Kyron

This vehicle certainly looks the part with its chunky shape, alloy wheels and shiny metallic paint.

A neighbour of mine remarked: ‘Nice motor’ and asked if it was a Nissan, which says a lot for the Kyron’s designers.

Climbing aboard, the cab is smart and stylish, although some of the plastics look a bit old school.

The seats are big and supportive, although they do feel as though you are sitting on them rather than in them.

As this vehicle started off as a car, you get a lot more creature comforts than would be expected in a commercial vehicle, such as two sunglasses holders in the ceiling.

The stereo system is courtesy of Kenwood and the sound is superb – and there are remote controls on the steering wheel which means the driver can adjust the sound without taking his or her eyes off the wheel.

There are plenty of cupholders too and a variety of little storage spaces dotted hither and tither.

The tailgate has a chunky, quality feel and there’s no lip at the bottom, which means that loads a can be slid in and out easily.

Inside there’s a hard-wearing carpet on the floor and four load-lashing eyes to keep cargo in place.

The 2.0-litre turbodiesel powerplant fires up quietly and smoothly and there is very little noise intrusion in the cab.

Underway, however, the Kyron shows a few of its shortcomings.

There is a fair amount of turbolag, for example, which can be scary if you want to pull out of a junction in a hurry.

The Kyron’s relatively soft suspension means a smooth ride on motorways but it wallows on the corners and the power steering has a vague feel which can be unsettling.

There is no shortage of power, however, and ignoring the aforementioned lag, lively progress is possible.

Changing from two-wheel drive high to four wheel drive high and low is accomplished via a twist knob on the dash which appears a tad on the puny side.

It seems to work well, though, so maybe I’m just being picky.

We didn’t get to try this vehicle in many rough places during its test week, but bumping up and down some muddy bits didn’t seem to faze the Kyron in the slightest.

Other testers I know have been satisfied with this vehicle’s performance in the rough so expect satisfaction here.