A car-swap experiment carried out by a Scottish paper has revealed ladies' favour of gas-guzzling 4x4s despite the environmental impact and the increased cost of woman car insurance.
In the research, two Edinburgh ladies - Jan, who owns a Toyota Aygo, and Jackie, the owner of a BMW X5 - swapped cars for a day.
Whilst Jackie found the little Toyota to be handy for parking and cheaper for filling up with fuel, she didn't think these benefits outweighed the safety and security that her BMW offers. After her day's Toyota test drive, she said she would not choose to downgrade from the "Chelsea Tractor".
Jackie said: "For me, the number one reason for having the BMW is being safe on the road. It's strong, stable, it gives you a real feeling of safety. And I noticed that I didn't feel as safe or confident driving the smaller car on the motorway."
However, it wasn't just the safety aspect that put her off the Toyota.
"The neighbours noticed too, they were looking as if to say, 'That's not what you usually drive,' she said.
Jan, the usual driver of the Toyota Aygo, found herself quite taken with the swish BMW X5 with its vast array of advanced features.
She was also impressed with the amount of space offered in the car and commented: "It's a female's dream. It's got so much room in it that you feel you can literally shop until you drop and then start shopping again."
Despite being concerned about the fuel consumption and parking issues with the 4x4, Jan decided that she preferred it to her Toyota.
She said: "I do take the environment into account, we all do now of course. But I think that if I could afford it, I would buy the BMW X5. You have the power, you have the room. If I could, I would have one."
Lee-Anne Bass, of woman's car insurance company CoverGirl Car Insurance Services, commented: "It seems that 4x4s are continuing to grow in popularity, despite all of the bad publicity they get.
"They are very expensive to run and don't qualify for cheap motor insurance rates, although I suppose if you can afford to buy a 4x4 these expenses aren't necessarily such an issue."