Why we love all-wheel driving

John Clark is a set carpenter for ITV and drives a Nissan 4x4. The 60-year-old from New Malden said: "This vehicle has been invaluable in early-morning icy weather and for reaching offroad filming locations, but it's a baby compared to some I have seen.

"I do wonder why some women have them as they don't go offroadin them, and what's the point if Richmond Park is going to be your main destination?"

Chris Leach, 55, from Kingston, is chairman of Air Charter Services and drives a 4x4 Freelander.

He said: "It's high time the chattering classes forgot about the psychological problems they have with 4x4s and considered how functional they are.

"It's useful to have a vehicle that transforms into a two-seater van when I need to discard the 10 sacks of garden rubbish the bin men won't take away, or the six times a year I have to ferry children to and from university."