Land Rover Discovery
Ratings
4 stars
Summary
Highly Recommended. Everything you'd expect a Land Rover to be - big, tough and great in the wilderness. Seven seat versions are impressively practical, too.
Review
This generation of Discovery keeps the virtues of its rugged predecessors and adds a welcome dose of build quality to them. Constructed on the same chassis as the Range Rover Sport, the "Disco" drives well and - in seven seat form - offers excellent practicality.
It's certainly not lacking in road presence, either. The handsome design is a clever re-interpretation of the previous generation Discovery, but the new car is substantially bigger and heavier. Inside the cabin that means loads of space for five occupants, and even a decent amount of room with the optional seven seat package. Build quality is good and the well thought-out ergonomics are excellent.
As you would expect, comfort came above handling dynamics on the design brief, and the Disco is a supremely restful place to spend time thanks to a pliant ride and good insulation from road and wind noise. Cornering is safe and predictable, but the Disco has no enthusiasm for more rapid progress. It's predictably brilliant off-road too, ploughing effortlessly through the sort of terrain that would have almost all of its rivals begging for mercy.
Two engines are available, with the vast majority of buyers opting for the 2.7 litre V6 diesel instead of the excessively thirsty 4.4 litre petrol V8. The 2.7 is smooth and capable of maintaining respectable motorway cruising speeds, but the Disco's massive weight really blunts acceleration, making overtaking harder than it should be.
Running costs are similarly high, although strong residual values take some of the sting out of medium-term ownership.
Ratings Breakdown
Styling
4 star
A handsome reinterpretation of the original Discovery - big, sleek and clearly useful.
Handling
3 star
Safe and predictable on tarmac, but never really fun. Brilliant off-road, though.
Comfort
4 star
The spacious cabin and excellent ride quality (especially with the optional air suspension) make the Disco a brilliant way to cover bigger distances.
Quality & Reliability
4 star
Vastly better than the distinctly shonky previous generation car. The cabin is well finished and materials quality is high.
Performance
3 star
The V8's enormous thirst makes its rapidity pretty much meaningless to the vast majority of European buyers. Diesel struggles to deliver safe overtaking performance.
Roominess
5 star
The well-finished cabin has loads of space in five-seat configuration - and a decent amount when specified with seven pews. The boot is massive too.
Running Costs
2 star
Even the diesel struggles to return much more than 25 mpg under everyday use and insurance and servicing costs are high. Retained values are good, though - especially on lower spec diesels.
Value for money
3 star
Competitive pricing at the bottom end of the range comes at the cost of fairly stingy kit - but the plusher versions start to look very expensive.
