Hi Tom,

All are good choices. The Outlander is best sampled as the PHEV plugin hybrid, which is a remarkable vehicle, but you have to be prepared to make the leap into part-electric motoring. The CX-5 is slightly smaller than most of the others you’ve mentioned but is the best of the bunch to drive, and is exceptionally well made and reliable. Ditto the CR-V but the problem is that the best CR-V is the 1.6 160hp diesel with 4WD, and that’s only just gone on sale so you’ll struggle to find one if you’re buying second hand. I’ve got a big soft spot for the Forester (and Subarus in general) and it’ll never, ever break but you have to be prepared to put up with an old-fashioned looking cabin. The X-Trail is a good choice – the old, boxy one was hugely underrated and massively practical while the current model (introduced in 2014) is every bit as slick as you’d expect.