Which hybrid SUV is best?

I live in the Dartmoor National Park and need a sturdy, reliable and capable vehicle that will cope with the local steep and untreated winter roads. For the past 12 years I have used the Land Rover Discovery replacing it every three years to maintain the standard warranty and to benefit from improving technology.

I drive 10,000 miles a year, a mixture of local, national and occasional longer foreign trips and welcome the all round effortless capacity and capability of the current D4.

I am due to replace it in March 2017. I know the 'New Discovery' has been recently announced but have been wondering whether to consider instead a hybrid vehicle such as the Volvo XC90 T8 or the Audi Q7 e-Tron; or perhaps I should wait for a possible hybrid Discovery. What would you recommend as the replacement?

Asked on 24 October 2016 by DLS

Answered by Honest John
The Volvo XC90 T8 is a highly complex car, to the extent that not all of its electrical/electronic systems necessarily work at the same time. The Audi Q7 e-tron is complicated too, but on test worked better. You might also consider a BMW X5 plug-in hybrid (not tested) and, of course, a Lexus RX450h:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/road-tests/volvo/volvo-xc90-t.../
www.honestjohn.co.uk/road-tests/audi/audi-q7-e-tro.../
www.honestjohn.co.uk/road-tests/lexus/lexus-rx450h.../
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