Land Rover Discovery 3 2004 Review

What we liked
>> Mindblowing offroad skills
>> Refined, ergonomic interior
>> Smooth ride onroad

Not so much
>> Weight wounds fuel economy...
>> ...and saps engine performance
>> Base car misses goodies

OVERVIEW
That's not fair, because few companies have been through the kind of turmoil that LandRover has in the last five years. It's also inaccurate because this new Discovery -- or more correctly the "Integrated Body Frame" architecture it's built on -- will underpin a number of new LandRovers in the coming years, including the all-new Range Rover Sport in 2005 and Defender in 2007.

LandRover's recent history reads like a Tom Clancy novel, full of boardroom intrigue and company takeovers. First there was the dark and stormy hanging over its head and the Solihull plant before German luxury brand BMW stepped in. With billions of dollars injected to bring quality and productivity into the 21st century, BMW tried but couldn't remake LandRover in its own Germanic image. BMW certainly made ground, however, as witnessed by a much better, more reliable 2003 Range Rover than LandRover could have built on its own.

So friendly Ford made BMW an offer too good to refuse and that most British of four-wheel drives came under the wing of the world's second largest carmaker. But happy times were still a ways off, as LandRover, Jaguar, Aston Martin and Volvo were combined into the Premier Automotive Group (PAG) wing of Ford Motor Company.

What does PAG mean? Nothing to the customer, and that's the way it should be. It simply combines all those backroom operations, like finance, IT, etc, that cost a lot of money to run. As far as the customer is concerned it's all about LandRover, which is what we're here to discuss.

LandRover Discovery 3 is the third model to wear that badge in 14 years, though version two was more a mechanical update than a new model. But this time around, it's a very different Discovery we're looking at, from the hard-edged, boxy styling to the Jaguar-based engines under the bonnet. But the end result is the same: world-beating off-road abilities matched with prestige on-road cachet.

FEATURES
New Discovery's styling is said to be evolutionary, inasmuch as it mimics previous Disco's split-level roof, horizontal grille and canopy-like look of the rear third. But no one will struggle to pick the new from the old, and whether you like it or no (we do) it's a striking set of clothes for the king of the prestige offroaders.

That overtly boxy -- and not very aerodynamic -- styling hides a very versatile interior, which employs a number of cutting-edge techniques to deliver true seven adult carrying capacity. Seats that fold smartly and flatly into the floor allow a number of configurations for carrying long loads and passengers, and only enhances Discovery's credentials for people moving.

Discovery 3 makes good use of PAG relations when it comes to putting engines under the bonnet. Two from Jaguar (4.4-litre V8 and 2.7-litre turbodiesel) and one from Ford (4.0-litre V6) get the job of moving the 2.5-ton Discovery down the road, or up the hill, as the case may be. All engines come with a six-speed automatic gearbox; the diesel has an optional six-speed manual.

You'll hear a lot about Terrain response when you visit a LandRover salesman, and so you should. It's what separates the men from the boys when the bitumen ends. We've detailed it further in the Mechanical section.

LandRover is yet to confirm the Australian Discovery line-up, but all three engines will feature. We've been told to expect a slight reduction in prices also, but we'll know more closer to launch in May 2005.

MECHANICAL
LandRover calls it 'Integrated Body Frame' -- a fancy name for Discovery's separate chassis and monocoque hybrid. It's a big change for Discovery 3, and one that'll form the basis of Defender replacement and the Range Rover sport model. Discovery is 176mm longer and 30mm wider than before, but sits slightly lower overall.

Discovery's also ditched the antiquated beam axle arrangement in favour of double wishbones front and rear. Base models will have coils and shock absorbers while higher spec models will feature adjustable air suspension and Terrain Response.

Aah, Terrain Response, making tricky offroad situations as simple as dialling the appropriate setting. From the driver's perspective it's a centrally located knob with five settings accompanied by two flick switches and a bright yellow button. Simple, go to it!

OK, first is the bright yellow button -- hill descent control which slows your descent to 7km/h regardless of the slope steepness and footing underneath (you can modify it via the cruise control buttons).

Second are the two flick switches -- one's for choosing between high and low range gearing; the second manually adjusts the ride height to a maximum of 240mm. Third is the Terrain Response knob which has five 'pre-selects' for various types of terrain; namely on-road, grass/gravel/snow, mud and ruts, sand, and rock crawl.

Each setting adjusts the ride height to suit, controls the centre and optional rear differential, adjusts gear-change points and throttle sensitivity, and reduces traction control and ABS intervention to best suit the under-tyre conditions. Essentially it does everything but steer you over the obstacle.

Three engines come with Discovery 3, and all are from other Ford brands. For starters the 4.0-litre V6 petrol engine is straight from Ford Explorer, North America's biggest selling SUV. LandRover has tinkered with the engine and replaced the top end to ensure the engine delivers the kind of performance (160kW/360Nm) and refinement a LandRover owner expects.

Second petrol engine is a Jaguar-sourced V8, enlarged to 4.4 litres from 4.2. Revisions to this engine included repositioning the air intake to account for river wading (something Jaguar owners seldom do, apparently), dust and water-proofing the engine and ancillaries, and boosting low-end torque. The end result is 220kW and 425Nm.

Third engine, and another from Jaguar, is the 2.7-litre turbocharged V6 diesel. Unlike Jaguar, the LandRover engine employs only one turbocharger to make 140kW and 440Nm of torque.

All engines come with a ZF-sourced six-speed automatic transmission with sport mode and a Command Shift manual selector. Only the diesel engine is available with a six-speed manual option.

