A FATHER and his teenage son are embarking on the adventure of a lifetime, covering 25,000 miles from Sydney in a Hyundai Terracan - and aiming to raise £250,000 for charity in the process.

Neil White, owner of Hyundai dealership TW White, all set off on the epic trip in August, with son Alistair, 18, as navigator. They will cover 25 countries, and arrive in Australia in December.

Naturally Hyundai's tough Terracan was the only choice for such a trip. The Terra part of the name means "of the land' while the can part refers to khan, meaning king. Therefore Terracan means 'king of the land.'

The Terracan 2.9 CRTD is designed to offer the best of all worlds; full off-road performance combined with solid on-road ability, as well as high equipment levels, at the highly competitive price of £18,495.

Neil said: "A friend and I were originally going to take part in an organised expedition of 40 4x4 vehicles, driving from London to Sydney in 2003. However, due to the war in Iraq, this was cancelled and after many discussions my friend decided to pursue other activities."

"I knew that I could fund the venture myself and still wanted to reach my goal of raising £250,000 for a children's charity, but I also knew that I could not complete the trip without a co-driver. My son Alistair had arranged to take a gap year before starting university and bravely offered to come with me."

So how do father and son feel they will get on during the trip? Neil said: "I'm sure we'll get on really well! I'm sure there'll be the odd argument, and each of us will need our own space, but the only way to tackle a trip like this is through co-operation."