CITROEN'Sonly model offered with four wheel drive (4WD) in recent years came about through a collaboration with partners Peugeot and Mitsubishi.

The C-Crosser, which was also available as the Peugeot 4007 and the Mitsubishi Outlander, worked very well as family transport, with seven seats as standard.

The only engine worth having is a 2.2 turbo diesel with 156bhp. There was also a 2.4 petrol but although slightly more powerful than the diesel it was much less economical.

The diesel gives good acceleration and is smooth, quiet and frugal. It reaches the 62 miles an hour benchmark in 9.9 seconds and is rated at 42 miles per gallon.

Mid-range acceleration is excellent - as with most diesels - so overtaking is possible in the higher gears.

Drive is to the front wheels most of the time through a six-speed manual or good dual clutch automatic gearbox, but the 4WD system brings the rear wheels into play automatically when sensors detect a slippery surface.

However, ground clearance is fairly low so this is not an SUV that can be taken into the seriously rough stuff.

That said, it makes a marvellous towcar for a caravan or trailer, able to handle muddy grass fields and tracks with ease, and it can also handle most stone forest tracks with no problem.

Of course, it would also enable you to keep going in the worst of winter when most two-wheel-drive (2WD) cars are sliding and floundering.

Citroen concentrated on giving the C-Crosser good road manners so it's very car-like to drive, decently comfortable, and has better than average SUV handling and road holding.

All models are fitted with stability control but it rarely comes into play because there is so much grip.

Prices are very reasonable now, but there aren't many around so finding one not too far away could be difficult.

Space inside is huge with very good front and rear legroom. But the third row of seats, which folds up from the boot floor, is cramped even for larger children.

There's plenty of driver's seat adjustment and the two sections of the middle rear bench slide and recline. With the rearmost seats folded, boot space is enormous.

All are well-equipped with middle VTR+ trim including cruise control, automatic headlights and wipers, alloys, climate control, audio remote control, heated mirrors, six airbags, alarm, a split tailgate and deadlocks.

Pay about £3,250 for an '11 11-reg VTR+, or £4,500 for a '12 62-reg Exclusive auto. Both prices are for the diesel.