there's an all-new infortainment centre with seven inch screen which has integrated Garmin sat nav. It's not the simplest system to operate but once you are used to it everything starts to make sense and it works well.

The 1.6litre engine may sound a tad small to haul such a large vehicle but it is strong and lustily pulls from 2000rpm. Mechanical noise or vibration is all but non-existent and there is little intrusion from windnoise.

The 158 horses pull strongly to give acceleration to 62mph in 10.6seconds and a top speed of 122mph. The ample torque marries well with the nine speed gearbox and you always seem to be in the right ratio.

A paddle-change on the steering wheel is standard although I found little point in over-riding the electronic brain. Interestingly, the gearbox doesn't seek ninth gear till around the 70mph mark and even if you manually try for ninth at a lower speed the computer holds it in eighth.

There's plenty of stowage space in the cabin with bottle holders galore, a huge front passenger glove box and central storage area. Map pockets are found in the backs of both front seats.