I OWNED an old Land Rover years ago and despite its amazing ability off-road, which I loved, I soon sold it on because it was so hard to live with on the road, and only did 20 miles per gallon.

Off-roaders in those days were slow, noisy and uncomfortable, with roly-poly handling and very little grip on the road - in other words, an everyday workhorse for a farmer, forester or builder, not a daily commuter or long distance cruiser.

How times have changed. Now you have a small family SUV like the Audi Q2, with quattro four wheel drive, excellent acceleration from almost any speed and handing like a sportscar.

It's as good looking as arch rival the BMW X1 but to my eyes far more shapely than the rather ugly Mercedes GLA.

Inside is all the equipment anyone could need - comfortable seats and plush fittings all round in most models.

There's a wide range of power outputs, both petrol and diesel, which start with the well-known VW group 1.0-litre TFSI turbo petrol that comes with 115bhp.

That might sound a little puny, but its front wheel drive, so lower weight helps it to reach 60 miles an hour from rest in 9.8 seconds, while still managing a very best of 55 miles per gallon economy.

Next petrol up is a 1.5 with 147bhp, and this one brings the sprint down to 8.2 seconds, and can do 51mpg.

About half of the models are available with quattro four wheel drive so if that's something you really need, make sure cars you're interested in have it.

Top petrol model in the Q2 range is the 2.0-litre TFSI with 187bhp and it sprints to 60 in 6.3 seconds while managing a best of 44mpg.

Above that comes the very quick SQ2, which also has a 2.0-litre engine but now delivering no less than 295bhp, plus quattro 4WD. This scorcher covers the sprint in no less than 4.6 seconds and is still rated at 40mpg.

While other companies are winding down their diesel engine production with sales falling, Audi still includes diesel in almost every range, and for years, it's been a major part of sales.

The Q2 is no exception, and there are 1.6 and 2.0-litre models on offer. Both are reliable and frugal and have proved themselves across the VW group ranges

The 1.6TDI comes with 116bhp and that's enough for a zero to 60 time of 10 seconds and 64mpg, while the 2.0-litre produces 150bhp and brings the sprint down to 7.8 seconds while rated at 62mpg.

Most engines are available with an automatic gearbox and some at the top of the range come with it as standard.

On a cross country route, the Q2 handles beautifully through the corners, with tremendous grip and decent handling. But the steering is rather numb and I would have liked more feedback at speed.

Comfort is good in lower order cars, but S-Line and some others have sports suspension with larger wheels and lower profile tyres.

As is usual with many cars, this compromises the ride noticeably on poor surfaces and even with the optional adjustable suspension in Comfort mode it feels every bump and lump.

The cabin is luxurious and well appointed - as you would expect - with properly shaped and supportive seats, fair rear legroom behind my six foot frame and both height and reach adjustment for the steering.

The boot is a good size and has a false floor that can be removed to give more load space.

Equipment in the lower SE includes audio remote, air conditioning, parking sensors, alarm, cruise control and heated mirrors.

It also has a raft of airbags, alloy wheels, traction control, DAB stereo and loads of safety kit including stability control and detection of pedestrians in the road ahead.

There's an eight inch infotainment screen, Android Auto and Apple Carplay, Bluetooth and USB sockets.

Pay about £14,500 for an '18 18-reg 1.0 TFSI Sport, or £25,350 for a '21 21-reg 35 TDI S-Line 4WD auto.