Land Rover Discovery review

Four-cylinder diesel offers a more efficient entry point to the Discovery line-up

With air suspension fitted as standard to every model, the Discovery rides smoothly. It’s even more comfortable on smaller wheels, as larger alloys do cause some harsher jolts from the rear axle over more severe bumps, but that’s not too much of a surprise given that the Disco has been designed to carry seven people and luggage.

On smoother roads, the Discovery’s weight (this is still a two-tonne-plus car despite the savings from the new chassis) means it moves with the road in a gentle and languid fashion, cossetting its occupants nicely. 

The steering is slow and not the most precise around, so even by the standards of its class, the Discovery isn’t a particularly agile car to drive. There’s lots of body roll in faster corners, but that suits the relaxed and soothing driving experience. The refined powertrains help, too – we’d argue that comfort and quietness are the most important traits in a car like this. 

All engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox and permanent four-wheel drive with Land Rover’s Terrain Response set-up. Thanks to this, with the turn of a dial, the driver can tailor the behaviour of the car to suit the ground it’s driving over, whether it be mud, snow or sand.

With HSE Luxury trim, you get the more advanced Terrain Response 2 system, which can automatically sense what the car is driving on and adjust the parameters of the engine and transmissions to suit. This adds to the easy, relaxed and unhurried nature with which the Discovery goes about its business, helping to make this easily one of the most comfortable and practical cars on sale today.

All in all, this means that, despite its revised styling and even more upmarket approach, the Discovery is still unrivalled when it comes to off-road performance.  

That said, the Discovery’s incredible size means it can be a little more challenging to thread down a narrow country road as well as to park (although there are plenty of features to help you with the latter). Similarly, the weight means you need to get your braking done nice and early, but the car still feels safe and reassured, with more than enough stopping power.

Engines

To widen the car’s appeal, Land Rover has developed a new version of its Ingenium 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine for the Discovery. With two turbos to boost both low-end response and high-end power, there’s 237bhp and 500Nm of torque on offer, meaning that even this relatively small engine offers adequate performance.

Officially, 0-60mph comes up in 8.0 seconds, while the top speed stands at 121mph. With so much torque, it feels perfectly acceptable in normal driving and cruises in a relaxed manner once up to speed. Refinement isn’t bad, either, although it can feel strained if you start to demand full performance on a more regular basis.

The 254bhp 3.0-litre V6 diesel is smoother and has a more melodious engine note; and, with 600Nm of torque, the performance is effortless. Where the Sd4 can struggle with a full load or up hills, the Td6 feels muscular, even though both will effectively tow the same maximum 3,500kg.

Performance is good in the Td6, with the 0-60mph sprint taking 7.7 seconds and the top speed standing at 130mph. However, it’s the low-end response and punchier mid-range – along with the smoother soundtrack – that’d make you buy the V6.

The Si6 supercharged V6 petrol will be a niche choice for UK buyers, but it’s still a sweet unit. Taken from sister brand Jaguar, it produces 335bhp, which is enough to propel the chunky Discovery from 0-60mph in an impressive 6.9 seconds. 

In reality, it doesn’t feel that much faster than the Td6 because the petrol motor only kicks out 450Nm of torque – and it’s produced higher up the rev range than the diesels at 3,500rpm. However, the muted V6 growl from under the bonnet on full throttle is nice.