Choosing an SUV is all about knowing whether you are a hard or soft roader. We all need to know our place. Paddy Comyn helps you find yours
Descended from commercial and military vehicles such as the Jeep and Land Rover, SUVs have been popular for many years with rural buyers due to their off-road capabilities.
But over the past 25 years, and even more so in the last 10 years, the genre has become increasingly popular with urban dwellers, too.
The term SUV appears to have originated in the United States and stands for "Sports Utility Vehicle" which is a vehicle that combines the characteristics of a regular passenger car, with the height and, sometimes, the off-road capabilities of a 4x4.
Here in Ireland, we generally refer to all of these as 4x4s or sometimes, the more generic term "Jeep" - even though this is the brand name of the Chrysler company and many of our vehicles are two-wheel-drive only. Over the past number of years, with manufacturers realising that many owners are drawn to the look and feel of the SUV without necessarily needing to climb a mountain or even cross a muddy field, there have been more so-called "soft-roaders" emerging.
While they look like their more capable counterparts, many would get as bogged-down in the rough stuff as your average family saloon.
Off-road ability, it appears, is not a major factor in the decision making process for the average SUV buyer. And for those who do have four-wheel drive in their vehicle, many have this simply because it is already fitted to their car.
So what are the differences between the abilities of the SUVs that are popular in Ireland?
From looking at the sales figures up to the end of February, the most popular of the smaller, more compact SUVs is the Hyundai Tucson.
With 660 sales it leads the way, yet the majority of its sales are made up of two-wheel-drive versions, with the four-wheel-drive diesel model very much in the minority.
Even if you do opt for the four-wheel-drive version, the driver does not need to think about how it works, because it has a part-time four-wheel drive system whereby pulling power is transferred to the rear wheels if the front tyres start to slip.
It otherwise operates in front-wheel drive mode for all normal driving, though you can switch it into four-wheel-drive if required.
The new Suzuki Grand Vitara, which lies just behind the Tucson in second place comes with four-wheel drive as standard. Their ability varies with each type.
The entry-level three-door models use a 47 per cent front and 53 per cent rear torque split under normal conditions. The five-door Vitaras do have a low-ratio option, selected by a rotary fascia switch, which can lock the centre differential for serious off-roading.
A low-ratio transfer box effectively reduces the gearing of the main gearbox to provide more pulling power for off-road driving.
It is usually operated by a separate control, mounted near the main gear stick. Low-ratio gear boxes are especially useful when going up or down steep slopes, or ploughing through water.
Some off-roaders also feature locking differentials which stop power being wasted if one wheel losses traction. With a differential locked, both wheels constantly turn at the same speed and the vehicle can pull itself out of a slippery situation.
New models from both Hyundai with the Santa Fe and Toyota with the RAV4 should see those two models return to the top of the sales charts.
While the two-wheel-drive version of the Santa Fe will be the biggest seller, Toyota's new RAV4 now comes with four-wheel-drive only but, like the Hyundai Tucson, this system splits the power to the front and rear wheels as it is needed for maximum traction, operating as a front-wheel drive only when conditions allow. Sales of the Nissan X-Trail have increased over the last year, with the introduction of a two-wheel-drive version. At the more premium end of the market, Land Rover is dominating sales, with the Range Rover Sport, Discovery and Range Rover taking first, sixth and seventh place in its class.
With all of these models, Land Rover has fitted something called Terrain Response, which allows the user to select the surface that you intend to drive on, and some computer wizardry takes care of the rest - whether that be ice, snow or the side or a cliff.
All Land Rovers have incredible off-road ability, although the reality is that not every buyer will find that out. But John Paul Mooney, Land Rover's Marketing Manager, points out that for some buyers, this go-anywhere ability is particularly important.
"Many of the new customers coming to the brand are property developers and builders and it is common for them to need to go from site to site and they want a mixture of luxury and off-road ability and our products provide that."
BMW's X5, Mercedes-Benz's M-Class and Volkswagen's Touareg also feature strongly at the premium end of the market and while all have some off-road ability, this is limited.
Buyers looking at an SUV should be aware that a model which is front-wheel drive only, or uses a system that splits torque proportionally, will use slightly less fuel than one that uses a permanent four-wheel drive system, but there are added benefits to the latter in terms of grip on poor surfaces such as ice, snow and rain.
What is important is traction or stability control because with a higher vehicle that has a higher centre of gravity, there is an increased risk of rollover.
Many of the premium SUVs provide such systems as standard, but it might be an option on smaller models.
If it is, buy it!