Cadillac’s BLS chassis offers a cunning disguise for the Saab 9-3 beneath it, but it is certainly no less of a car for that. A little quirky in appearance or strikingly designed, depending on your tastes, the BLS is General Motors’ first foray into the UK market. Whilst leg-room is ample in the front and better than adequate in the back, a slight element of discomfort arises for rear passengers from the sloping roof. If the latter aren’t very tall, they’ll be OK; but every extra inch of height may bring a small increment of neck strain, especially on a longish journey.

Cutting to the chase, we Europeans are inclined to be somewhat sceptical about the design quality of American cars, but the Cadillac BLS is built to European standards by Saab and is exceptionally reliable. Performance-wise, the range’s top dog is undoubtedly the impressive 2.8 litre V6: with 255 bhp, it’ll catapult you from 0-62 mph in 6.7 seconds – not bad for a small saloon. The 1.9 litre diesel delivers a respectable 150 bhp, but it doesn’t feel quite as highly-torqued as the best German counterparts.

Whilst the handling is not in the ‘Award with Distinction’ category, it is more than adequate and you’ll experience a creditable comfort factor in your drive. Boot size is relatively generous at 425 litres and is has a sensibly designed shape, too. The diesel models manage to yield around 45 mpg and the petrol models a not-to-be-scoffed-at 37 mpg .