KGM has done an excellent job of modernising SsangYong with the Actyon, but there’s no escaping the fact the car needs further refinement before it can become a credible rival for the likes of the Kia Sportage, Nissan Qashqai and Volkswagen Tiguan.

The Actyon is spacious and it has an impressive standard kit list, but its material quality disappoints, its ride quality swings between irritating and downright uncomfortable, and its woeful fuel economy means you’d be in the black within the first 20,000 miles if you opted for the more expensive Kia Sportage GT-Line S.

That’s a shame, because I don’t think it’d take much work to make the Actyon more appealing. KGM needs to start by fitting some more compliant dampers and recalibrating the gearbox to make it favour higher gears in Normal mode (which might also have the added benefit of eking more miles out of a gallon of fuel).

I’d also like to see KGM strip away some of the Actyon’s technology (I certainly wouldn’t miss air-conditioned seats in this sort of car) to help trim its starting price closer to £30,000. That’d also help to compensate for its poorer material quality compared to its rivals.

Setting all that aside, you deserve to be commended, KGM. You’ve improved SsangYong an awful lot in a very short space of time – and I’m looking forward to what you’ve got planned for the next couple of years. If you can keep up this rate of progress, Kia might have something to worry about by the time the next decade rolls around.

What we like

The acres of interior space, the cavernous boot capacity and the surprising refinement. The Actyon is remarkably quiet at speed for a car with such firm suspension. You also get a lot of equipment for your money – but you’re sacrificing fuel economy for the privilege.

What we don’t like

Have I mentioned the fuel economy yet? An average of around 20mpg isn’t in any way competitive with the easy 40mpg you can get from the likes of the Kia Sportage or Nissan Qashqai. Material quality is also disappointing, and the ride is atrocious on even a freshly refinished road.