Reviews
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The venerable Disco continues to posh up but remains a premium off-roader – though we’re none the wiser about how it travels on bitumen.
WHAT IS IT? The fourth-generation Land Rover Discovery is a very different beast from its predecessors, with a move upmarket making it closer to being a three-row Range Rover than a utilitarian off-road hauler. Our drive in a prototype was limited to an off-road course, which the Discovery conquered with near-effortless disdain. The unanswered question, for now at least, is how it will cope when asked to perform in the real world.
WHY WE’RE TESTING IT The Land Rover brand has been getting posher for years, with the Discovery being the latest product of this creeping “Range Rover-ization”. It sits on the same aluminium platform as the current Range Rover and Range Rover Sport and therefore benefits from substantial weight saving over its pudgy predecessor, with the diet resulting in a significant increase in performance. It’s bigger and more practical than the last Discovery as well, with its optional three-row layout particularly well suited to Australian tastes.
THE WHEELS VERDICT We’re not going to attempt a definitive take after a drive that didn’t take in a metre of tarmac, but we’ve still seen enough of the new Discovery to be broadly impressed. The design lacks the utilitarian charm of its predecessors, but under the mostly generic styling is a well-engineered and practical SUV that combines three-row usefulness (and magic folding seats) with a welcome improvement in material quality and ergonomic design. It’s mighty when asked to deal with low-speed off-roading, now we just need to find out how it copes with sealed surfaces.
THE WHEELS REVIEW This definitely isn’t going to be a definitive review, or even a sketchy one. JLR seems to love introducing new models in environments seemingly chosen to prevent journos from gathering anything more than the most rudimentary dynamic impressions. In the case of the new Land Rover Discovery that meant on a private estate in Scotland, big enough to accommodate a three-hour drive without leaving mud or gravel. My peak speed was a dizzying 30km/h and the full road test will have to wait until we have access to an actual road.
It sits on the same PLA platform as the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, meaning a switch to aluminium construction, and will be constructed alongside its posher sisters and JLR’s Solihull plant in the UK (also later in the company’s new factory in Slovakia.)
The change in emphasis is obvious in the styling, with the new Disco moving far away from the slab-sided styling of its predecessors to take on much of the Range Rover’s design language.
For the most part the styling is generic lifestyle SUV, but the tailgate features an offset license plate mount that’s presumably designed to make us think of the stepped glass on previous Discos. This looks awkward, certainly with a big UK licence plate filling the space.
The cabin is good. Material quality feels a magnitude better than the previous Discovery, with Land Rover promising generous standard equipment in all markets. The Disco uses conventional instruments (shared with the Discovery Sport) rather than the full VDU panel of the Range Rover, but in every other regard it feels close to its snootier sisters in terms of fit and finish.
Land Rover’s claims the rear seats are adult sized would require finding some flexible and uncomplaining adults, but it’s certainly bigger in the rear than the Discovery Sport or “5+2” Range Rover Sport.
Engine choice reflects the Discovery’s mid-range position in the Land Rover league. It doesn’t get the option of a V8, instead having a carried-over 250kW supercharged petrol V6 and three turbodiesels – a 2.0-litre four-pot from JLR’s new “Ingenium” family in either 132kW or 177kW states of tune, and a 190kW V6.
The switch to the aluminium platform has resulted in some impressive weight saving – the new Discovery is 500 kg lighter than its predecessor spec-for-spec – and on the official performance figures the petrol V6 will be the quickest Discovery yet, with a claimed 7.1-sec 0-100km/h time.
Not that I got a chance to confirm that. Indeed, thanks to the gentle pace that Land Rover insists off-roading is conducted at I barely got either the V6 petrol or V6 diesel that I drove into third gear.
An eight-speed autobox is standard, but Land Rover is making the two-speed transfer box an option for the first time. The uptake of low-range gears will be a good indication of how many Discoveries are being bought to actually tackle the wilderness.
At such low speeds, it was even hard to discern much difference between the two engines. The petrol sounds nicer and punches harder when asked to do so, but it surges enough to make it difficult to maintain ultra-low speeds. The diesel’s flat-everywhere torque curve seemed ideally suited for chugging through the scenic wilderness that is the Atholl estate in the Highlands. I can’t honestly say anything about ride, steering response or refinement, except that – even at the lowest speeds – the new Discovery feels obviously lighter than its gargantuan predecessor.
It certainly feels plusher and posher than the last version and can still manage a fairly serious off-road challenge, albeit one that’s a fair bit removed from a trip to the Outback.
The big unanswered question is whether it can get close to the car-like ride and refinement of its premium rivals on road.
SPECS Model: Land Rover Discovery (Mk5) 3.0 Si6 Engine: 2995cc V6, dohc, 24v, supercharged Max power: 250kW @ 6500rpm Max torque: 450Nm @ 3500rpm – 5000rpm Transmission: Eight-speed auto, all-wheel drive Weight: 2223kg 0-100km/h: 7.1 sec (manufacturer) Fuel economy: 10.9L/100km Price: TBC On sale: Q2 2017
