PUT your foot down in the most powerful version of Vauxhall's Crossland X and the engine turns sportily vocal as the car punches hard for the horizon.

Add in suspension firm enough to jiggle uncomfortably on the worst a city road can throw at it and you might think this mid-size SUV was more race track than supermarket run ready.

Slow down a bit and the Crossland X quietens the vocals and softens the tarmac tremors and becomes the sort of car you might fancy for long term family duties.

Adults and little ones alike will enjoy the sense of space in the Crossland X, with loads of headroom front and back and a rear seat (which for £375 can optionally slide forward to favour boot room) that is adult friendly too.

That means a useful increase in the already generous boot capacity, from 410 litres to 520 litres, or a van-like 1,255 litres with the rear seat folded flat.

Another practical touch, especially appealing to the gran and granddad end of the family spectrum, is the Crossland's typically SUV-like high build that makes it easier for ageing limbs to slide into the seats.

With everyone on board there's a lot to look at in this top end version of a range that starts at £18,535 and tops out with the Elite Nav you see here, complete with goodies like sat nav, heated front seats (and steering wheel), diamond cut alloys and dual zone climate control.

Pulling all this along is a zingy 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine in the most powerful of three available versions. Urge it on and the sound turns a touch diesel-like but there's no denying the resulting performance.

You won't be treating your Crossland X like a sports car, though, with steering that's light rather than precise and a gearchange that lacks the rifle bolt action the best of the breed can manage.

Showing a little restraint pays dividend at the pumps, with a week and 500 miles of mixed road driving producing a wallet friendly 47.0mpg on the trip computer.

You can have your Crossland with a diesel engine - and better economy still - but with most of the cars finding private buyers you can't imagine many people wanting the extra expense (and, nowadays, raised eyebrows from the neighbours).

Not that you can't spend more on even the top model if you fancy, from metallic paint at £655 and leather seat trim with electric adjustment for the driver's seat (£1,685) to a safety pack that includes emergency city braking for £500 and rear camera with parking sensors front and rear (£455).

A proper spare tyre at a reasonable £120 would be top of my tick list of extras, banishing the standard tyre sealant kit forever.