Here are our nine favourite off-roading estate cars

Still often referred to as the very first crossover, the lifted, all wheel drive AMC Eagle was initially available in coupe, sedan and station wagon forms. The Eagle was designed to deal with all weathers and became the official vehicle of the National Ski Patrol in the US.

Back in the 1980s, French firm Dangel would take your 505 Break and transform it into a proper off road wagon with lifted suspension, 4WD and shorter gear ratios. Heck, it'd even do it to the eight seat Familiale version if you wanted.

Arriving in the UK in 2000, the first Allroad quattro was based on the A6 Avant but featured plastic body cladding and adjustable air suspension as standard. Initially it was a choice between petrol and diesel V6s, but in 2003 Audi added the option of a 4.2-litre V8.

The 508 RXH might just be the most oddball car on this list. Alongside the extra black plastic cladding and raised ride height, you had a 2.0-litre diesel engine powering the front wheels with a 37bhp electric motor on the rear axle.

The 1980s Toyota Tercel was available around the world as a hatch, saloon and boxy wagon. The latter got selectable AWD thanks to parts bin bits from the rear drive Corolla, connected to a new transfer case.

Based on the fourth generation Legacy launched in 2003, this was actually the third version of the lifted Outback estate. Available with a silky smooth 3.0-litre flat six that now costs a pretty penny to tax each year, it's perhaps the ultimate stealth wealth wagon.

Back in 2018, we modded the TG Garage Merc E-Class All-Terrain to make it the perfect vehicle for a bear hunt. Extra spotlights, a custom roofrack, off road tyres on smaller wheels and a battery to charge the camera gear (and run an espresso maker) were fitted.

Volvo was already the king of Cross Country estates, and then in 2016 it applied the same treatment to its range topping V90. All wheel drive for grip, optional air suspension for maximum waft and a boot big enough for eight labradors.

The 2004 Crosswagon Q4 followed the standard jacked up estate recipe with raised ride height, all season tyres and chunky plastic bumpers. Unfortunately it was never offered with the Busso V6.