SUZUKI would never have known when they unveiled the first Vitara more than 25 years ago that they were blazing a trail for a whole new type of car.

The compact SUV, or crossover, market is now one of the most hotly-contested in the global market place.

Back in 1988 though, the original Vitara, with it's sporty three-door styling and soft-top variant, was the only car combining a sense of fun with rugged 4x4 looks in an urban-friendly package.

Subsequent versions grew somewhat in size and developed a much more mature outlook - reflected in a change of name to Grand Vitara.

But the all-new, fourth-generation Vitara launched this year has, in many ways, gone back to the model's roots.

It is now much more compact again, hence the Grand moniker disappearing, while an extensive redesign has given it a sharp and contemporary look, with some smart personalisation options thrown in.

With its rising shoulder line, sloping roof and the optional (£800) two-tone paint job, it even has faint echoes of the premium Range Rover Evoque.

Comfort and practicality are just as important as style for a family SUV, though, so the key question is whether that has been sacrificed here on the altar of sporty good looks and more manageable dimensions?

A camping trip to the Somerset coast would go a long way to providing the answer - and the Vitara proved to be largely up to the challenge.

Admittedly it was a bit of a tight squeeze but we managed to get our tent and most of our kit into the 375 litre boot.

We did have to remove the adjustable floor which, when in place, offers a hidden area beneath for valuables and creates a flat load lip and extended luggage space (710 litres) when the split rear seats are folded down.

We also had to stash sleeping bags in the footwells in the back, but thanks to the Vitara's generous rear legroom this wasn't a problem.

The children still had room enough to get comfortable and there was even space for Alfie the dog - on a blanket to protect the plush suede upholstery, I might add, before the Suzuki press fleet administrator is on the phone.

In fact cabin space is one of the new Vitara's strengths. Despite its trimmed-back dimensions there's room for five and more than enough trays, cup holders and cubbies to cope with all your personal items.

The panoramic sunroof on this flagship SZ5 version also lets light flood in, enhancing the feeling of space, although the mechanism does eat into rear headroom and will be an issue for six-footers.

Engine choice is restricted to the 1.6-litre petrol I was driving and a similar sized diesel power pack and, in truth, we could probably have done with the extra low-end grunt of the latter for our mini-break.

Unladen the petrol unit offers quite a spritely and enjoyable drive, although you'll need to keep the revs high to get the most out of it, but the full load robbed it of any urgency.

The ride, though, is composed and controlled and, with my car also boasting Suzuki's Allgrip 4x4 system, safe road-holding was assured.

The all-wheel drive kit does affect fuel economy but even so, this version claims a decent 50 miles per gallon on average and I managed well over 40mpg in a week behind the wheel - even with that 200-mile plus round trip with all the camping gear on board.

Equipment is generous across the range, with entry level SZ4 models having alloy wheels, air con DAB radio, Bluetooth and cruise control. SZ-T trim adds a smart touchscreen interface, satnav and a rear parking camera, while the SZ5 gets front and rear parking sensors, the suede upholstery and that panoramic sunroof.

Safety is impressively catered for. Seven airbags, electronic stability control and a tyre pressure monitoring system are standard across the range with SZ5 cars also getting adaptive cruise control and a Radar Brake System, which monitors the road ahead and warns the driver or even applies the brakes if it detects a collision is imminent.