Even entry-level models benefit from respectable standard equipment, though, with such toys as automatic headlights, air-conditioning and cruise control fitted across the range. So bumping the base price up by nigh on four-and-a-half grand in the cause of better infotainment and leather upholstery does little to bolster MG’s boast of affordability.

And as for fun… Well, once you’ve wrestled the steering wheel rake adjustment as willing as a bush saw wedged in a wet pine log into submission, the driving position’s pretty good, though the seat’s initial promise of comfort doesn’t quite materialise.

While ride quality may be appropriate to MG’s sporting pedigree, it hardly suits a family SUV. Firm springs allied to what feels like inadequate shock absorption leaves the bodyshell complaining constantly at low speeds, though it does settle better at higher velocities.