Solo adventurer, Christer Gerlach completed his 17,000 mile world tour this month and arrived home in time for Christmas due to the reliability and durability of his Kia Sorento.

The vehicle, which was completely standard specification and even had normal road tyres, carried Gerlach across the most challenging terrain covering 11 countries including the remotest regions of Kazakhstan and Mongolia and a 1,850 mile wilderness trek across the largely unmapped wastelands of Siberia.

The 61 year old's pre-departure confidence was well founded as the only unscheduled stops were to fix two punctures, one light bulb and a loose headlamp.

Gerlach said: "The Sorento's large diameter wheels and tyres were essential to successfully finding an off-road route across much of Asia, as there were simply no roads or tracks to follow for much of the journey.

"I am of course delighted to be home in time for Christmas, but I am surprisingly fatigue-free as the Kia also proved to be a remarkably comfortable vehicle, even for this rather extraordinary journey."

The epic journey included a stop at Kia's headquarters in Seoul, South Korea for a quick oil change before heading off for his second leg which began his trans-continental and multi-state crossing of the USA and Mexico via Route 66.

His four month journey ended on 16 December when he returned back to his starting point, and home town of Stenhamra to be reunited with his wife and three children in time to begin the Christmas celebrations.