Ask The Guide

Driven responsibly and serviced regularly, a Hyundai Santa Fe should be as reliable as any other car in its class. Of course, drive it like a stolen New York taxi or opt not to look after the Santa Fe and you're likely to be making friends with your local tow truck driver.

While it won't get car enthusiasts interested enough to look up from their copy of Chrome Pipes and Mullets, the RAV4 is a reliable and fairly low-cost mode of transport. They aren't really off-roading machines, but they will still handle dirt roads and a little bit of hard-packed sand, and they can rack up hundreds of thousands of kilometres with ease, so long as they're serviced regularly.

No, the Honda CR-V is available as a front-wheel drive or, in VTi-LX trim, an all wheel drive. The lack of locking hubs or a low-range option mean the CR-V is not considered a true four-wheel drive (4x4). Because of the transversely mounted engine and transmission unit there is no option for a rear drive model.

Predicting how many kilometres a car lasts is next to impossible, as each person drives a car differently and in varying situations that affect the potential lifespan of the vehicle. However, as the New Mini has been built by BMW since 2000 they are as reliable as any other premium small car, so long as you service them regularly and don't skimp on cheap parts. The Cooper S John Cooper Works models have a cult following with good cause, as they are legitimately brilliant, fun little cars.

The fifth-generation Honda CR-V is built all over the world. Honda has plants in Melaka (Malaysia), Swindon (England), Ontario (Canada), Ohio and Indiana (USA, El Salto, Jalisco (Mexico), Greater Noida (India), Saitama (Japan), Wuhan (China), Karawang (Indonesia), Ping-Tung (Taiwan), and Ayutthaya (Thailand).

While Mini debuted in 1959, the first Mini Cooper went on sale in September 1961 and over 12,000 were built by the time production ended in 1967. Today BMW has owned Mini since 2000, and produces the New Mini in England, including the Cooper and Cooper S models.

The Kia Soul is a front wheel drive sub-compact car. To date there are no four-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive variants.

First shown at the 2008 Paris Motor Show the Kia Soul has been built in both South Korea by Kia, and Russia. To date over 1,000,000 examples have been sold, with the Soul averaging 100,000 units sold in the USA alone per-year since it was first sold. In 2014 the electric Soul EV was launched, first in Korea then Europe and the USA.

The current Kia Sorento measures 4800mm in length, while other dimensions include: 1875kg (weight), 1890mm (width) and 1690mm (height).

Both the current petrol and diesel Kia Sorento can tow up to 750kg unbraked or 2000kg of braked trailer.