39: Volvo XC40 – award-winner that has hit the right sales note here

Volvo's smallest SUV should have been a runaway sales success, by all rights. The Volvo brand is in the ascendant, across the world, and compact SUVs are currently the hot sellers. Yet in Ireland, right now, the XC40 is being outsold by such sales giants (ahem) as the Seat Mii and the passenger version of the Volkswagen Caddy.

Why the long face, in sales terms? Possibly because Volvo is still playing catch up with basic models - the ones people can actually afford, as opposed to the pricey D4 diesel version that it launched with. Other than that, we can’t think of many feet that the XC40 puts wrong.

It looks cool, has a cracking interior that’s full of useful little things like door pockets big enough for laptops and a little flip-top bin, and of course it’s probably safer to be in than your actual house. It’s also not bad to drive - not great, but not bad. Hybrid and compact 1.5-litre petrol versions arrive very soon.

Best model: D3 Inscription for €44,450