Apparently the winter white-out has cost Britain plc billions of pounds in lost productivity, with factories closed and staff unable to get to work.

I should have been able to save the country a small fraction of that lost productivity. After all, with a new BMW SUV, surely a bit of snow wasn’t going to stop me getting me to the office?

Except it did, and the BMW ground to a halt as we attempted to crest a hill leading out of my home town.

The reason? Our BMW X1 is an sDrive, not an xDrive, meaning it is rear-wheel drive rather than four-wheel drive.

How my fellow commuters chuckled as my chunky SUV slithered and span its wheels in the snow before I gave up and reversed down the hill.

But being two-wheel drive does have its benefits – it is £1,280 cheaper than the identically-powered xDrive 18d, yet is more economical.

The rear-wheel drive model returns a claimed 54.3mpg and emits 136g/km of CO2, whereas the all-wheel drive version records 49.6mpg and emits 150g/km.

Benefit-in-kind tax for a higher rate taxpayer works out at £135 a month, compared to £166 for the xDrive version.

Other than the embarrassing failure to commute, the X1 is proving an ideal family vehicle.

Bigger inside than a 1 Series, with plenty of room for five adults and a decent boot, it fulfils the role of family hold-all well.

The interior is, in the main, well built – only a few pieces of brittle plastic trim spoils the overall impression.

Test average fuel economy of nearly 40mpg is not to be sniffed at either – although I think it would be better if I could get the stop-start system to stop and start.

In a month’s tenure, it has kicked in only once.

Perhaps the cold weather and increased demand on the heating is to blame.

Bloody weather!