My wife and will soon be moving from Essex to a village in Exmoor National Park. We are keen walkers, have a medium sized dog and need a vehicle that will enable us to make the most of the moors whatever the weather conditions (rain, snow, etc.)

We do not intend to go off road however we will need a vehicle that can cope with muddy tracks the occasional field and icy conditions. We also need to travel back to Essex to see relatives on a fairly regular basis so the vehicle also needs to be comfortable on the motorway at speed.

We currently own a 2.5 litre petrol X-type Jaguar estate which has been excellent, however it is rather thirsty.

We have discounted the larger 4x4 (Land Rover Discovery, Range Rover etc.) as they appear to be less fuel efficient than the Jag and are probably rather over the top for our requirements.

We have a budget of approximately £15,000.

We quite like the look of a 4 year old Lexus RX400H which will obviously be comfortable on the motorway but we do not know how it behaves off the tarmac.

We have also considered some the smaller 4x4 diesel SUVs, which appear to be very fuel efficient – Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Nissan X-Trial, Landrover Freelander and the Ford Kuga.

I would welcome your thoughts on which vehicle you think would best suit our needs.