GRR Garage: Honda HR-V – getting on the (long) road

Instead, we have taken the little crossover on its first long-distance trips, navigating almost the entire length of the M1 and a fair amount of the A1 over the last few weeks. It's the kind of journey a small family SUV will probably make many times over, especially over the Christmas period. You're probably as likely to see a packed Honda carrying children, presents, luggage and two harassed parents as you are to see one in any other situation.

Therefore our jaunts up and down the country serve a perfect purpose – finding out if those parents in the front are harassed because of the youngsters in the back or if it's the fault of their choice of vehicle. We're pretty sure it's not the latter. The leather seats in the HR-V are comfortable and surprisingly grippy, the side supports keeping occupants in place firmly, without irritating. The plethora of buttons on the wheel allows the driver to control nearly everything the infotainment system can offer without having to relinquish control and there are more plugs and USB sockets than in the GRR office. So it's an easy place for most to spend a long journey.

That's not to say it's perfect. The seats are hugely comfortable and the giant panoramic roof gives a wonderful feeling of space, but for those of us over six feet tall that chair doesn't go back quite far enough. This means that while the wheel perfectly adjusts for both reach and rake, the seating position is slightly compromised. On the plus side, it means there's no issue with room in the back – we have now easily hauled all our filming gear around in the HR-V without having to leave anyone, or anything, behind.

Minor niggles about seating aside, the HR-V's plethora of mod-cons made the long drives a doddle. Bluetooth connectivity kept us entertained, cruise control and lane departure warnings kept us in a straight line and the surprisingly potent 120bhp diesel engine got us there in time while managing a rather good 53mpg.

Next week we'd better see how it reacts when we present it with some corners...

Pricetag of our car: £26,780.

MPG this week: 53.4.