Land Rover Discovery 2017 Tow Test

Land Rover turned heads, grabbed hearts and changed minds when it introduced its chunky Discovery 3 back in 2004.

The third iteration of its semi-luxury off-roader made a clear break, both in terms of styling and power train, with its much-maligned Discovery 1 and – to a much lesser extent – D2 predecessors.

While the D3 was not perfect, its broad spread of on and off-road capabilities vaulted it head and shoulders above its opposition at the time and the swag of trophies it garnered for design and execution were enough to convince most potential buyers that the second-tier Land Rovers' worries were a thing of the past.

What’s new?
I was one of those people whose first Land Rover experience came through the D3 and, after towing a wide range of caravans with other D3 and D4s since, I was particularly interested to see whether Land Rover's pursuit of more urban buyers with the fifth-generation Discovery  had blunted the model's core towing values.

On paper it should be an even better proposition, almost regardless of the model you choose – something that's important to many buyers who aren't afraid to put their Discos to work pursuing their caravanning, boating or equestrian lifestyles.

A 43mm increase in ground clearance to 283mm, a 200mm greater fording depth at 900mm, a new All-Terrain Progressive Control (ATPC) that can be programmed to autonomously maintain a crawl speed chosen by the driver and the adoption of Land Rover's latest lightweight and aluminium monocoque architecture (which contributes to a massive 480kg weight saving compared to the previous series' steel ladder construction) are features that should make a difference, particularly in off-road towing.

On-road, Land Rover's latest integral link rear suspension, that weight reduction, powerful and frugal new four-cylinder engine options and some specific new towing aids also make the latest Disco look more attractive ahead of most caravans and boat trailers up to the model's 3500kg braked trailer capability.

Trick towing aids
Advanced Tow Assist is a clever development that allows drivers to complete potentially difficult reversing manoeuvres when towing trailers, caravans and horseboxes with ease.

Land Rover says even absolute novices should be able to park using the clever system, as it takes care of the tricky counter-steering required to position trailers accurately when reversing.

The driver can simply guide the trailer into the desired space using the console-based rotary controller for the Terrain Response 2 system. To make the job even easier, responsive guidance lines overlaid on the feed from the rear-facing camera are displayed on the central touchscreen, taking the stress out of what is otherwise a tricky task for inexperienced towers.

The intuitive system alerts the driver if they over-steer to the point where it might result in a jack-knife.

Another handy towing feature is the new Disco's Trailer Light Test, which allows drivers to test their trailer lights without outside assistance, pulsing them while standing outside the vehicle. The system can be activated with a button in the load area or by using the vehicle's main touchscreen. No more yelling at your partner, 'Are they working?'.

Everyone who has a D3 or D4 fitted with height-adjustable air suspension knows how handy this feature can be when coupling/decoupling, or levelling your camper trailer or caravan for overnight stops.

Now, the Discovery's new Rear Height Adjust makes this easier by allowing the driver to lower and raise the height of just the rear of the vehicle using the key fob or switches in the luggage compartment.

Once the towbar is ready, Hitch Assist makes it easier to hook up. Using the surround cameras, the central touchscreen displays the rear towbar and recognises the trailer mounting point. The display then zooms in, showing a trajectory line, which responds to steering wheel inputs to help the driver guide the new Discovery accurately into place.

With a trailer safely attached, Trailer Stability Assist enhances safety on the move by detecting trailer sway and gradually reducing the speed of the vehicle by cutting the engine and gently slowing the vehicle.

Land Rover says this system isn't compromised by the electronic stability controls currently being fitted as standard, or available optionally, on most Australian caravans.

Even more tech
Meanwhile, other advanced assistance programs available on the Discovery that will specifically be appreciated by caravanners included Adaptive Cruise Control, which maintains a pre-set speed and automatically adjusts to keep a pre-determined distance from vehicles ahead; Automatic High Beam, which automatically dips the headlights between high and dipped beam when it identifies a vehicle in front (either from its rear or its headlamps) and Driver Condition Monitor, which monitors driver behaviour through inputs of steering, braking and the accelerator to detect that they are becoming tired and suggest they take a short break.

There's also Lane Departure Warning, which warns the driver through a vibration in the steering wheel if the digital camera detects them drifting out of lane; and Lane Keep Assist, which applies gentle torque to the steering to keep the driver within their lane.

Pricing and performance
So, with so many features to make towing easier and safer, what's not to like in the new Discovery?

