Over £40,000 - Land Rover Discovery 3.0 SDV6 HSE Luxury

Contenders

• Jaguar XF Sportbrake 3.0 V6 Portfolio
• Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD V6 Overland
• Land Rover Discovery 3.0 SDV6 HSE Luxury

Our judges got into the most heated debate over the most expensive category in our Towcar awards. But in the end, the Land Rover Discovery just nudged ahead to take the honours in the £40,000-plus class.

The Discovery’s reputation goes before it, so nobody was surprised that, when hitched to the mammoth Bailey twin-axle Unicorn Barcelona, the 4x4 did everything asked of it. 

Our 3.0 SDV6 HSE Luxury test model stormed round the high-speed bowl – thanks to its massive 3,500kg towing limit, not even this hefty caravan was going to impinge on its performance.

The judges scored the car highly for its impressive pulling power and effortless cruising ability as it stayed firmly planted to the tarmac, even under the roughest crosswind. The Discovery posted impressive sprint times of 9.4 seconds from 30-60mph and 7.3 seconds from 40-60mph while hitched. 

On the hill route, it took the twists and turns in its stride, while the cabin is the perfect place to relax. It combines top-class materials like leather and wood to beautiful effect, while the high driving position gives a great view of the road ahead. It also has the kind of special feel only matched by last year’s winner in this category – the Disco’s Range Rover big brother.

Passenger space in all three rows of seats is superb, with the rearmost seats easily able to accommodate two adults in comfort. Stowage impresses, too, with drinks holders and cubbies for odds and ends to keep kids quiet on long journeys. Plus, there are plenty of gadgets to get to grips with.

Ultimately, though, you’ll need deep pockets to run the Discovery. Its official 35.3mpg economy is sure to tumble dramatically once hitched up to a caravan, while the CO2 figure of 213g/km means owners shellout £285 a year in road tax.