It is based on the Iveco...

It is based on the Iveco LMV, a new military vehicle that has won several high-profile contracts - including an 800-unit order from the British Army.

The Oltre boasts a luxuriously trimmed leather cabin, and looks the perfect vehicle for celebrities cruising Hollywood highways. It tips the scales at seven tonnes and is five metres long, while its styling combines military themes with butch SUV cues.

Key design features are the squared-off raised wheelarches, a pick-up rear load bay and vast alloy wheels wrapped in 315mm wide low-profile tyres. Making use of the same running gear as the military LMV, the Oltre comes with permanent four-wheel drive, three lockable differentials and a six-speed automatic transmission. Under the bonnet is a 3.0-litre turbodiesel unit delivering 185bhp, and the vehicle is capable of climbing a 40 per cent gradient. Thanks to 50cm of ground clearance, the truck can also wade through rivers up to 85cm deep.

But the Oltre wasn"t the only SUV on Fiat"s stand at Bologna. The Italian company also displayed the Sedici - a supermini 4x4 developed alongside Suzuki"s SX4 - and a new version of the Panda 4x4, called the Cross, equipped with an ingenious torque-apportioning differential and offering bolder looks.