Jules wrote:

Y'know, I had one of those Ford Explorer things on hire a couple of
years ago and I was thinking to myself when I saw it "uh oh, this is going
to be trouble" (I'd heard lots of bad things about them, and we'd just
been told it was a 4x4 at the rental place, not what make/model until we
picked it up).

The anti-Explorer hysteria whipped up by Watchdog was astonishing. Most
of it was complete ********[1]. I've taken mine over the Alps, Dolomites
and Apennines in winter. Often several times a year. With M&S tyres
there's no need for chains, and it's big, fat, comfortable and as you
say provides good feedback on what's happening so you can drive safely.

[1] What the program and the destractors fail to mention is that the
engine is German, the transmission is built by Mazda, the rest is
American but what break down is likely for the body and seats? You don't
hear Mazda owners going around saying "Oh my Mazda B-series pickup truck
is so unreliable" yet that and the Explorer are much the same thing.