If the automotive world dished out tangible trophies each time a car won an award, it's conceivable that the colossally spacious all-new Volvo XC90 still wouldn't be able to swallow them all. 

I can picture Thomas Ingenlath, Robin Page and the rest of Volvo's design team buried beneath an avalanche of trophies, crowned king by Auto Express, the Professional Driver QSI and Sunday Times, to name but a few. Unlike the two diminutive fellows from the North East who indefatigably win television awards in a rather nauseating fashion, Volvo and its new XC90 deserve all the praise piled on them.

 The original XC90 accidentally became the Swedish firm's best-seller, winning tribes of fans along the way, including Jeremy Clarkson, who has owned four of them. The first generation wasn't unattractive by any means, but the all-new XC90 takes one's breath away, retaining the forerunner's spirit in its boxy silhouette, but with a newfound, subtle muscularity, fluidly-styled taillights, a strong beltline, imposing but far from tacky front grille - oh, and those arrestingly menacing ‘Thor's hammer' daytime running lights. A enormous SUV, focused on genuine practicality, space and refinement, the new XC90's potentially stark boxiness has been tastefully chamfered away.

Inside, it's just as beautifully presented, Swedish minimalism once again shining through. The majority of the materials, surfaces and controls appear sophisticated, feel tactile and seem of high quality. Tesla's approach has been taken, with most everyday controls such as climate adjustment consigned to a huge tablet, portrait in the XC90's case, centred on the dashboard. Second nature to anyone au fait with touchscreen devices, it works well overall, but is easy to hit the wrong option on the move, attracts smeary fingerprints within seconds and perhaps contradicts Volvo's safety obsession. The button-free cabin is refreshing, tranquil and typically Volvo, supreme comfort provided. The manually-operated rearmost seats adequately accommodate modestly sized adults, making it a genuine 7-seater. The XC90's boot is more spacious than the Q7's except when seat rows two and three are both flattened, and Swedish flag labels stitched into the front seats' seams are a lovely finishing touch.

The notion of such a vast vehicle being powered by a 2-litre engine would have once been met with the same reaction as the QE2 having a motorised pencil sharpener at its heart, but Volvo's twin-turbo 225bhp D5 is torquey enough and nicely hushed, only gruff when flogged. The published 48.7mpg translated to 34.5mpg in real life after 350 miles' restrained driving, and the Swede's 152g/km CO2 emissions are just 1g below the Q7 3.0 TDI. Like the QE2, fast cornering's not really the XC90's forte, body roll eventually manifest, so Comfort or Eco modes suit it better than Dynamic. Optional air suspension provides a wonderfully cushioned ride and as the safest car on sale today, occupants will feel cocooned, too. Lane Keeping Aid works like bowling lane cushions, actively steering the car, whilst manoeuvring it is a doddle, despite its sheer size.

In Inscription trim at £61,880 as tested, Volvo's new XC90 costs nigh on the same as its chief rivals. Beautiful outside and in, it's equally unlikely to be taken off-road despite having such a driving mode. It may be as sporty and potent as Robbie Coltrane, but with a minimalist, chic ethos, it oozes honest everyday practicality and is packed with enchanting details. I prefer The Bridge and Arne Dahl to Cracker, and if anyone tries to nick the XC90's trophies, they'll have Thor, the Norse god of thunder, to answer to.