LIKE every other family car the Ford Mondeo has been hit by the seemingly endless demand for SUVs.

It may not sell in anything like the numbers it once did but it is still popular with fleet users and others who resist the SUV explosion.

To keep it fresh the current Mondeo recently got a revamp which includes a new front bumper, a different grille for each trim and a metallic strip through revised tail-lights. New colours and wheels were added and the cabin is finished to a higher standard.

In addition the hybrid HEV model - formerly only available in saloon form-is now also available as an estate and I have been sampling it in the Titanium Edition.

The hybrid system is pretty much the same as before. That means a 2.0-litre petrol engine is boosted by an electric motor fed from a 1.4kWh lithium-ion battery but Ford has tweaked the software to make the system operate more smoothly.

I found the new easy to drive smoothly and the switch between petrol and electric is hard to notice even when it happens at speed.

Around town and in traffic the system is at its best but it tends to be little slow to respond to demands for urgent power so it is best to stick to gradual acceleration.

For a big estate the Mondeo is still capable on the twisty stuff and it offers a safe comfortable ride. It is a great motorway cruiser as you would expect and it easily eats up the miles.

There is a price to pay for the Hybrid system - the ordinary Mondeo Estate has a 525-litre boot, but the electric tech cuts the Hybrid's figure to 403 litres but that will still be large enough for most customers.

Hybrid badges on the front doors are the only way to spot HEV from other facelifted Mondeos and the interior differences are also slight.

A pair of 4.2-inch digital displays flank the speedometer and provide extra information with the one on the right displaying "Thanks for driving a hybrid!" when you switch off.

At £29,450 the estate is a lot of car for the money and the equipment list is generous. It includes leather upholstery, electric front seats, ambient lighting, traffic sign recognition, lane keep assist and an eight-inch touchscreen with sat-nav, plus Apple CarPlayand Android Auto.

You also get 18-inch alloy wheels, halogen projector lights, LED day time running lights and LED tail lights, a quickclear heated windscreen, cruise control and dual zone climate control.

I averaged nearly 48mpg on a wide mix of roads and driving conditions - a really impressive figure for such a large car with petrol power. The diesel would probably do better on long motorway journeys but it is worth noting that the low emissions of 113g/km will bring lots of tax advantages especially to company car drivers.

Opt for smaller 17-inch wheels and you can shave another 10g/km off that figure.