Your car has what’s called a dual-clutch transmission rather than a conventional automatic. And this transmission – which is used in many of the Volkswagen family’s models – has been known to give trouble. Failures of the clutch packs and electronic control units are the most commonly reported, but many experts reckon the dual-clutch in your car is a problem waiting to happen.

The situation is worse if you have the dry-clutch version of this gearbox, and in that case, failures from cars built around this time are relatively high.

A transmission specialist should be your first port of call. They will be able to assess what’s wrong and give you an idea of your next step. You might just find, however, that the cost of repairs is equal to, or greater than the value of the car.

But don’t give up hope just yet, it could be something simple and easy to fix. It’s just that experience with these cars suggests it could well be the opposite.

With a full AdBlue tank, your car should be good for the next few thousand kilometres at the very least, not just 600km. This makes me think the sensors that measures the contents of the AdBlue tank are telling the car’s computer lies about how full it is.

As you’ve identified, if the computer thinks the AdBLue tank is empty (even if it’s still full) it can refuse to restart the engine. So you need to sort out the sensor and sender units in the AdBlue tank to make sure that the car know it has plenty of AdBlue remaining. This could involve a recalibration or perhaps some new sensors and parts.

In the meantime, I’d keep the AdBlue topped up to full all the time to avoid being stranded with a car that won’t start. Pay attention to the car’s performance, too. In some cases, the computer will first scale back performance if the vehicle is low on AdBlue before it stops the engine altogether. So any unexplained fall off in performance might indicate the vehicle is beginning to think it’s out of AdBlue.

The reality in 2022 is that just about every car-maker has an SUV in its range. Many of these will have the high seating position you require and they’re often available with a choice of diesel or petrol power (some even offer hybrid drivelines) and the option of two or four-wheel-drive, so you’re not buying more car than you need.

There are plenty of options in the small and compact SUV category, so the best advice is to hit the dealerships and find the one that suits your budget, your requirements and has the level of quality look and feel you prefer.

The South Korean brands are doing some clever things in this class of car right now, and along with good value (compared with some established brands) they also offer brilliant warranties which give great peace of mind. For an even better value-for-money experience, a three or four-year-old SUV can be pretty sharp buying, too. Just make sure the service history is intact.