During the first few weeks with my Vauxhall Grandland, I pondered aloud whether its maker had sacrificed an element of comfort and practicality in search of a more 'sporting' drive, and I think I should perhaps explain a little further. For a large family SUV, the Vauxhall rolls very little and corners with surprising poise. Its steering is pleasingly accurate - albeit rather over-light and lacking any semblance of feel - and sharp, although fortunately not quite in the over-sensitive mould of its Stellantis stablemate Peugeot.

The trouble is, this is a fairly tall vehicle that tips the scales at a hefty 2215kg (including the driver), and in order to tie it down to the degree Vauxhall has done, you need to specify some pretty stiff springs and dampers. As a result, the penalty for the Grandland's surprising agility is a ride that is choppy to the point of being uncomfortable, particularly on poor road surfaces - and let's be frank, we are hardly renowned for our billiard-smooth Tarmac here in the UK. And it's not aided by the 20in alloys fitted as standard to all-wheel-drive models.

But don't just take my word for it. Photographer Max Edleston has developed an acute sensitivity to ride quality, mainly because when he is hanging out the back of a car (on a harness - safety first) peering through the lens of his camera, he needs there to be as little disturbance as possible if he is to get a pin-sharp shot. On a recent photoshoot for affordable sports cars at Shenington Kart Racing Club, Oxfordshire, Max reckoned the Grandland would be just the thing for some tracking photography. And indeed it was, at least in part: the electrically operated bootlid doesn't sag once under way, as happens with some wagons, and there is plenty of space for him to stretch out as he focuses on the pursuing car. However, immediately after setting off, around a track designed for go-karts with rubber-band tyres wrapping 5in rims, he expressed his shock at how restless the ride felt, even on such a super-smooth surface.

Admittedly, once the photography was over it was a hoot to punt the Grandland around the track for a couple of laps, but much as I enjoy a sharp drive, at the end of the day this is a family SUV, not a sports car, so its dynamic abilities are always going to be limited by more factors than merely body roll. I can't help feeling that dialling back the stiffness by 10% or more wouldn't have had a terrible effect on the Vauxhall's inherent balance, but it would have made it a much more comfortable daily companion.

Even the car itself gets a bit stressed by its own rigidity at times. Go over a speed bump or a particularly rough surface at any more than walking pace and the light for the stability control will start to flash - not because the wheels are losing traction (you don't even need to have your foot on the throttle), but simply because it detects its own instability.

One element of the Grandland's driver aids has left me very happy, though. While chatting with road tester Illya Verpraet about the car recently, he pointed out one of his favourite features of the model being the ability to disable much of the ADAS functionality with a single, physical button rather than having to scroll through various menus as increasingly seems to be the default setting on most cars. You simply press the little image of a car beneath the central infotainment screen and the automated nannying is reduced for that drive.

I haven't found the Grandland's systems to be too intrusive so far, particularly compared with the new-to-market Chinese opposition, but I have to applaud Vauxhall's decision to make it easier for the driver to choose how much support they want.