Land Rover Discovery 4 TDV6 2010 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $68,490
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Metallic paint $1800, electronic rear diff $1060, upgraded audio $560, premium satnav/HDD/voice control/offroad mapping $4430, rear-view camera $1050, seven-seat leather pack $2500, bi-xenon headlights/LED signature $1000, front parking sensors $900
Crash rating: TBA
Fuel: Diesel
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 10.2
CO2 emissions (g/km): 270
Also consider: Audi Q7 TDI, BMW X5 xDrive30d, Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited, Mercedes-Benz ML 320 CDI

About our ratings

A confession: this writer last drove a Land Rover Discovery when it had a '2' appended to its nameplate. That would be around 2004 or even earlier.

So having missed the much-praised Discovery 3, the reviewer approached the latest model Discovery 4 with fairly low expectations. How nice to report then that the Disco 4 is a ripper. Even in entry-level trim, with the older-generation diesel V6, it has been a catalyst for an offroad conversion of the Damascene kind.

The engine in this base-grade Discovery tested was basically the 2.7-litre V6 that powered some variants of the superseded Discovery 3, but the Disco 4 also offers buyers of higher-grade variants the same 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 diesel that powers the Jaguar XF and XJ.

Compared with that engine (sampled by this writer in the two Jag sedans), the 2.7 in the test vehicle felt a little coarser, a little more 'diesel'. Everything's relative, of course. Beyond some vibration, the smaller V6 is still a pretty refined engine -- one you could live with and not be driven mad by rattle and clatter. There's none, quite simply.

And for such a relatively large vehicle, the fuel consumption for the week, according to the trip computer, was respectably close to the combined-cycle figure for the 2.7-litre Disco. In a mix of open-road and around-town driving, the trip computer showed average fuel consumption around 11.0L/100km.

One of our staffers expressed concern about turbo lag, but the 2.7 is still responsive by comparison with other diesels on the market. The lag shows up from a standing start, when the Disco is a little slow to gather up its skirts, but turbo boost comes on strong at around 3000rpm. 

The ZF six-speed occasionally mis-stepped with a clunk if the driver applied too much welly, but the autobox otherwise shifted smoothly and kept the turbo on boost. One one occasion the reviewer found himself reaching for shift paddles that weren't there, illustrating how competently the engine and transmission worked together. There was a little drivetrain rumble mixed in with wind noise at freeway speeds, but the Discovery was pretty subdued for a diesel SUV.

As a capable offroader, the Discovery just might also be the best-mannered 'proper' SUV on-road for around $80,000 (as tested). Obviously, during those years of BMW ownership, the technology and engineering expertise for all-terrain wagons didn't flow in just the one direction.

The Discovery was fairly amazing for the way it managed to cover off conflicting parameters. It had progressive but strong soft-stop braking, a tight turning circle with good high-speed stability and a very comfortable ride without any of the squirm found in some less sophisticated SUVs.

While some will complain that the steering is light at speeds around and above 60km/h, the Discovery's feedback was good enough for the type of vehicle it is and the big SUV turned into corners quite promptly. The suspension and wheel/tyre combination mustered high levels of grip and consistent handling too. There was moderate body roll, which was hardly a surprise in a vehicle as relatively tall as this one.

The height of the roof in the Discovery was partly a result of the vehicle's elevated ground clearance and Land Rover's determination to provide better than merely adequate levels of headroom in the cabin. For someone around 180cm tall, the Discovery's H-point was basically ideal -- not least of all in a high-riding vehicle like this one.

Accommodation throughout the cabin was generous for average-height adults as well as kids. Even the third row seat wasn't unduly cramped for adults. In fact, there was plenty of headroom and enough kneeroom there also. You won't be able to stretch out far in the rearmost seats, but you can survive a trip of half-hour's duration without going bonkers -- and there are cupholders and additional storage bins for the passengers at the very rear of the vehicle. It's a similar story in the second-row and the front, except offering even greater room to move.

Luggage space is limited once all seven seats are occupied, but with the third-row seat lowered into the floor, the goods-carrying ability of the Discovery is impressive. Riding as high off the ground as the Discovery does could pose a real problem for any SUV with a one-piece tailgate, so the Land Rover's split tailgate with separate window is a real boon for people of shorter stature.

While reconfiguring the inside of the Disco 4 can be time-consuming, it's also straightforward and intuitive. There are quite a few levers, buttons and finger pulls, plus much unhitching, unlatching, releasing, lifting and retracting, but to go from five seats with the cargo blind in place to seven seats can be done within 60 seconds -- and without furious reading of the owner's manual.

Furthermore, provided the user knows how it's all done, rejigging the seats won't require a lot of manual labour in the Land Rover. As one example, removing the cargo blind in the Discovery was much simpler than the same task in Benz's R-Class driven recently.

From the driver's seat the Disco's bonnet is set impressively low. Land Rover has a long-standing tradition of designing vehicles that allow the driver to watch the corners in heavy going offroad, but the Disco takes this to new heights of low-slungness. The driver's seat really provides a commanding position, seemingly helped by a V-configuration engine set back a long way and mounted longitudinally rather than transversely.

Seats are comfortable, but perhaps not as supportive under the thighs as expected. Style and presentation in the interior are generally very good, with materials of high quality and all nicely coordinated. The dash is a chunky-looking affair, but it's interesting and not at all bland in its design, as so many dashboards frequently are in the interests of crash safety.

Ergonomically, the instruments are placed well for legibility, but the readouts themselves are not always completely clear. For example, the engine temperature display uses an arrow to show precisely what the temperature is, while the fuel tank employs a bar graph. One might ask why Land Rover didn't settle on one or the other type of display for both?

All the minor controls in the centre fascia make for an environment that seems confusing at first, but it's actually quite easy to use with brief familiarisation.

The Disco 4 comes with keyless start and a button on the dash to crank the engine. Unlike similar systems from other brands, the button needs to be held down for a couple of seconds while the engine pre-warms.

Gaining access to the car requires two presses of the button on the key fob to unlock doors other than the driver's. This is intended to foil car-jackers, but for most people the benefit of this security measure is outweighed by the inconvenience.

It was our recollection that older Land Rovers were not that flash for HVAC airflow. That situation has certainly been reversed with the latest Discovery and there's abundant cold air through the face-level vents when required.

Parking and low-speed manoeuvring in the Discovery were unexpectedly simple, thanks to the good field of vision, the (optional) reversing camera and parking sensors front (at extra cost) and rear. Considering the Land Rover's footprint, it's truly viable in suburbia. This is an offroader that can actually thread its way through most environments without making a pig's breakfast of it all, whether the environment be heavy traffic, parked cars and pedestrians in a shopping centre -- or forestry tracks.

If you live less than 20km from the GPO but occasionally go bush, the Discovery is just possibly the vehicle for you.

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