We've just moved to a rural area, where the twice daily school run involves 6-8 miles - each way - of narrow lanes, which are sometimes flooded and muddy. And they will be soon be icy and snowy too!

We're currently driving a Ford Focus, and it almost gets stuck on few muddy verges already! I'd like to trade it in for an economical, reliable and comfortable 4WD. We need five-doors for convenience, with two children. But husband drives a Volvo XC70, so we would use that for long journeys and/or lots of luggage.

We want diesel - and ideally automatic too. We'd prefer to spend under £10,000 if possible, but could stretch this a bit. Love the Freelander 2 (but possibly beyond our budget?) Are there specific models to avoid/go for? Any other suggestions?