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What's the best small 4x4 auto?

My 83 year old father lives on a steep hill that is often snow covered or muddy. He doesn't want a big 4x4 and feels that even on winter tyres his current Skoda Yeti would struggle, it is also unreliable.

He is looking for a new hatchback or small estate, with four-wheel drive and automatic transmission. He would prefer Japanese or Korean, for reliability and his annual mileage is too low for diesel. We are considering a Subaru Impreza, but are there other options we should consider?

Asked on 31 December 2014 by WBR

Answered by Honest John
A Suzuki Jimny automatic is still listed. Otherwise automatic is a problem with a small SUV. The Suzuki Swift 4WD, FIAT Panda 4x4 and FIAT Panda Cross immediately spring to mind, but are manual. Vauxhall Mokka 4WDs aren't automatic. Next year there will be automatic versions of the new Honda HR-V and Mazda CX-3.
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