Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer 718

If any vehicle can lay claim to be motoring's equivalent of Arnold Schwarzenegger, it's the Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer. Both are all-action heroes born in Austria and will go anywhere if you can afford them.

They also had to move for the sake of their careers. While the Terminator left his homeland to make a mark in Hollywood, the Pinzgauer put down its roots closer to home - in the Surrey town of Guildford. It's 30 years since the first Pinzgauer rolled off a production line, and it has gone on to great things across the world. Production switched to the UK this year after the original plant began building Mercedes M-Classes, and the new Pinzgauer bosses are aiming for a broader market, including private buyers.

However, if you are thinking about using it for the school run and posing in supermarket car parks, do remember to be careful and not to drive over all those smaller vehicles.

Underneath that boxy body is an unusual cross-tube chassis, with independent springing, which ensures that the ride remains smooth whatever the terrain and the wheels can be manipulated to crazy angles without losing traction. Power is from Volkswagen's 2.5-litre five-cylinder LT van engine. The intercooled turbodiesel knocks out 134bhp, but more impressive is the torque figure - 280Nm at 1,600rpm.

With automatic transmission it's not that different from other off-roaders when being driven on tarmac, except for the lorry-high driving position and boat-like body roll through corners. Yet it feels nimble, with sharp brakes and reasonable acceleration. The steering is a bit dead on roads, but spot-on as soon as the going gets tougher.

And that's when the Pinzgauer is in its element. Switch from two to six-wheel drive at any speed, engage the differential locks, and regardless of the conditions, there is almost nothing that will stop the Pinz. It picks its way over loose sand, slippery inclines and rock faces in a way that would make Land Rover drivers green with envy.

Those used to luxurious off-roaders will be shocked by the inside, though. The cabin is obviously designed for a working vehicle, and little attention has been paid to aesthetics, with a scattering of dials set in black plastic and a steering wheel that would look more at home in a bus. Despite this, prices will make even Range Rover buyers wince. Pinzgauers start at