The sole petrol option is a 2.0-litre (badged Skyactiv-G 165). Unlike nearly every other modern petrol engine, it doesn't benefit from turbocharging, so you need to rev it hard to get the best from it. But there’s just enough low-rev oomph to help you make decent progress – as long as you aren't in a hurry. The big plus is it’s much cheaper than the diesels, which is why it's our pick of the range. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard (and what we’d go for) but an automatic gearbox is also available. If you go for the manual then the petrol engine gets cylinder deactivation technology, which automatically shuts down two of its four cylinders in certain scenarios and helps make it surprisingly economical for such a big car.