One indication of the level of interest in 4x4 vehicles is the online shop for Land Rover products introduced by Crozier 4x4. "There are a lot of 4x4s on the roads these days for a variety of reasons, " explained Jonathan Crozier. "The sturdier vehicle is an attraction to many people with families, but there is a growing market for driving off road and the commercial market is also strong. For example, telecommunications companies use fleets of these vehicles for servicing masts, etc."

As a result, demand for parts and accessories is also healthy, explained Robert Archibald of Actionoffroad.

"Accessories include different wheel configurations, winch bumpers and suspension set ups. There is some customisation but not to the same extent as the luxury car market as many of these vehicles are already customised. Customers are looking for practical add-ons most of the time."

As well as their commercial ventures, Robert and Jonathan are the organisers of a major event that raises funds for Temple Street Childrens Hospital. The third 4x4 Challenge for Charity takes place on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 October and is described as a 'grand scale treasure hunt of Ireland' that covers some of the most scenic parts of the country.

Two-person teams have to navigate the 800 kilometre course using maps and clues, answering questions to prove they have followed the route. "Last year we had 28 teams involved and raised thirty thousand euro, " explained Robert. "This year we hope to have 30 teams involved and our target is to raise fifty thousand."

Ordnance Survey Ireland is supplying the event this year and there are still team places to be filled, so we would urge anyone who is interested to contact us. The idea came from a similar event in the UK, which made us think that we could do something on the same lines in Ireland." For more information go to www.4x4challenge. org One of the most notable features of the 4x4 market, according to Leon Wood of Autoplatz, is the number of vehicles that are being converted for commercial use.

"We sell a lot of VW Touareg and BMW X5s that are converted into commercial vehicles. There is particularly strong demand from self employed tradesmen and many of our buyers are using them as company cars to reduce the impact of benefit-in-kind."

Wood says the vehicles he is selling offer good value for money and are of a higher specification than those available elsewhere. "The new models are coming in with much higher specs than typical Irish cars. For example, it can be hard to source X5s in Ireland, particularly the higher specification models, but we have a good supply coming through."

For those looking for a private car, features are the most important aspect. They are not usually price sensitive, as the case of a recent caller from Bermuda who enquired about a seven seat X5 demonstrates.

"People seeking a commercial vehicle are less concerned about specs, but we have still sold some very high spec cars for commercial use, " added Wood. "Commercial buyers are often self employed tradesmen who have maybe been using a van in the past and are now looking for a bit more comfort, perhaps because they have become accustomed to it from their private car.

Because they spend a lot of time on the road they see it as an investment in their business."

Blanchardstown 4 x 4 also sees a lot of demand for 4x4 vehicles for commercial use, explained Robert Dempsey.

"We specialise in luxury vehicles and about 90 per cent of these are used for commercial purposes because the reduced benefit-in-kind impact and the fact that they are VAT reclaimable."

He refers to the Range Rover Sport and the BMW X5 as being particularly popular and says that commercial buyers like their creature comforts as well as looking for a vehicle that suits their business. "The higher spec vehicles are the most popular and we professionally commercialise them and register them for the customer as well as providing full servicing."

In the pick-up truck market Blanchardstown 4 x 4 supplies the Isuzu D-Max, which Dempsey describes as a good seller with a high level of features as standard. .