Replacing my Freelander tow car

I had a Kuga for six years, bought at two years old. Never missed a beat. Not a mega-heavyweight but a good all-rounder.

I haven't noticed anything in the above thread that says 'my car is superior than yours' .... people have just put forward their experiences of the tow car they have.

Can I say that a Merc ML350 is a fantastic towcar! 😉

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.... and rubbished others suggestions, as have I.

Those experiences will be flawed, simply because criticising your own towcar would deem to be failure on your part when purchasing. So yes, I can quite believe you saying you have a fantastic towcar, just like I have 

A key issue is that everyone's requirements are different.  As I mentioned above, my caravan is plated to 1700 kg so although I like many of the VW Group's vehicles they are all too light apart from the VW Touareg or the Audi Q7 which are both bigger and more expensive than I want. I  am a Jaguar enthusiast and belong to both of the Jaguar clubs but the FPaceis also too light in 2.0l form and its sloping rear is less practical than the Discovery Sport.  I like the upright driving position of an SUV so am not inclined to have an ordinary estate.  In other words, we all choose vehicles which suit our needs So although it is fair enough for members to relate their experiences of cars they have owned, it is irrelevant for them to criticise ones they have not, even if they have seen them broken down on the motorway (which would recently include a VW, an Audi and a Merc in my travels).

If your Freelander has been/is a good car, no underlying issues, why not consider buying an extended LR warranty? 

I tow a caravan plated at 1800kg with my Passat Alltrack quite legally and in the real world of car with passengers, dog, awning etc is about 97% weight ratio. It is only in the UK caravanners get a cold sweat over towing ratios and the so called 85% rule. There are plenty of VW Group products that will legally and safely tow a 1700kg caravan.

Everything has to make their own decisions. Kerb weight of 1725kg is lower than I feel comfortable with to tow a 1700kg caravan.  Not to say you are wrong but each to his own

was in the local Kia showroom last week getting a headlight bulb changed on OH's Carens (as you can see i do not have a mechanical bone in my body), looked over the latest Sorento, I have a 2013 model, what a great car, but do i need all those bells & whistles?, and at what price , Yes i currently have a reversing camera which i do use but still a mirrors man, yes i use cruise control, (would like adaptive) i have a standalone sat nav, I never use my phone whilst moving, i go forwards always in drive/eco mode, never used manual, i go in reverse. Never used lock 4wd, diff lock, radio sometimes for news, lane control seems like a bad idea to me, read about a Merc last week that nearly caused a serious accident because lane control mistook a couple of bad skid marks in the road for lane markings , and when all these gizzmos start to go wrong they go wrong big time.

Would like a good reliable basic tow car at a sensible price that would tow my 1575kg caravan, but cant find a new/second hand car of todays era that fits that bill.

7 year warranty on my Sorento runs out soon, have i ever used it, NO, thank goodness, but how much did i pay for this when i bought the car?, (second hand), I am sure the old girl has got a few more years left yet, so if it is not broken why try to fix it.

Our Sportage KX4 auto is seven years old this month I have  never  used up to now,  park assist,4x4 lock ,down hill "assist?,but do appreciate the rear camera when hitching up c/van,it has nearly 35000 miles on the clock,my dealer will yet again  try to get me to get a newer model when it has its service and Mot next week ,but as i have told them when they go back to having a full size spare wheel as standard , we may have a chat