FORTY per cent of 4x4 owners have never taken their car off-road, while almost a tenth have never driven beyond city limits.

More than two thirds (67 per cent) of owners admit the most challenging terrain their car faces are the speed bumps on the way to the school run, according to research by car manufacturer Dacia.

So why do people want these ginormous gas guzzling vehicles? They cost the price of a small car just to fill up and they can’t be easy to park.

I can grasp why 4x4s are useful on hill farms, but in cities?

It’s all about status: the bigger the car the more impressed others will be. Well I wouldn’t swap my little VW for one of those monstrosities, even if someone left one on my drive wrapped in a ribbon for my birthday. It would have to go back.