You could say 'price', if you look at the $129,160 on-the-road ask of the 190kW/600Nm 3.0-litre V6 diesel TD6 HSE model we sampled ahead of ZoneRV's latest 20ft 6in Venture on-road caravan. That sounds like a lot when you recall that you could purchase the 4.0-litre straight-six petrol-engined entry-level version of the original D3 for under $50,000 drive-away.

But good as it is, do you have to spend that much on the new Disco for on-road towing? I've had no issue hauling caravans weighing up to three tonnes or more with my 140kW/440Nm 2.7-litre TDV6 diesel D3, which has a heavier tare weight of over 2500kg.

The nearest equivalent to my D3 with air suspension in the new Discovery range would be the more powerful SD4 version of the two new four-cylinder 2.0-litre Ingenium engines, which produces an impressive 177kW/500Nm.

That's about the same as the 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 diesel offered in the later D3s and D4; given the overall weight saving in the new D5, this should result in significantly better towing performance than my V6 D3.

Equipped with the seven-seater option, a Discovery SE with this SD4 engine has an RRP of $87,900, which is around $12,000 more than my Disco cost new 10 years ago. But you don't have to spend long reading the specs list to appreciate how much more you get for that extra money.

Even hauling an off-road caravan over difficult terrain should be easy for the more powerful four-cylinder engine, as the V6 that we sampled absolutely creamed the task of hauling the 2250kg tare weight van.

Interestingly, the new, slightly wider (2220mm versus 2009mm) and longer (4970mm versus 4835mm) Discovery looks a much bigger vehicle than its predecessor. However, this is more an optical illusion, as the boxy, upright shape of the D3 and D4 Discos disguised their bulk to some extent.

Quieter and more user-friendly
Compared with its 3.0-litre and particularly 2.7-litre V6 predecessors, the latest V6 diesel is impressively quiet, both on cold start-up and particularly when warm.

The new Hitch Assist and the ignition-key-activated Rear Height Assist makes it a cinch to hitch up to the Discovery's standard coupling and its self-levelling air suspension in the default travelling mode immediately had the caravan levelled, while Trailer Light Assist soon confirmed that all the van's lights were operating.

With peak torque achieved at 1800rpm, there's absolutely no need to rev the D3's TDV6 engine beyond 3000rpm at any stage to keep it in its sweet spot, and with the Discovery's standard eight-speed automatic transmission (versus the six-speed on my D3) there's even less.

In fact, with the torque of the new V6 you'll find the engine eager to drop into eighth gear as soon as possible on a flat road, ticking over without any grumbles at around 1500rpm.

It takes only a small touch on the accelerator, or an increase in gradient, for the transmission to drop almost imperceptibly back to seventh, and we suspect with 100Nm less torque on offer those who choose the SD4 engine will spend more time in seventh gear.

The self-levelling feature of the air suspension ensured that the ZoneRV van’s modest ball weight of 165kg had almost no effect on the Discovery's steering which, although light, always felt connected, even when towing on winding roads. As for road undulations, the new Discovery swallows those as impressively as its predecessors.

Summing up
What's really impressive with the new Discovery is that Land Rover has designed it for towing. This aspect is sometimes an afterthought with some rivals, particularly the latest rash of dual-cab utes that rely on aftermarket suppliers for towing equipment.

And like all Range Rovers and its D3 and D4 predecessors, the fifth-gen Discovery makes a fine fist of being a luxury vehicle when decoupled for a night out.

Looking at value for money, it's interesting to line up the new Disco models against their most logical Australian off-road market rival, Toyota's LandCruisers.

There's no question that the Cruiser has for years set the standard off the beaten track, but increased technology in the latest models has diluted the 'parts from any corner store' boast that earlier models could make with conviction.

You also have to pay heavily for the most expensive Sahara and VX model Cruisers to get features that are standard in lower models in the Discovery range, and let's not talk about fuel consumption! The claimed fuel consumption for the TD6 as reviewed is 7.2L/100km and when towing a van like the ZoneRV, owners should expect to average around 15.0L/100km depending on towing speeds and conditions.

From our extended experience towing a similar-weight caravan, the latest LandCruiser V8 turbodiesel will be battling to average much under 19.0L/100km under similar conditions.

So, as a Discovery owner, I have to admit that while well satisfied with my D3, the Discovery 5 is a major step forward in almost every way. Certainly it's hard to beat in terms of the features it offers caravanners.

2017 Land Rover Discovery TD6 HSE pricing and specifications: 
Price: $100,265 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Output: 190kW/600Nm
Fuel: 7.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 189g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

You call that towing: Watch Land Rover Discovery pull a road train