The secret to driving the big Land Rover Discovery in ‘awkward’ conditions is to take it easy! Don't rush, was the advice given.

It was put to good use when I drove the big 4x4 during that week which saw severe flooding in counties Meath, Dublin and North Kildare.

The permanent 4WD Discovery 2.5-litre TD5 SE is just the job on a trip through one of the areas affected and made light work of trudging through trapped pools of water and muck left behind after the waters subsided. After all, it can clear obstacles at 8.2 inches in height and wade through water levels of 19.7 inches. This was the nearest I came to off-roading that week in a vehicle ‘that combines car-like qualities on the road and superior off-road ability’.

I can well imagine how useful such a big bruiser is to the farming community, or to thrill seekers who get their kicks by taking off-road driving to the very limits. With full high and low ratios, you can take it with assurance on very difficult terrain.

With Land Rover now owned by the Ford Motor Company, a lot of hard work has gone into improving the build quality and this third-generation Discovery incarnation comes with more than 700 changes over its most recent predecessor. Front and rear are now different but most of the improvements are to do with the driving systems and engineering solutions - with ride and handling, refinement, and comfort.

There’s really no mistaking a Land Rover Discovery. Solid and square looking, almost like a double decker at the rear, the review cars (I drove two versions in quick succession) is powered by a 2.5-litre turbocharged 5-cylinder direct injection engine that gallops out 135bhp. They’ll take you safely through the very rough as well as the smooth, even through swollen streams and along muddy dirt tracks.

Increasingly though, these big off-roaders have becoming very popular with city drivers especially those with country aspirations - Mums and Dads who give up their weekends to pull horseboxes to gymkhanas and all that involves.

The cabin is extremely roomy and you enjoy a super high driving position. Visibility is huge in this seven-seater, which comes with three large side windows and a higher, narrower one over the end window - hence the Discovery’s double-decker look. Two sunroofs allowed even more light to trickle into the cabin. Sturdy roof rails add to the overall height of the vehicle.

Seats, which come in a hard wearing cloth, are raised stadium-style to afford rear passengers a good view of the road. The two smaller very back seats can be folded back against the sides of the vehicle still allowing pretty huge cargo space. Other configurations allow for the middle row 40:60 split seats to also fold.

The dashboard is the traditional layout of a Land Rover and still works well. Everything in terms of buttons and knobs are all big, chunky and hard wearing. The gearshift is similar in that it has a big wide gate and you can pull it all around the place, yet it remains accurate.

I loved the whole feel of driving such a big vehicle. Being up so high makes a girl feel safe and secure somehow. In control.

Driving on primary routes and motorways, this 5-speed manual model proved a great and steady drive, cruising along at 70mph when allowed. The trip screen showed a combined fuel consumption of 30mpg which is not bad at all for such a heavy vehicle.

Standard safety equipment includes ABS, Electronic Traction Control (ECT), Active Cornering Enhancement (ACE), and self levelling suspension.

I became even more entranced with the Discovery when I took my turn in an automatic version. Same engine, more salubrious trim, including leather wherever leather can be (which is why it is the one I photographed).

But there were a few surprises. Like the big climb into the driver's seat and the equally big drop down again; and having to adjust my small size to the man-sized spaces between the foot pedals took a day or two but you do quickly get the hang of it. But, lady drivers be warned, it's not for driving in a tight skirt. Those controls are heavy, as you’d expect in something expected to spend half its lifetime out in the muck and dirt of a working farm.

Because of its wider axles and body style, Discovery allows wider wheels and tyres to be used, giving improved handling and road holding as well as a choice of seven different alloy wheel designs.

Prices start at E58,770. Meantime, let mud do what it may, once I've my wellies and my Discovery.