Tow Car of the Year:

New LR Disco triumphs as Tow Car of the Year... All a bit predictable... but there are better tugs out there!

After changing our caravan from an Alpine 2 to a Quasar 540, I realised that our 64 plate Skoda Superb Outdoor Plus 190 4x4 DSG(itself a pretty decent tug) was no longer up to the task - mainly because the towball weight of the Quasar refused to drop below 90kg (even with kit loaded to the rear of the axle).

First choice would have been a Range Rover Sport, but £70k... really?

So I looked at VW Touregs and couldn't get excited about what was on offer for £50k.

There were other "full fat" SUV's out there but many are powered by modest 4 cylinder engines (which relegates them to tractor status).

So I threw the search criteria wide open and up popped a Jeep Grand Cherokee - though it was still £50k... but looking a little harder revealed a plentiful supply of pre-reg vehicles with big discounts (not something you'll find at Jaguar/Land Rover).

To make a long story short - I bought a "new" pre-reg Grand Cherokee (with tow bar and split electrics) for £35k!

For Kodiaq money, I've got a proper 4x4 which will pull 3.5 tonnes, has a 175kg tow ball limit, does 35mpg solo and 25mpg towing with all the "twinkly bits" of a more mainstream upmarket SUV costing twice as much.

Happy? You betcha! We've put about 4,000 miles of towing in over the last year and took advantage of the new "tug's" full capability and upgraded the 'van to twin axle Sterling Elite 650..

I know which is my "Tow Car of the Year"...