SO, who needs four-wheel-drive?

Well, more folk than you might expect. Farmers, vets, surveyors and country sports fans spring to mind. Then there's construction teams, boat owners and many of the growing number of motorists who run SUVs - a proportion of which are 4WD.

Obviously, it's an essential bit of kit for mud-lugging serious off-roaders like Land Rovers and Toyota Land Cruisers.

Thene there's the army of pick-up trucks and king cabs that service our building sites and the nation's farms.

But that's just a small part of the story, as can be endorsed by pathfinder Suzuki which is celebrating 55 years of 4x4 models.

The chapter began with in 1970 with the LJ10, a lightweight small vehicle with three seats, then Japan's sole off-roader. Weighing just 600kg, it a ladder frame construction, leaf springs and zip-up canvas doors.

Power came from a miniscule 360cc two-cylinder, air cooled engine that pushed out a meagre 25bhp. It was adored, not just by agricultural workers, builders and those who depend on an off-road vehicle but by motorists with no off-road experience but a strong sense of adventure..

Inevitably a succession of LJ models followed, larger water-cooled engines were installed and very nearly a quarter million models were sold across 109 countries before the second generation version came on the scene in 1981.

Today, with the surge in SUVs, Suzuki has been able to capitalise on its 4WD technology, know these days as Allgrip, a feature available on the entire range.

A family favourite in the line-up is the Vitara has been around - in various forms - since 1988, and arguably help kick of the trend towards SUVs. Today, the current Vitara incorporates the optional Allgrip select system that made its debut on the S-Cross back in 2013.

Total sales of the Vitara across 190 countries around the world since its launch has amounted to more than 3.6 million cars.

And this autumn, the first all-electric Vitara - the e Vitara - will take a bow. With electric 4WD and a new platform it is expected to provide nimble off-road capability with lusty Tarmac performance and keep the firm in touch with the latest demands from both of customers and regulations.

Sister SUV to the Vitara is the popular S-Cross, restyled in 2021 and incorporating Allgrip with four driver-selectable modes for driving on whichever surface comes the driver's way.

Even the neatly styled five door Swift hatchback - rival to Polo and Clio - is available as an all-paw, unlike most of its competitors. Back in 2013, Suzuki took the brave step of launching a 4x4 version in Britain.

It has a fully automatic and permanent four-wheel-drive system which transfers additional torque to the rear wheels when required via viscous coupling.

Currently, about 10 per cent of Suzuki customers go for the 4WD Swift, which is available in SZ3 and SZ4 grades.

There's little to differentiate it from the two-wheel-drive versionâ¦but its advantage becomes very clear when the going gets slippery.

With strong customer loyalty and supported by warranties of up to 10 years, Suzuki is pledged to retain its firm grip on the off-road sector.