YOU have to hunt in the Suzuki handbook to find even a glancing reference to the all-wheel drive function of this version of the Swift and there are no buttons to push or knobs to twist when the first snow arrives.

Which is rather the point of this modest looking 4x4; to provide the background reassurance that it's on your side when things start to slide - without you lifting a finger.

The car senses when the front wheels are losing grip and pushes power to the pair at the back to even out the effort of moving forward. It could make all the difference on those (hopefully rare) occasions when it looks like you might get stuck.

Most of the time the 4x4 bit of this Swift refers simply to the badge, not what's going on through the wheels. There will be years without a severe winter when the rear tyres remain utterly undriven throughout.

So you have a decision to make if the Swift takes your fancy. Adding the 4x4 capability has consequences on the bottom line and on performance too.

The all-wheel drive Swift is available for £12,099, making it the cheapest 4x4 on the market (a Fiat Panda 4x4 starts at £14,575) but still £1,000 more than a model without all-wheel drive.

The difference is more marked still with the top spec car on test, where there's a £1,500 walk to the 4x4, although you do get more kit for the money.

That includes some pretend body cladding under the front and rear bumpers - or 'nappies' as the navigator-in-chief calls these additions that seem to appear on anything with gently off-road pretentions.

The added weight of the rear-drive means economy and emissions take a gentle hit, although an overall 51mpg on the trip computer for the test means this is still an economical machine.

Finding somewhere for the added oily bits to live means the boot is smaller, but there's still enough space for a family grocery shop. Extra ruggedness has also added an inch to the car's height as raised suspension arrives to give more ground clearance (another trend as hatchbacks earn their 4x4 spurs).

That might be useful now and then but the real comfort of an on-road 4x4 like the Swift is the knowledge you'll get to places when the weather turns nasty that leaves the drivers of BMW and Jaguar saloons sitting at the bottom of the hill with their wheels spinning uselessly.

For even more added smugness you might want to add a set of winter tyres; not the sort that look like tank tracks but tyres with rubber made to stay bendy on freezing roads covered with powdered snow.

That would give you a weapons grade Swift capable of laughing off everything this side of a small avalanche and at the sort of money some people pay for a brakes and audio upgrade on their cars.

Strip away the 4x4-ness and you have a car that's endearingly honest about its role in life, to provide reliable service at a sensible price. Choose this top of the ranger and you'll also enjoy a modestly plush level of standard kit.

This includes satellite navigation (with a small screen), DAB radio and Bluetooth, air conditioning, cruise control, electric windows all round, auto lights and wipers and alloy wheels.