Review: Land Rover Discovery

The latest generation of the Land Rover Discovery aligns the nameplate with its smaller sibling Sport variant in style and positioning, writes Brian Byrne. But it also lifts it away from a significant part of the customer base in Ireland.

The tall and square shape of the previous car made it a very practical commercial, and for owners in the agricultural and construction sector it was a popular choice.

The new one, as far as I can see, doesn't lend itself as well to commercial use. And as yet, probably because there's a pent-up demand for the new car as a passenger vehicle, there's no sign of a commercial offering.


It is also becoming difficult to separate Land Rover and its luxury Range Rover division in premium terms. The Discovery is now as close as it gets to a Range Rover in comfort and specification terms. So why move up the cost ladder just for a badge and a few more goodies? But that's for customers to decide.

The shape is sleeker, though there are some tips of the hat to cues that were part of Discovery from all the way through. Like the lift in the roof over the middle seats, but now almost not noticeable. And the previous very distinctive treatment of the tailgate area is now less so.

But the car is definitely good looking. Especially the front end which is a good mix of strength and style. It will sit impressively outside your house.

The inside is recognisable to anyone who has driven Land Rovers of the last decade, though with more plush and a noticeably less complicated layout. All the main controls and knobs are large, clear in their use, and at an easy reach. The car inherited the circular auto shift selector first used by Jaguar, and I still don't much like it. Mostly when parking and switching between drive and reverse. On the other hand, the terrain response selection is considerably simpler than in its own first incarnation.

The review car was a 7-seater, with good space in the middle row and enough for occasional use in the back two. It is available as a 5-seat car.

The review Discovery was powered by a diesel version of Jaguar Land Rover's own 2.0 Ingenium engines range. They are smooth, pretty thrifty in both fuel consumption and emissions, and work well with the automatic transmission.

I didn't have the opportunity to take it anywhere serious off-road, but I know from long experience with the brand and its current technology that it truly will go anywhere, and bring me back safely. I have driven Land Rovers and Range Rovers in the rain forests of Laos, the Andes, Iceland, and in the Atlas Mountains among other places, and my confidence in the vehicles was always vindicated.

This time, a run from Kildare to beyond Galway and back just for lunch tested the car very well for comfort on a good variety of roads including motorway and bog-rippled surfaces. Not many cars will leave me as fresh after that as I was.

PRICE: €57,815-€107,895. EQUIPMENT: Four grades. AWD and 8-speed auto standard throughout. 2.0 and 3.0 diesels, 3.0 petrol. STARS RATING: 4.6/5.