THE BEST ALL-WEATHER RIDES

Give inclement weather the cold shoulder with an SUV that’ll keep you rock solid on the road in any season

Unless you want to recreate Torvill and Dean’s Bolero on the slippery roads this autumn and winter, you need to think about buying a motor that can cope with adverse conditions. Of course, Land Rover has been building all-weather vehicles for donkey’s years, so you’d expect its latest Discovery Sport (from $62,762, landrover.com.au) to take this kind of stuff in its stride. And it does, boasting dedicated ‘Mud’ and ‘Snow’ modes that apply exactly the right amount of power to maximise traction on unforgiving surfaces, as well as tyres that are wider and grippier than a bouncer’s arms.

Subaru may not be the first marque that springs to mind when you think about no-nonsense vehicles, but the 2018 Outback (from $35,740, subaru.com.au) laughs in the face of chilly climes, with all-wheel drive and impressive ground clearance, not to mention heated front seats as standard. Toasty.

Volvo’s new V90 Cross Country all-wheel drive (from $99,900, volvocars.com/au) takes no prisoners in cold weather, drawing upon a turbocharger and a supercharger to pummel its way out of trouble. And the latest iteration of Volkswagen’s T-Roc (price TBC) combines a raft of smart safety features (emergency braking, accident avoidance and optional 4MOTION traction control) to boost your confidence when the frost bites.