Land Rover Problems

It gets top marks as a fashion item, less for practicality, and remember Land Rover still has question marks over long-term reliability. Still, I like it and would give it The Tick.

For maximum space and tow rating you should definitely be going for the Touareg V6 TDI. It will do both your jobs with a 3500kg tow rating and 280kg ball weight.

Buttons on the steering wheel mirror the controls on the touchscreen, so that should not be a giant drama. As for the safety gear, Land Rover spokesman Tim Krieger says: "There have been some restrictions on these features because of global demand but both are available to order."

The Freelander is well past its use-by date and both the CX-3 and XV could be too small in the back for his needs. He should try to stretch to a Mazda CX-5, which is still best in class.

The new look is quite different, so it's worth waiting. The Evoque drives well enough and we've heard no bad reports on reliability, but Land Rover fares poorly in overseas quality surveys.

The factory service information says the manual gearbox oil should be renewed every 10 years and the advice is 240,000km for oil and filter on autos. Tim Krieger of Jaguar Land Rover says: "The first service to be completed on a 2010 Discovery transmission would depend on the engine and transmission fitted to the vehicle. It is probably best if the customer contacts their nearest dealer to discuss further."

There are lots of fresh contenders in that class, including the Porsche Macan — which has an 18-month waiting list. The pick is the Land Rover Discovery Sport. I give it The Tick and rate it well ahead of the NX for comfort, quietness and class.

The Range Rover is fantastic and a personal favourite but the BMW also gets The Tick. Neither will be cheap if something goes wrong after the warranty. I would have a Range Rover badge every time.

The new Discovery Sport is an excellent car, both stylish and suitable for family use. I would drive a current Range Rover across Australia, although I know Toyota has the best reputation and support network in the Outback.

There was a time when you wouldn’t touch a British brand with a barge pole, they were badly built, poorly engineered, under-developed, and, well … rubbish. But that was then and this is now, and we should put our prejudices to one side. Early Discoverys do tend to look untidy with things like you mention, but they do keep going pretty well over the long term. You would like to think that the issues that have been a problem in the past, like the trim etc., have been fixed. We get little feedback from Disco owners, suggesting they’re a happy bunch. Recent research for an upcoming used-car story paints a positive picture of the reliability of the Disco. The only downside we can see is the cost of servicing and repairs, the same can be said for any European brand.