Land Rover spruiks idiot-proof reverse towing

Trying to reverse a big caravan back down a skinny track after reaching a dead end, has led to many arguments not to mention the occasional marriage break-up...

But the tension created from a tricky reversing manouevre could be a thing of the past if Land Rover's 'Advanced Tow Assist Technology' -- available as an option on the latest 3.5-tonne-rated Discovery off-road SUV -- works as well as it does in this tongue-in-cheek video titled 'The Knob', just released by the British brand...

Enlisting the help of comedian and actor Jack Whitehall and his father, it's a race against the incoming tide as the almost hands-free Tow Assist Technology option does the hard work of keeping the 6.8m long Airstream caravan in line during the 300m long back-up, surrounded by water on both sides.

According to Land Rover, "the Advanced Tow Assist allows drivers to reverse a trailer using the rotary controller on the centre console to guide the vehicle. Operating the pedals as normal, the intuitive system shows the predicted path of the caravan, horsebox or trailer on the infotainment touchscreen, enabling drivers to steer with ease as the vehicle calculates the precise level of counter-steering required to maintain the desired trajectory".

It's the latest towing-related promotional stunt from Land Rover, following a 16km drive across the Australian Outback in 2017, where the Discovery 'pulled' a 110-tonne road train.

The Advance Tow Assist pack is an $850 option on the Discovery, but requires the fitment of a number of other optional extras in order to work, including the Advanced Off Road Capability Pack ($3270) and 360 Surround Camera ($470). Pricing for the Land Rover Discovery starts at $73,221.

Land Rover is at the forefront of towing technology, revealing its 'see-through' trailer technology a few years back.  The innovative camera system was designed to make a caravan or horse float appear see-through when being towed.