Jaguar: F-Pace Portfolio 2.0D AWD

Price: From £47,115 plus extras of £16,159 fitted to car tested (£63,274) engine: 4cyl, 1999cc, diesel

Towing caPaciTy: 2,400kg Power: 240PS

Torque: 500Nm gearbox: 8spd automatic 0-62mPh: 6.7sec

ToP sPeed: 135mph economy: 48.7mpg co2 Tax band: 153g/km (G) seaTs: five

THIS is a lovely car inside and out, and is nicely simplistic. It is a good blend of a big vehicle with a luxury car and has the best reversing camera of those tested.

It gives a very smooth ride, picking up and pulling away really well. I never felt like I had a large trailer behind me because it holds the road extremely well, handles smoothly and felt safe — it would give the horses a comfortable journey. Its towing capacity is less than some of the others, but I would be happy pulling two horses — it had no trouble accelerating on to the dual carriageway up a hill.

It’s also very comfortable. I’m over 6ft and I thought I would feel restricted, but once you’re driving it’s great. I’m usually a fan of pick-ups, but I have to admit that if you were on the road for three hours to a horse trials, this would be excellent. Because it’s not as long as a pick-up, it’s easier to reverse, too.

The only issue I had was that the speed is reflected as a light on the windscreen, but as I’m tall, the whole number was actually cut off from my field of vision.