The Discovery 3 was awarded a four-star adult-occupancy rating in Euro NCAP crash tests along with four stars for child safety. That’s not a bad score by any means but alternatives like the BMW X5 and Volvo XC90 have five star ratings.

The Land Rover Discovery safety package includes front, side and curtain airbags, along with dynamic stability control and active roll mitigation – a system which prevents the car from rolling over in sudden direction changes.

For the 2014 model Land Rover offered a range of new safety systems including blind spot monitoring, closing vehicle sensing, reverse traffic detection and T-junction cameras (enables driver to ‘see’ crossing traffic without having to stick the car’s nose out into on-coming traffic).To further enhance off-road safety there is now the option of Wade Sensing that measures water depth to help stop the driver taking the Discovery past its wade depth limits.

Even if you don’t intend to venture off-road, the Discovery is a very practical choice. The four-wheel drive system is a doddle to use and especially useful in snow and ice, or when towing. Slippery grass fields and muddy tracks are no issue either.

The availability of seven seats makes it as useful as a people carrier and all five of the rear seats fold down flat, creating a mammoth carrying capacity of more than 2,500 litres. Up front there’s lots of cubbies and stowage areas including a split level glovebox.