Land Rover’s new Discovery Sport, which is now available in Ireland, has received a maximum five-star safety rating in the latest Euro NCAP crash test result.

The Discovery Sport features a number of new safety features, such as an all-new pedestrian airbag which is a first in the small-SUV segment. This feature deploys from the upper-rear surface of the bonnet within 60 milliseconds of detection of a pedestrian impact to reduce the risk of serious pedestrian injury.

Another first for Land Rover is the Autonomous Emergency Braking system, which uses a digital stereo camera mounted next to the rear view mirror to detect objects that could pose a collision threat, delivering visual and audible warnings and automatically applying the brakes if a collision is imminent.

All seating positions come with a high standard of occupant protection for people of all ages, including young children. Even in the third row, retractor pre-tensioners are fitted as standard for enhanced protection.

The Discovery Sport also features a full suite of active and passive safety systems, including dynamic stability control, electronic traction control, roll stability control, anti-lock braking systems, reverse traffic detection, emergency brake lights, lane departure warning and seatbelt reminders.

It features a rigid, high-strength steel and boron body shell, with a roof that will support more than 4.5 times the vehicle weight. Discovery Sport also has a full safety package including driver and passenger airbags, driver knee airbag, and side curtain and thorax airbags.

This new Discovery will be fitted with a third row of seats as standard to give a 5+2 seating configuration. It comes with a new multi-link rear axle that helps to provide more cabin space behind the second row. This suspension is claimed to have a long movement for comfort and retains the Land Rover off-road ability.

The entry price for the Land Rover Discovery Sport is €37,100. The first Discovery Sport will be powered by a 2.2 litre turbo-diesel engine with 190bhp and plenty of torque at 420Nm. This is a relatively high CO2 engine and the good news is that there is a more efficient 2.0 litre version on the way for mid-2015 that will shave the CO2 number by 40g/km and give lower running costs and costing close to the same price.

SsangYong has responded to the demand for a compact SUV and the Korean car maker recently unveiled the new Tivoli model. This new small SUV claims to offer comfort, stylish design, space and safety in the rapidly expanding B segment of the market. It is expected to be available during summer 2015.

The Tivoli is the first new model to be launched following the merger of SsangYong and Mahindra & Mahindra. The company says that it is the result of 42 months of development and aims to compete strongly on design, safety and convenience.

The new Tivoli will be powered by a choice of 1.6 litre petrol or diesel engines. The newly developed e-XGi160 petrol engine claims to deliver up to 126bhp and offers low noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) levels for both urban and motorway driving.

Hyundai has unveiled a new Santa Cruz crossover truck concept at the 2015 North American International Auto Show. Hyundai believes that this fresh concept reflects a completely new interpretation of truck utility for a new generation of buyers, who represent the second-largest population of car buyers in the US.

The front view features an upright, hexagonal grille with cascading lines framing the sides, dual lens-free, honeycombed headlamp projectors, and prominent LED fog lamps. The side profile is highlighted by oversized wheels, Michelin tyres with a special tread design, centre-locking hubs and yellow Brembo brake calipers.

The Santa Cruz concept pick-up is powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine that delivers 190bhp and 400Nm of torque. It is expected that it will deliver 10km/litre (30mpg) economy.

The Volkswagen commercials design team has combined all of the features of the Transporter van range in a new concept extreme off-road vehicle called the Tristar. Volkswagen claims that the Tristar, recently launched in the US market, is multifunctional like a Swiss Army knife, being adaptable, reliable and an all-rounder.

The beefy-looking pick-up with extended cab, styling bar and short wheelbase has permanent four-wheel drive with mechanical rear axle differential lock and 30mm additional ground clearance.

Cargo can be distributed on two separate levels on the Tristar. There is a spacious, dust-proof and watertight drawer under the flatbed section, where a deep-tread spare tyre is also housed.

The interior has a 20-inch tablet table and state-of-the-art video conferencing and sound systems. Driver and passenger seats turn and slide, converting the Tristar into the perfect place for meetings. There’s even an espresso machine installed! The monolithic dashboard is reminiscent of earlier Transporter models offering clear and sharp lines.

Most 4x4s bought today can handle a fair amount of towing, including a small cattle trailer or horsebox, or a standard trailer. Many drivers of new 4x4s are not familiar with towing, so it’s important to understand the impact that adding a trailer has to the vehicle’s behaviour before you hook it up.

Cars, SUVs and 4x4s come from the factory with a specific towing capacity. Take some time to check your owner’s manual to find out the towing capacity of your particular vehicle.

When you pull a trailer that’s too heavy for your vehicle, you create engine damage from overheating, undue stress to the vehicle structure, possible damage to the suspension and braking systems and gearbox/transmission damage from overheating.

If you overload your towing vehicle, the engine will heat up beyond the ability of the radiator to cool it down. This will result in engine overheating, blown head gaskets, and cracked or warped cylinder heads.

That’s why it’s important to find out what the towing capacity is and don’t exceed it. An excessive load causes the transmission to overheat. This will, in turn, cause a rise in the transmission fluid temperature.

Higher temperatures can lead to damage to soft internal parts such as rubber seals and clutches. The heat hardens the rubber seals, causing loss of internal hydraulic pressure. In addition, the glue that secures the clutch friction material to the steel backings hardens and clutch strength is compromised.