COMFORT
One mighty failing with Discovery 2 was the poor cabin ergonomics. For starters those with arms shorter than two metres had to lean forward out of the driver's seat to reach the gearlever, stereo and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) controls were confusing at best and the interior somehow delivered cramped accommodation from one of the largest exteriors in class.

Forget everything. Discovery 3 has room for seven adults -- yes, even in the rear two seats -- and the smart placement of driving controls and secondary controls means they fall easily and readily to hand. Seat height is more in tune with stepping across into the vehicle instead of climbing up, and Disco provides 'theatre' seating where each row is slightly higher than the one in front.

All rows also get their own glass sunroof, though only the front one slides and tilts; the rest are fixed. None feature a 'blackout cover', making do with a mesh cover that doesn't totally block out the sun -- this may be an issue during the harsh Aussie summer...

The front seats adjust for height, rake and slide, and the steering wheel tilts and telescopes through a decent range. Good forward visibility and better rear visibility (the rear tyre is now under the car) allow easier manoeuvring.

Good in-cabin storage compartments keep gear from rattling around, and well-bolstered seats perform the same calming act on humans. Disco's versatile seating setup allows a number of variations from two to seven seats and provides smart storage for the luggage cover when it's not in use.

Boot space is cavernous in two-seat format, ample with five up but barely there when six and seven are up. The Discovery's tailgate split opens and the the bottom half can support up to 250kg -- two people at a tailgate party perhaps?

SAFETY
Safety starts with a rigid body structure, and LandRover engineers spend thousands of hours ensuring Disco's combination chassis could resist bending. Two big steel girders form the backbone of the structure and intensive use of aluminium throughout and boron steel in the pillars add strength.

Boron steel is also used in the doors to prevent side-impact intrusion, while up to eight airbags permeate the cabin. Front driver and passenger airbags, front-side airbags and curtain airbags covering the first two rows are fitted to all Discoverys, and those with the extra two seats get two more side airbags in the third row.

Active safety features include constant all-wheel drive with electronic traction control and dynamic stability control. Anti-lock brakes are standard, as are disc brakes on all four wheels. Use of lighter aluminium in the bonnet and other body panels keep the centre of gravity down and enhance Discovery's on-road dynamics.

COMPETITORS
'Tis truly a crowded market these days, though few offer the sort of off-road supremacy -- and now onroad abilities -- of the Discovery. Buyers may want to consider the top spec Toyota LandCruiser/Lexus LX470 and Nissan Patrol, maybe even the Toyota Prado, though none can match the air-suspended Discovery on road.

For a prestige bent with middling off-road skills, try the Mercedes-Benz ML-class and BMW X5 series. Also check out Lexus RX330, Honda MDX, Volkswagen Touareg, Volvo XC90, and possibly the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Mitsubishi Pajero.

For seven-seat carrying you may want to look at Ford's Territory, though it doesn't stand a chance when the road turns to rock or mud.

Discovery 3 raises the question: "Why would you buy a Range Rover?" And the answer is not because of the technology, or the on- or offroad abilities of the Rangie, because Disco matches it at every turn. The answer is because of the Range Rover badge, pure and simple.

ON THE ROAD
An absolute revelation. Discovery 3 deserves no comparison to its predecessor, because it rides and handles on-road far better than ever before. Off the road Discovery demonstrated capabilities and competency far beyond any factory-built four-wheel drive we've had the opportunity to drive.

Hell, if it was our car we'd not have attempted half the obstacles LandRover executives gleefully placed in our path. There comes a point where pride in your product becomes an insane obsession, and we wonder at the wisdom of LandRover's global CEO Matthew Taylor standing inches in front of our rock-hopping Disco, which was teetering on two wheels at the time...

It's clear LandRover's happy with the job it has done on the new Discovery, and with good reason. It's also as clear to us that Disco's 2.5-2.7 ton kerb weight will be an issue. It does affect performance and it does affect fuel consumption. Whether it affects sales in Australia is a matter for you, the consumer, to decide.

For the record, Discovery V8 showed enthusiastic performance on the road, accelerating strongly, if not urgently, up to speed and handling corners with a flat stance that belies its bulk. There's that wonderful airbag suspension kicking in to beef up the outside 'struts' on corners. Also for the record, CarPoint managed just 20litres/100km over a distance of nearly 200km -- admittedly some on-road and some of it on beaches, in bogs and over rocky cliffs.

If you're thinking diesel, then ignore the manual gearbox, even though it's a pretty good cog-swapper. The automatic, with that element of torque-slip, is a much nicer driving experience, especially from a standstill. It's in no hurry to get up to pace, however, and LandRover's claim of 0-100km/h in 12.8 seconds sounds about right. Fuel economy during our test of the diesel peaked at 14litres/100km.

Regardless of the engine under the bonnet, Disco's ride was silky smooth over the winding roads of Northern Scotland, handling bumps and joins without fuss. Steering is accurate and well weighted, and much better than we expected of such a big vehicle, handy when the bum starts to wag a little under heavy braking. Wind noise at highway speeds from that boxy body is noticeable, especially around the A-pillars.

LandRover did not make coil-sprung Discoverys available to the media at launch, so all our comments relate to the more expensive air-sprung version. LandRover also did not supply any six-cylinder petrol versions despite its potential to be the best seller in Australia. And, just so you know, we tested the rear seats personally, and found them to be -- gasp -- comfortable for our 175cm, cuddly frame. A true seven-seater.