Until recently, there were two types of motorists in this world: those who did 4x4 motoring, and those who did not. One lot loved little more than messing around in mud, and the other loved mocking them.

But the Americans have blurred the line with the introduction and whirlwind success of a new category: the non-off-roading off-roader, otherwise known as the SUV (sport-utility vehicle).

It started out as a functional truck-cum-family car — plastic seats, wind-up windows — but it has matured into the sort of luxury transport that combines a Prada handbag with a personal minder.

In America more than 8m SUVs are sold every year, the market is growing rapidly and manufacturers are falling over themselves to capitalise on it. The Mercedes-Benz M-class, BMW X5 and the soon-to-be-launched Porsche Cayenne are all cynical stabs at the highly profitable SUV market.

Volvo has considered entering this market a number of times. The first time, in 1990, the market even in America was tiny, just 500,000 were sold. By 1997 that figure had risen to 3m; now almost half of the 17m cars sold annually in the United States are SUVs.

But the market has changed. Where once it was all about presence and consumption, it is now about safety and economy — elements that feature high on Volvo’s list of priorities. The time is right for a Volvo SUV. But what puts the Volvo XC90 ahead of the others? Simple, integrity.

At the risk of sinking into a quagmire of metaphors that will need an SUV to pull me out, the XC90 is a feline Grace Jones to the BMW X5’s crate full of snarling rottweilers and the Mercedes M-class’s white elephant. Where Volvo’s first SUV has been carefully researched and meticulously focus-grouped, other contenders appear to have been plumped, puckered and pushed out onto the forecourts in a calculated attempt to grab profits so heady they could give you a nosebleed.

An X5 starts at £33,000, an M-class a touch more than £29,000 and a Cayenne is likely to be closer to £50,000. So, starting at £28,400, the XC90 looks like a bargain. Standard equipment includes seven forward-facing seats, electronic climate control, alloy wheels, an excellent CD sound system with eight speakers, cruise control, rear parking sensor, rain sensor wipers and a long list of safety features including inflatable side curtains.

Volvo believes the car will be driven predominantly by women so it spent three years working with a 24-strong female-only focus group, who shut, pulled and prodded every element of the new SUV. Not until they said yes did a feature make it onto the blueprints.

The brilliant split tailgate is one example of their influence. Given a choice of boot openings, they chose the one that would cost an extra £60 a car. Spending an extra 60p per car can make the bean counters faint.

The new 2.4 litre turbodiesel engine was another aspect they influenced. Members of the group were adamant they wanted economy as well as performance — SUVs in the States are frequently gas guzzlers and truck-slow. Volvo’s smooth, well-mannered turbodiesel must have been something of a surprise. It has impressive power at low revs, giving it loads of grunt, a remarkable 31mpg combined fuel consumption and notably low emissions of 242g/km of CO2.

Not only does it glide with the sort of refinement only a Range Rover can manage, it doesn’t have a hint of the typical SUV roly-polyness and the steering is satisfyingly responsive.

The XC90’s cabin is stuffed full of genuinely good ideas, such as the front-facing sixth and seventh seats, which slide away under the boot floor, the split tailgate you can sit on, the integrated central booster seat that can slide closer to the front seats — bringing baby nearer to those up front — and the removable centre front armrests that provide more legroom for the rear centre passenger.

It is little wonder that such a well-conceived family car is on the wish list of every school-run mum in the country. Every yummy mummy worth her Alaia spring frock thinks she is getting one this Mother’s Day. But she’s not.

The waiting list for the XC90 is as long as the longest arm on the longest person. You have as much chance of getting to the top of that waiting list before the end of the year as you have of getting Charles Worthington himself to pop round to fix your hair for Friday night.

And the man at Volvo is absolutely tickled pink about that.

This is the most important new car for Volvo in years, and to have everyone fighting over it couldn’t be more delightful. The British order list already stands at 3,500, and there are another 1,500 waiting to be put on the order book for 2004 when it opens.

So the best Mother’s Day gift you can give this year is, er, a place on the waiting list.

VITAL STATISTICS
Model Volvo XC90 D5 SE
Engine type Five-cylinder turbodiesel, 2401cc
Power/ Torque 163bhp @ 4000rpm/ 251 lb ft @ 1750rpm
Transmission Five-speed automatic
Tyres 235/65 R17V
Fuel/ CO2 31.0mpg (combined)/ 242g/km
Co car tax £4,405 for higher-rate taxpayers
Top speed 115mph
Acceleration 0 to 60mph: 12.3sec
Price £31,650
Verdict Mummy's - and Daddy's - little helper doesn't get any better than this
Rating