In recent weeks accusations of anthropomorphism has been laid against Motors. So to put the record straight, we must accept our fate and admit our guilt. No, thankfully, this does not entail a visit to the Four Courts nor sharing a cell with former Minister Ray Burke.
An anthropomorphist is someone who attributes human characteristics to inanimate objects. In this case, it's cars.
No, we don't go round talking to the wing mirrors, or even cracking jokes with the spare wheel. We haven't even fallen into the worrying habit of naming our cars.
However, we do accept that manufacturers ingrain their vehicles with certain characteristics and traits in order to woo us. They use everything from the choice of name to the interior trim, to create an image and personality for the car in the hope that these features will resonate with potential owners.
Take the Tucson. Hyundai wants us to consider its latest product as a rugged off-roader, ready for the rough and tumble of modern life even if, in its petrol guise, it doesn't possess the technological attributes to tackle the really tough off-road terrain.
Its human equivalent (here we go again on the anthropomorphic trail) lives in a city centre apartment but dresses in Caterpillar boots, a Barbour jacket, and even the lumberjack shirt. He looks like he's ready to herd a flock of sheep through the Wicklow Gap before breakfast. However, the nearest he's been to a sheep is his Aran jumper.
How can we draw such comparisons? Part of it is through the marketing strategy of the companies involved. Hyundai is aware of the dramatic growth in so-called Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs).
It also knows that the greatest growth has been in urban and suburban areas, amongst motorists whose only plot of land is a three metre path of grass out the front of their semi-d and a rockery round the back.
The owners know this, the manufacturer knows this, but no one likes to be faced with the stark reality of suburban life. We still like to keep alive the idea that through owning an SUV we could drive up the Sugarloaf if we so desired. The SUV sitting in the driveway is like the getaway vehicle from our current lives, ready at any time to carry us from our current role as desk jockey to a new life in a rural idyll.
But, with a mortgage to pay and a family to feed, do we need to spend a small fortune on all that unused off-road technology? Are the rugged looks not enough for the suburban warrior? Apparently it is here, where the Tucson's older sibling, the Santa Fe, is the best selling SUV on the market, and of which nearly 50 per cent of those sold are two-wheel-drive.
Undoubtedly one of the strongest attractions of the Santa Fe has been its price. But there's always room for improvement.
So Hyundai has introduced an even better priced proposition for the urban warriors in the crowd. Named after a frontier city in Arizona founded by "Don" Hugh O'Connor, an Irish commander in the Spanish army, the idea is that owners can equate its hardy looks and tough name with 18th century frontiersmen crossing the Rockies in search of riches.
Yet all this imagery belies the fact that in its petrol format it comes only with two-wheel-drive and doesn't even feature traction control.
So what's it like to live with? The 2-litre petrol we drove had adequate power for its body size, though it's a little gruff in fifth gear at the new motorway limit of 120km/h (75 mph).
The ride and handling are what you would expect from a vehicle of its size, and it's comfortable on regular Irish roads. The steering is a little lifeless for our tastes, the result of a cushioned ride that numbs the pain of potholed roads, but leaves you guessing when on the smoother tarmac surfaces.
The test car was clearly a front-wheel-drive vehicle rather than a fully-fledged off-roader: you quickly realise that when you pull away on loose ground and encounter wheel spin due to the lack of traction control.
However, for those who are actually looking to use the Tucson on anything worse than the gravel of the driveway, the diesel 2-litre version is offered with a pretty impressive four-wheel-drive system for an extra €2,000.
Boot space is adequate for a days shopping and you can squeeze in a set of golf clubs if needed, but we found ourselves folding down the 60:40 split rear seats more often than usual to accommodate bulky boxes that would normally be swallowed without demur by similarly priced saloons.
One complaint we had with the Tucson was its five-speed manual gearbox. It was a mealy affair, and the gates are indistinguishable from one another. This meant that when we entered the no-man's land of neutral, we were never sure if we were slotting it into third or fifth, leaving the engine either roaring at 6,000 rpm or juddering along at 1,000rpm when we got it wrong.
In terms of interior design, there seems an inherent fondness among the Koreans for grey plastic and the styling of the trim and dash all looks rather dated.
However, we could not let the occasion pass without congratulating Hyundai's Irish importer for finally changing the radio/CD system. Previous versions required a toothpick or set of tweezers to change channel. While the new version is still not the most user-friendly on the market, it's a huge leap in the right direction.
So is the Tucson making a mockery of the SUV market with these two-wheel-drive versions? Not at all. It merely shows that Hyundai are more in tune with what the market wants than many give it credit for.
Put yourself in Hyundai's shoes. You've got a good value SUV that's topping its market segment in several countries. However, you want to appear to be inventive, eager and living up to the grand plan of being one of the top five car firms by 2010.
Yet there is one seeming inconsistency in its strategy. While you would expect this lower priced newcomer to be smaller than the Santa Fe, in fact it is 10mm wider, the same height and with a longer wheelbase. Even in terms of weight, there's barely a few hundred grams between them.
One of the few things the Santa Fe has going for it is an extra 175mm in overall length. That and a price tag starting at €3,100 more for the new facelifted version. In financial terms, the Tuscon manages to outshine most of its competitors, such as the Toyota Rav4 and the Land Rover Freelander. But it would seem its main competitor will actually be sharing the same forecourt.
Admittedly a new larger Santa Fe is on the way next year. But for now there appears to be a serious rival for Hyundai's market leader in the SUV segment. And it's within its own camp. It's a sibling rivalry that's worthy of human comparison.