Can you recommend a reliable automatic 4x4 to replace our Land Rover Discovery?

My beloved 1997 Discovery automatic is dying and I don't know what to replace it with. I have a budget of approx £23,000 and initially thought of a Freelander, new, or on my budget, more likely used. I would like to stay with Land Rover as we live in a rural area and really need a good 4x4 (i.e not a BMW which proved to be the only 4x4 that could not get out of our village last winter) but there seem to be problems now with Land Rover automatic gear boxes. I considered Mitsubishi, but on reading reviews find they too are experiencing gearbox problems. What would you recommend that is good in bad weather and also has a reliable automatic gear box?

Asked on 14 September 2013 by MH, Ludlow

Answered by Honest John

Pleased you spotted the three major Freelander II problems. A Nissan X-Trail is likely to be the most capable off road after a Freelander II, but they have had DPF problems when used for short runs. And the real answer to snow is a set of cold weather or all-weather tyres. The best compromise for all year round seems to be Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons.

Tags: automatics dpf wheels and tyres offroad 4x4s winter tyres

Similar questions

Should we buy a Nissan X-Trail automatic?

We currently drive a Nissan X-Trail, and for the North Yorkshire Moors in winter, have found it does just what we have asked of it. We plan to replace it with another X-Trail, and have been offered an...

Can you recommend winter tyres for our Citroen C-Crosser which tows a caravan?

I own a Citroen C-Crosser 4-wheel-drive with 18-inch wheels and 225/55 R18 tyres. I will shortly need to replace them. The only criterion is I pull a caravan, off grid, which means we use ordinary fields...

What's the best small automatic SUV/crossover for driving in snow?

Me and my wife are a young couple (28 years old) and we're after a new car. We would prefer a fun but very reliable SUV/crossover with sufficient power to go off-road. We live in the Balkans and had very...

Related models

Land Rover Freelander 2 (2006 - 2015)

Bigger than original Freelander. 2.2-litre belt cam diesel. Incredibly good off-road. Robust interior. More fuel efficient 2WD model from 2011 with no rear diff to fail.