HYUNDAI'S large off-roader the Santa Fe comes with an unbeatable five year warranty like every other car in the range, some of which may still be transferable to a new buyer.

Hyundai are really getting things right these days and the quality of their cars is almost up with the Europeans and Japanese.

The Santa Fe is one of the best cars in the company's line-up, comes at a good price secondhand compared to competitors and is a great 4x4.

I once drove one for nearly 500 miles in a long weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it. Off-road, they are surprisingly capable and will almost always get you where you want to go on road, whatever the weather.

The Santa Fe is big but not intimidating and it is also better looking than many others in the large off-road class.

Best buy in the model built between 2006 and 2012 is the 2.2-litre turbo diesel with five-speed manual gearbox, which has more than enough power for the weight.

There is also a 187bhp V6 petrol with standard automatic gearbox, but it's no quicker than the diesel and much more thirsty.

The diesel, which is also available with a five speed automatic, pulls from low revs and even in fifthgear, gives a good turn of speed while staying reasonably quiet.

It has a very comfortable ride, decent cornering ability with less roll than some other large mud-pluggers, and with economy in the high 30s, it has to be excellent value.

There are loads of airbags and it comes with alloy wheels, alarm, air conditioning, height and reach adjust steering and in the CDX, full leather upholstery. There is also a seven seat option, which was a £1,000 extra in all models.