IT COULD be that some Sports Utility Vehicles are about to breast the hump of financial uncertainty - thanks to the recent blizzard conditions.
Demand for certain models has benefited from the recent prolonged bouts of wintry weather, according to the publishers of car 'bible' Glass's Guide.
The SUV sector slumped last year as potential buyers considered smaller vehicles to cut down on the then soaring fuel costs.
But the recent snow and icy weather combined with lower fuel prices helped to to trigger renewed interest in SUVs as used car buyers opted for more robust vehicles that they believe can cope well with the unpredictable conditions.
It was only a matter of time. The environmentalist vision of a sunshine utopia with everyone scooting around in one-size-fits-all city cars was frozen to a halt as Jack Frost bared his fangs nearly bringing the country to a halt.
Unless that is, you were driving a Land Rover Freelander.
The Freelander may be the baby of the Land Rover range but it is massively big on ability.
Ability I was able to test at first hand as I had to cope with whiteout conditions the night of the big snowstorm.
Roads were completely covered and even when there were ruts they filled up quickly in the relentless snowfall. Small hatchbacks were all over the place and in the end, only heavy trucks and 4x4s were able to cope on one road I found myself on.
The Freelander has unique terrain response technology and features a special setting for snow. But even in such extreme conditions it actually did not need it, cruising along quite happily in normal road mode. When I did switch the device on to see what happened the tiny bit of slipping there was disappeared completely.
This again testifies to the Freelander's off-road and heavy weather pedigree.
It features a full-time intelligent 4x4 system that not only helps optimise traction but also helps fuel economy.
Land Rover's commitment to a cleaner environment has now expanded to included a stop-start version of the amazing vehicle.
This version cuts the engine automatically at traffic lights to save on fuel and reduce the carbon tyremark.
FAST FACTS
Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 HSE
Price: £31,662
Mechanical: 160ps, 2,197cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving four wheels via 6spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 112mph
0-62mph: 11.7
Combined mpg: 37.7
Insurance group: 13
CO2 emissions: 194g/km
BiK rating: 25%
Warranty: 3yrs/ unlimited mileage