Not so very long ago, large SUVs were seen as social pariahs, with particular boorish examples unable to show their faces outside the school gates for fear of a pasting from egg-wielding eco activists. 

Attitudes have certainly changed since then, and the latest Kia Sorento is a perfect example of why. 

Originally designed as a tough, go-anywhere off-roader, with as much regard for the environment as a rally of Trump supporters, successive generations of Sorento have looked to distance themselves from their origins in favour of a more efficient, more refined, more family-friendly status. 

Although the latest Sorento is still an all-wheel-drive vehicle, nowadays it relies more on sophisticated electronics than heavy-duty mechanical components to climb every mountain and ford every stream, or icy driveway.

What's most telling about the latest Kia Sorento and the demands of its target audience is that it is now available with hybrid power.

In general, it's an extremely refined powertrain, especially at low and medium speeds, using the combined strengths of an efficient 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine, a muscular 59hp electric motor, and a slick-shifting six-speed automatic gearbox. 

If it does have a weakness, then it is on the petrol side of things, as the engine can sound and feel rather thrashy at higher revs, with coincidental levels of vibration seeping into the cabin. 

Although it's far from annoying, the engine also tends to hang on to revs when backing off the accelerator pedal; most probably a by-product of the battery charging regime. 

These idiosyncrasies aside, things are impressively civilised overall, as even at motorway speeds low levels of road and wind noise do an effective job of masking the Sorento's substantial mass and bluff frontal profile. 

Bearing in mind the Sorento is capable of carrying seven adults, it's all the more reassuring that the brakes are super strong, while the pedal is perfectly weighted and reassuringly consistent in its responses, making it a doddle to pull off finely graduated, chauffeur-style stops. 

There's also a fluid limo-like quality to the vertical body movements, especially with the higher-specification models, which come with self-levelling rear suspension as standard. 

For those seeking the ultimate in pulling power, the Sorento can be specified with an all-new 199hp 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel, which boosts towing capacity to a whopping 2,500kg (the hybrid will tow 1,650kg). Except for some audible turbo whistle at higher revs, it's a bit of a peach in terms of response, performance and refinement.