THE Tucson has been a fabulous success story for Hyundai and is the Korean company's best-seller by a distance.

It has been around for over 15 years and has clocked over seven million global sales with a substantial amount of them in the UK.

Hyundai recently introduced the all-new fourth generation model and it improves considerably on its more than decent predecessor.

As usual there is a choice of generously-equipped trim levels, engines, transmissions and the option of two- or four-wheel-drive, so there should be a model to suit every customer at various price points.

The new Tucson looks more dynamic and stylish than the car it replaces thanks to its large front grille, front and rear silver skid plates, roof rails, chunky wheel arch mouldings, body-coloured bumpers, privacy glass, daytime running lights, rear LED combination lights and smart 19-inch alloy wheels.

It also offers a large amount of on-board technology and all the safety features you could want.

The bright well-designed interior offers high levels of comfort, good visibility and lots of room.

In Premium trim the model was very well specced andfeatured a 10.25-inch touchscreen navigation system, smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, Bluetooth, climate control, an eight-speaker Krell sound system, wireless phone charging pad and much more.

Thankfully Hyundai has retained separate controls for all the climate settings and heated seats which prevents you from having to fiddle with the touchscreen when you are on the move.

The car came with the lively 1.6-litre 230ps petrol hybrid engine linked to a six-speed automatic gearbox.

It powers the substantial Tucson to 62mph in 8.0 seconds and has a top speed of 120mph with emissions of 131g/km. It is also economical with a claimed combined figure of 49.6mpg.

The Tucson proved to be an ideal companion in town, country roads or on motorways where it cruised comfortably and the automatic transmission moved through the gears smoothly.

If you are bored you can also opt to change gears via the steering wheel mounted paddles and there is also a choice of driving modes which alter the car's characteristics slightly.

The Tucson is surprisingly agile for its size and the suspension deals nicely with most surfaces while the steering is nicely weighted and provides good feedback.

As this latest Tucson is slightly larger, rear seat passengers have more legroom and the boot space has increased to 616 litres which grows to a 1,795 litres when the split-folding rear seats are collapsed.

That gives you van-like carrying capacity via the powered tailgate and the cabin also boasts lots of storage space and cup holders.

The Tucson comes with all the latest safety aids including blind spot collision warning, blind spot collision avoidance, high beam assist, lane keep assist, rear cross traffic collision warning and avoidance, trailer stability assist, downhill brake control and driver attention warnings.