CITROEN'S first sports utility vehicle, the C-Crosser, is available in showrooms across the country.

The four-wheel drive C-Crosser, a sister vehicle to the Peugeot 4007, breaks new ground for the company, with a flexible seating lay-out and a new, fuel-efficient HDi diesel engine with a Diesel Particulate Filter System (DPFS).

The C-Crosser will be offered in two well-specified trim levels - VTR+ and Exclusive. Both models feature automatic air conditioning, six airbags, alarm, a 5+2 seating configuration, cruise control, automatic headlamps, anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control with traction control as standard, while the Exclusive adds leather upholstery, rear parking sensors, 18-inch alloys and a six-CD autochanger.

Recommended retail prices are £22,790 for the VTR+ and £25,490 for the Exclusive.

And it's into a healthy marketplace that the C-Crosser arrives. Since 2000, registrations of 4x4s in the UK have increased by 55 per cent, so that by the end of 2006 they represented 7.5 per cent of the total car market. A Citroen spokesman said: "The arrival of the C-Crosser represents the beginning of a new chapter in Citroën's often overlooked history of producing vehicles with off-road capability.

"These have included 4x4 versions of the BX, Méhari and 2CV as well as the current Berlingo XTR+ enhanced traction light commercial vehicle, not to mention the company's dominant world rallying credentials and futuristic concepts like the C-Buggy.

'At the front, its style is distinctly Citroën. The design and detail, from the signature badging to the chrome trim, work to create an image that emphasises style and solidity."