These aren't facts, but commonly-held assumptions. So when I say I discovered that the new Honda FR-V is the perfect family car (a kind of road to Damascus experience, except that it was on the road to Chepstow), you could be forgiven for assuming that something similarly family- orientated was playing on the stereo.
Along with people who bandy about words like "demographic" and "social grouping", you may have thought that the soundtrack would be some tripe like Phil Collins or Dido.
But it couldn't have been more different. For as I settled into family car heaven (cue images of sensible trousers, comfy slippers and cocoa ) I was also discovering the delights of the most openly gay, explicit singer around today.
The FR-V was approaching Keele in Staffordshire, the engine, even at over 70 in sixth gear, was purring like a moggy who's pigged out on a couple of kippers, the children were glued to their portable DVD player and I was humming along to Rufus Wainwright's The One You Love from his Want Two album.
Then I heard the lyrics, directed to some male lover, which I'd share with you if this wasn't a family newspaper. Ooh er, how incongruous - family guy, along with his family and a promiscuous gay singer in the intimate surroundings of an MPV. But then just like Rufus, it occurred to me, this innovative creation from Honda isn't as straight as other MPVs.
The most striking deviation from the norm is that it has three seats in the front as well as three in the back, something only the Fiat Multipla has successfully attempted in the past (but not half as stylishly).Which is handy. When you yell at the kids to stop fighting, you don't have to half look behind you to do it as they're desperate to sit up front.
And with the kids in the front row, it means that the parents can take it in turns to stretch out in the back. It all seems to work perfectly well, with the proviso that long legs, such as those belonging to my rangy 13-year-old daughter, can get in the way of the dash-mounted gear stick. But then you can always move the seat back a bit.
And on the outside, this sleek MPV, with its aerodynamic wedge shape, racy rear and lizard-eyed bonnet, doesn't look like an MPV, and appears closer in spirit to a Golf than an Espace, with the performance to match. Even so, we still managed to get in four suitcases and heaven knows what else in the back.
Should you want to do some serious ferrying of goods, the back seats fold away easily and the front middle seat converts to a table (although quite why I'm not sure).There's no doubting the absolute validity of the rest of the interior, though.
The dash, streaked with polished walnut, sports an integral CD-radio with real knobs you can turn (there are push button alternatives on the steering wheel, along with touch-control gears), simple air-con and easy-to-read dials.
The upholstery of the i-vtec 2.0 sports model we tried was all in black and extremely comfortable. In fact, the last time we appreciated comfort so much was when driving {hellip} the new Honda Accord.
But then Honda seem to get it right every time, from quality engineering - you just know this is ultra-safe and unlikely to break down - to their efforts to eliminate carbon emissions.
If you currently drive an ugly and destructive 4X4, ditch it and buy a FR-V. You'll still be able to do the school run in style and comfort but you'll feel a lot less guilty. You may even become completely enlightened and play Rufus Wainwright at the same time - but perhaps that's just one step too far.
TECH SPEC
Model: Honda FR-V
Price: From £14,750.
Insurance group: 11
Emissions: 170 g/km
0-62 mph: 10.3 secs
On the stereo: Rufus Wainwright
Fuel consumption: 44.1 mpg (combined)
Top speed: 121 mph
