Sorry, no intention to offend. It does sound like you do need a 4x4, with your towing and shooting. Whet gets on my wick is these posers who buy Rangies and Discos with no intention of towing, or off roading. You know the type. Take David Beckham for instance. He owns a Range Rover, but I strongly doubt that he will ever take it off road, and I can't imagine him hitching up an Ifor Williams to clear out his back garden. These people buy them just to say "look at me, I can afford a new, shiny Range Rover, I'm better than you, I'm so posh..." The Porsche and BMW 4x4s are a prime example of this. Who the hell is going to take a Porsche off roading?
There are 4x4s and there are off roaders. Then there are Land Rovers - proper Land rovers. My doctor for instance, has just bought a brand new Defender. He could easily have afforded a Rangie, but does not want to look like a poser. He wants it to help farmers who injure themselves in fields, or aid with mountain rescue. An over equipped, look-at-me, tinted windowed, electronic hulk of a Rangie is simply not needed.
Don't get me wrong, I have no doubts about the new Rangie's off roading abilities. I do actually like the new Disco as a vehicle. But in practical terms, they are not in the same league as the Defenders. You can pick up a brand new Defender for £16ish from Conwy Land Rover. It will do everything it says on the tin, and then some. It is the real thing.
Why bother spending £si:lly on an over equipped, off roader derrived tank, designed to make ponces feel like princes as they cruise up and down motorways? The term "soft roader" applies to these vehicles, despite the Land Rover derrived variety being very good off roaders.
You may notice that I have not mentioned the Freelander yet. Well, I catually think that the Freelander is an honest and sensible 4x4. It is not bigger than it needs to be, it is practical, and good looking. It is low enough for access, yet high enough to cope with gravel tracks, or kerbs. It is what an urban 4x4 should be. Freelanders may not be the best off roaders in the world (feel free to start a new thread to debate this), but they hit the spot as far as urban 4x4s are in the question. I respect Freelander drivers because they have resisted the temptation of buying Chelsey Tractors, and have bought much more practical alternative.
I'll end my message by saying this; I enjoy off roading in my series 2a, and try to stick to tracks already dug up by other Landies. I am prout to say, that despite my rural upbringing, I can not stand hunting with dogs, and I think that those who derrive a sick pleasure from watching an animal being chewed to death, need professional help! If they abandoned their twisted hobby, and used their Land Rovers for green laning and off roading, I would respect them a lot more.