Fiat Panda 4x4

FOR: Practical five-door body, cheap to run, characterful AGAINST: Few luxuries, limited off-road ability

WE’RE not talking about the increasingly collectible original Panda 4x4 here, but the second generation of Fiat’s practical city car This also featured an adventurous 4x4 Cross version with a raised ride height plus chunky SUV-inspired body cladding and roof rails They’re relatively rare, but while not quite as characterful as the classic Mk1s, they’re far more refined to drive, yet retain that essential ability to find traction where other Pandas can’t. For £7,000 you could secure a well looked-after 2014 example with circa 50,000 miles

THE ROUGH & READY CHOICE

FOR: Genuine off-road performance, reliable and tough AGAINST: No fun on long journeys, relatively impractical

IF you want a baby off-roader that walks the walk and doesn’t just talk the talk, then Suzuki has you covered A £7k budget is a bit too small for a cute Ignis crossover, but it will get you into a 2007/8 Mk3 Jimny with less than 50k miles

This is the only one of our trio with a rugged ladder chassis and the low-range gearbox that’s needed for serious off-road work. It’s also the only car here with a two-door body, though, which won’t suit everyone Nor will the shortage of on-road refinement, which makes a Jimny good fun for short journeys, but not long ones.