Land Rover Discovery 4

Why it won...

Once again, the versatile Land Rover Discovery scoops the honours here. Blending seven-seat practicality, luxury car desirability and unstoppable off-road ability, the big British 4x4 truly is a family car for all seasons.

This year, the all-wheel-drive machine’s margin of victory was greater than ever, thanks to a mid-life refresh that dealt with its few weaknesses. At the heart of the changes was the adoption of a gutsy 3.0-litre diesel to replace the slightly lacklustre 2.7-litre unit.

Refined, powerful and reasonably fuel efficient, the new engine delivers silky smooth responses on the road and bags of low-speed torque when you want to clamber through the rough stuff using the car’s clever Terrain Response system.

Elsewhere, you’ll discover styling tweaks that add even more kerbside appeal, while the huge cabin gets an upmarket makeover that rivals luxury models for quality and ambience.

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Commended:

BMW X5
The recently refreshed X5 gets a well earned commendation thanks to a mix of on-road agility and surprisingly eco-friendly credentials. Engineers have used their EfficientDynamics know-how to give class-leading CO2 emissions and fuel economy, while boosting performance. It can almost match the rugged Land Rover off-road yet delivers saloon like responses on tarmac, and it has a beautifully built cabin, too.