If you fancy a 4x4, you're not alone. They were among the hottest properties in the executive car market for a decade or so.

They're not everyone's cup of tea, though. The high riding position is great and the security of having a vehicle which can wade rivers and skip through mud might have its advantages, but the riding and handling on good roads are compromised and they're generally expensive to buy and run.

That's why firms like Audi and Volvo, among others, are aiming to offer the best of both worlds.

Take the Audi allroad quattro, for example. It is essentially an executive estate with some of the advantages of a 4x4 and few, if any, of the disadvantages.

The allroad - Audi shun capital letters with this model - is based on the A6 executive estate. It looks rather like the conventional A6 but it adds a few touches like aluminium trim and underbody shields which give it a more rugged appearance.

Importantly, it rides and handles very much like a car. There's none of the body roll which you tend to experience with 4x4s and it returns sports car performance and respectable economy. How many cars reach 60mph in a shade over nine seconds yet manage 40mpg around town? Not many.

It does have a couple of shortcomings. For a start, you can only order it with a 2.7 or 3.0 litre V6 diesel engine. You would imagine there would be demand for, say, a 2.0 litre diesel or petrol as an entry-level model.

Cars in this class tend to major with complicated computerised information systems. Audi's is one of the more sensible and easy to navigate. It's called the MMI system and it covers a raft of features from satellite navigation and telephone to the heating and air conditioning systems, and you won't need an MA to operate it.

The legendary quattro four-wheel drive system is at the heart of this vehicle's off-road ability. It also has air suspension as standard, which as well as lowering itself at speed for better aerodynamics allows you to jack it up to 185mm for sub-22mph crawling over tricky terrain. Not quite a real 4x4, but more adventurous than most estates.

The standard fit stability system also has an off-road mode, designed to cope with the entirely different set of circumstances that it might encounter on the rough stuff.

Despite this ability, the allroad has no compromises in terms of refinement or everyday usability compared. The six-speed automatic transmission is also well matched, although it pays to use the manual mode when pressing on.

All in all these are good times to be an Audi fan. The extravagantly styled Q7 is winning fans in the monster 4x4 market and the new TT is about to go on sale.

PRICE: £32,700.

ENGINE: A 2,698cc V6 diesel engine which emits 180PS through all four wheels.

PERFORMANCE: Top speed 133mph, 0 to 60mph in 9.3 seconds.

COSTS: Urban (town) 24.5mpg; extra-urban (town) 40.3mpg; combined 32.4mpg.

EMISSIONS: 229g/km.

WARRANTY: Three years, 60,000 miles.

INSURANCE: Group 15.

All T&A road test vehicles are independently selected and assessments are carried out impartially by members of our own staff who base their opinions only on the vehicle supplied for these purposes by the manufacturer.