Let’s be honest – there aren’t many people who are going to choose an XC90 from the company car choice list… The Benefit-in-Kind tax bill in excess of £8,000 a year acts as a pretty good deterrent.

However, for those user-choosers taking the cash allowance, the XC90 is a front runner in the weekday business car/weekend family wagon stakes.

The XC90 still ticks many boxes – functional and adaptable interior, long list of standard equipment, competitive frontend pricing and excellent fleet back-up.

To the list of credentials can be added cutting-edge infotainment, understated interior and exterior design, plus the availability of mild plug-in hybrids.

Our B5 is the lesser of the two – a 2.0-litre four-pot diesel with a 48V mild-hybrid alternator to harvest energy when braking.

Initial impressions are that it’s still a rather vocal engine although it does feel fairly brisk despite its small capacity and four-cylinder layout. Our car comes in R-Design trim, which means some darker trim on the outside plus larger alloy wheels. It has also been treated to £6,000 of optional extras; more of which next time…

P11d (BiK): £57,915 (37%) MPG/CO2: 41.5mpg/178g/km Test MPG: N/A