A LOT has changed since Renault last had a big 4x4 on sale in the UK.
That was back in 2011 and since then we have gone SUV crazy.
So the future looks a lot more rosy for the new Renault Koleos which is joining the French car maker's line up as its king sized crossover.
With Renault blazing a trail on the SUV scene with the medium sized Kadjar and smaller Captur, the Koleos is of similar proportions to the likes of the Audi Q5 and Land Rover Discovery.
The difference is the Koleos is priced from £27,500 with the six model range topping out at £34,200.
At this level that's almost bargain basement and while the new Koleos may not be quite as refined as its premium rivals, it makes a fair fist of the job.
The Koleos is a smart looking, family sized five seater that comes with an exceptional amount of legroom - 289mm or 11.38 inches to be precise - and a very generous boot of 579 litres extending to 1,795 litres with the seats dropped.
Top grade Signature Nav models come with leather upholstery, wooden inserts in the trim and the seats are immensely comfortable thanks to some supportive design and nicely padded head rests.
For an extra £400 all the seats can be heated, so can the steering wheel and windscreen and the front seats get added ventilation for more comfort.
Just two engines are available - both tried and tests diesels in the shape of the 130bhp 1.6-litre dCi and the 2.0-litre block developing 175bhp.
The bigger of the two is also available with a CVT auto box and four-wheel-drive.
On the road both pull well and although the 2.0-litre has more legs, the 1.6 manages 0 to 60 in 11.4 seconds and tops out at 115mph.
Official fuel consumption is 57.6mpg with emissions of 128g/km and the real world figure is going to be in the region of 37 to the gallon.
The 2.0-litre X-Tronic auto feels livelier and that's reflected in a 0 to 60 time of 9.5 seconds with a maximum of 125mph and it's rated at 47.9mpg with a CO2 figure of 156g/km.
On our evaluation in Finland that was much closer to the mark and we saw an average approaching 46mpg such is the sophistication of the transmission.
Off road, the Koleos is a competent soft roader. Four wheel drive is switched in electronically and while there's a hill holder to help with upward gradients it's good old fashioned braking for descents.
Towing limits are two tonnes for the manual models and 1.65 tonnes for the CVT,
Ground clearance of more than eight inches, an approach angel of 19 degrees and a departure gradient of 26 degrees allows for negotiation of some moderately harsh terrain and to keep things spick and span Renault has designed the doors to protect the sills so there's no muck to avoid when getting in and out.
The doors themselves open wide which is another friendly feature and so is a powered tailgate which is available on the top specification Koleos.
The dash is centred on a large, vertical touchscreen (seven or 8.7-inches in size depending on trim level) and all come with sat nav backed up with TomTom live traffic updates and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity - and that's better than you get on other Renault SUVs at the moment.
The instruments have very legible graphics and give a digital speed readout in the same vein as Renault's other upmarket interiors seen on the latest Megane models and Scenic MPVs.
Grab handles flank the centre console and all in all the Koleos cockpit is highly functional and modern.
An electric parking brake, keycard opening and starting and a reversing camera are standard fit and so is automatic emergency braking, lane departure and blind spot systems.
The Koleos bridges the gap between posh and practical in good fashion and in the absence of the Espace large MPV and Talisman executive saloon - which are not imported to the UK - it becomes Renault's new big hitter and brings a touch of French flair to the high end SUV scene.