Crossword Genius

Vehicle's run times troubled conservationists (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

instrument

'vehicle's' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'run times troubled conservationists' is the wordplay.
'troubled' indicates an anagram.
'conservationists' becomes 'nt' (abbreviation for National Trust).
'run'+'times'='runtimes'
'runtimes' with letters rearranged gives 'instrume'.
'instrume'+'nt'='INSTRUMENT'

(Other definitions for instrument that I've seen before include "Means of precision work (or music-making)" , "legal document" , "power" , "Joanna, perhaps" , "Word puzzle" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app