The Land Rover Discovery has been referred to as the Swiss Knife of Automotives. This is a luxury vehicle capable of seating 7 people. This beast of a vehicle is packed with gadgets. It is highly capable off-road, and comfortable along with a motorway.
The latest Discovery might look somewhat sleeker than its square-edged predecessor but don’t let that fool you into thinking it any less complete. It is available with four- and six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, equipping it to do battle with increasingly impressive rivals such as the Audi Q7, BMW X5, and Volvo XC90.
I give here a list of the pros and cons of the SUV
Space in the Land Rover Discovery
As a large vehicle, it is obvious that it has ample space.
All versions come with seven seats that will genuinely accommodate seven adults. However, with all the seats in place, you don’t get quite as much boot space as a Volvo XC90 or Audi Q7.
Those in the second row are well catered for, helped by a completely flat floor and the ability to slide the chairs fore and aft in a 60/40 split (this also helps with access to the third row). Meanwhile, up front, the Discovery feels enormous and has some clever storage such as a compartment behind the panel for the heater controls.
With five of the seven seats in place, you get a boot that will easily swallow a couple of large cases and several soft bags. Other neat touches include a fold-down shelf to perch upon when the boot lid is raised, and the ability to raise and lower all of the rear seats electrically on top-spec models. USB sockets in all three rows will also keep the kids happy when it comes to charging music players and smartphones on the go.
Comfort in the Land Rover Discovery
Discovery’s size does not mean a depreciation of it’s comfort.
The Discovery wafts from place to place like a gentle giant thanks to its accommodating seats and standard air suspension. Only on the larger wheel options (21-inch and above) do bumps start to disturb the calm, assuming, of course, the sheer weight of the vehicle doesn’t squash them like a road roller.
Talking of weight, it might seem implausible that Land Rover offers a car of the Discovery’s size with the option of 2.0-litre, four-cylinder diesel or petrol engines. However, it does just that, although we still reckon the V6 diesel is the pick thanks to its superior low down pulling power and smoother, more refined engine sound.
Considering the car’s sheer mass and the size of its tires the way it shuts out wind and tyre noise is very impressive.
Dashboard Styling in the Land Rover Discovery
The Discovery might not have the exquisite trimmings of a Range Rover, but it certainly still feels like a truly premium product. Material quality is excellent, the design is classy and the dials and heater controls are easy to read at a glance.
The touchscreen, however, is still not a match for BMW or Audi, being sometimes slow to respond and simply not as intuitive to use. There are plenty of features though, and Land Rover’s off-road assistance systems are class leading.
In such a well-specified car it’s odd that you can’t order Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, which means it isn’t as easy as you might like to access all of your smartphone’s features (you instead have to download Land Rover’s InControl app).
Driving Ease in the Land Rover Discovery
Even compared with a Q7 or XC90 the Discovery feels simply massive.
Avoid the base S model and to a certain extent you can rely on the various proximity sensors and cameras to overcome the problems of driving such a large car, but even then it can be a challenge to guide through width restrictions or narrow country lanes, even if forward visibility is excellent.
The view out of the back isn’t nearly as impressive, in part simply because it’s so far away, but also because you need to have the central rear headrest folded if it isn’t to sit directly in your line of sight.
For those who need to tow, the Discovery can pull a braked trailer up to 3.5 tonnes and is even available with a tow assist system that allows you to steer the car via a rotary controller when reversing.
Reliability of the Land Rover Discovery
The Discovery comes with a warranty that lasts for three years no matter how many miles you do. This matches BMW and Mercedes and beats Audi’s cover, which runs out after three years and 60,000 miles.
The four-cylinder Land Rover Discovery SD4 doesn’t exist simply to lend a lower starting price to the range, but also to provide a relatively fuel-efficient version to compete with rivals. However, with an official test figure of 43.5mpg, the Discovery is still 5mpg behind its Swedish four-cylinder competitor, as well as the six-cylinder Audi Q7.
Opt for the 3.0-litre V6 and official economy drops to 39.2mpg, although in reality, you’ll be doing well to get much more than 32mpg on average.
Those after a petrol-powered Discovery can opt for a 2.0-litre four-cylinder or 3.0-litre V6, which averaged 29mpg and 26mpg respectively in EU fuel tests, although you can expect these figures to be difficult to obtain in real-world driving.
Safety features in the Land Rover Discovery
The Discovery scored a maximum five stars in Euro NCAP’s industry standard crash tests, albeit was still beaten for occupant protection and safety assist features by the Volvo XC90 (the Discovery did beat its Swedish rival for pedestrian protection though).
All Discoverys come with eight airbags, autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warning, and you can specify up to five Isofix mounting points for child seats.
Blind spot monitors are well worth adding if the model you’re considering doesn’t include them as standard.