Land Rover Freelander   Women's view

* A Womans View Will It Suit Me?

In the compact four-wheel drive sector the Japanese used to have it all their own way. Until Land Rover entered the fray with the Freelander which went straight to top of the class. My son just loves it when we have a 4x4 to test out. He cant wait to get in the car to go to school (nice change) and he lords it over school friends as we loftily pass by.

Sadly, I dont need a Freelander for the school run but this is the first compact four-wheel drive model that can really cut the mustard off-road as well as in suburbia. In other words, its not just a lifestyle indulgence. Its a Land Rover first and foremost and that means it's rugged enough for weekends and holidays off the beaten track. Its good-looking, too the five-door is ruggedly practical, although a three-door is available as a 'Soft Back' semi-convertible or with a 'Hard Back' roof. The five-door Station Wagon that I managed to get behind the wheel of looks more workmanlike, a compromise between the totally compact and larger contenders like the Discovery.

For day to day driving, the Freelander was ideal for me. It made the daily chores that much more fun, yet for all its chunky dimensions, it handled well in tight corners. The interior finish, too, is more car-like than you might expect, so you dont have to forego any creature comforts out in the wilds. Inside, the five-door proves to be more family-friendly on weekend expeditions, and for our below average 2.

0 kids it was more than enough.

Being higher up than in a car is great for driving whether youre in a town centre traffic jam or out on the dales. The Freelander has recently been completely revamped with an all-new and more potent diesel as well as a flagship petrol V6 unit. Plus there are styling changes and the option of a new Steptronic automatic gearbox. Plenty for the competition to think about then, even if the 1.

8-litre petrol unit that I chose still continues unchanged. I tend to prefer petrol to diesel power, and was certainly not disappointed with acceleration or the cruising speeds of my Hard Back.

In the 1.8-litre five-door range, most sales have traditionally been for the £17,500 S variant, going up to £21,000 for the ES trim level. The detail touches are very thoughtful. You can open the rear door window at the touch of a button on the key fob, so no manhandling heavy doors when its pouring down with rain and you have shopping to load up.

Inside, there are clever elastic bars in the doors for holding drinks and bottles, ideal for long journeys with the children (and a male at the wheel who objects to stopping too often!). You can really spoil yourself and pay up to £24,595 for the five-door V6 ES, but much will depend on whether this is your first or second car and how big a family you have.

Easily. The Freelander is great fun, an excellent companion on the school run and perfect for high days and holidays.