SKODA'S Yeti was one of a crop of SUVs that all appeared around the same time and it is available with both two and four wheel drive.

Chunky Tonka toy looks have always found a ready market in the UK and it doesn't seem to matter whether they have 4WD or not.

The Yeti has been a massive sales hit for Skoda with used values staying high even through the recession.

The car is largely based on the VW Tiguan, which is a great starting point, and it makes a marvellous family car, with huge interior space.

Excellent refinement also helps to make it very easy to drive and to live with and brilliant ride quality means it's very comfortable over the roughest of roads and for long periods.

The large number of special editions and standard model lines make buying a Yeti rather bewildering, so just make sure the one you go for has everything you want.

Performance from the base petrol 1.2-litre, 103bhp engine is fair and the 110bhp version is good. Next up is a 1.4 with 120 or later 150bhp and earlier models were also offered with a 1.8 that had 157bhp.

Diesels are a 1.6 with 105bhp and a 2.0-litre with either 108, 138 or 167bhp.

Only some 1.4 petrols, the 1.8 petrol and 2.0-litre TDI diesels come with 4WD, so make sure the one you buy has it if you need it.

There is a special super economy 1.6 diesel called the Greenline that's capable of a fantastic 61 miles per gallon - amazing for such a big vehicle.

All wheel drive models are capable and fun off-road but they don't have low range gears to help when the going gets really tough.

That said, on the occasions I've given them some serious rough stuff to negotiate, they have never let me down.

Good road holding and well balanced handling make for quick and safe cornering, even when pressed very hard, and the VW group steering is one of the best systems on the market.

There's plenty of room inside, especially for rear passengers, and the boot can swallow a huge amount of luggage or shopping.

Entry-level models come with most of what you want, including air-conditioning, remote locking, electric front windows and CD player.

Mid-range SE also has alloys, traction control, alarm and loads of adjustment for the driver's seat and steering column.

The seating system is versatile but the removable rear seats are heavy to lift out and very awkward to replace.

Pay about £8,600 for a '12 12-reg SE 2.0 diesel 4WD, or £12,200 for a '15 15-reg Black Edition.