I've never been very good with sums so I always dismissed vehicles carrying the 4x4 label as not for me. That was before I had the opportunity to go on a camping holiday with friends. My friend's husband said they would be picking me up in the 'truck', and never having seen it before, I assumed that I would have to endure the long trip to our destination in a big noisy box on wheels with hard uncomfortable seats. Imagine my surprise when they pulled up in a snazzy-looking 4-wheel-drive vehicle. This was no 'truck' in the traditional sense of the word. The cab was surprisingly luxurious inside, with comfortable well-sprung seats and lots of interior space.

Now, I'm rather short so I battled to climb into the 4x4 at first, until the driver pointed out a nifty step set into the running board specifically to help vertically challenged people like me. The view from the cab was magnificent and great for sightseeing when we got to the national game park which was our destination.

We experienced a couple of day's rainy weather during our holiday but it didn't interfere much with our enjoyment. The 4x4 handled the muddy and slippery conditions well because of the equal distribution of power to all four wheels, and I have to admit, I felt very secure. On a more somber note, he added that it was easy to get complacent in such a secure-feeling vehicle and that he had to make sure he didn't take any chances on the road. I also learned that 4x4s are suited to both on and off road purposes because they have a switch that allows them to be changed from 4WD to 2WD.

When I got back from my holiday and had to brave rush hour traffic once more, the difference between being in a big 4x4 and my usual little car was evident to me. I could no longer see far ahead the way I had been able to in the 4WD vehicle.