2017 Land Rover Discovery review: all-new SUV tested
Yes. And this Land Rover Discovery is properly all new. Now based on the all-aluminium architecture of the Range Rover, the Mk5 Discovery has extra subframes to support standard seating for seven, plus weight loss of an entirely significant 480kg.
That means it’s lighter, but not light — pushing over 2.2 tonnes is by no means flyweight. Engines are Jaguar-ish: an Ingenium SD4, 237bhp four-cylinder diesel (the first 2.0-litre four-pot option since 1989) sits at the base of the range, managing 43.5mpg. At the top of the range, a small-selling supercharged Si6 petrol V6 produces 335bhp and claims 26mpg.
In the middle, though, is the car we’ve tested here: the TD6 3.0-litre V6 diesel. It produces 258bhp and 443lb ft, with just under 40mpg on the combined fuel cycle. These are perfectly acceptable numbers for a big SUV, though nothing that’ll make your jaw drop.
Performance figures are similarly average: 0-60mph in 7.7secs, 130mph top speed. That said, the Discovery has never been about numbers. It’s always been about hitting a sweet spot between everyday practicality and usability, and a slight whiff of luxury.
So does it manage it?
Short of a dedicated grand tourer, there’s probably no better place to cover miles: some 450-500-miles of range from a full tank, an imperious driving position, enough toys to amuse for days. The version we have here racks up the options to the tune of a purchasing price north of seventy-five grand, mind, but even the lowlier derivatives get decent kit.
It feels much, much lighter than the old one, too. Keener, unafraid of a corner. It’s rock-solid stable at speed, quiet apart from the comforting grumble of that big diesel up front and the bellowing Meridian optional stereo.
Does it do the off-road stuff well?
The new Discovery has all, if not more off-road chops than the car that went before it, a suite of abilities far, far in excess of what 99.9 per cent of owners will actually require of it.
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With the electronics massaging the throttle response and braking systems, traction control and engine map, you really do get to be semi-pro without all that inconvenient experience-gathering.
There’s even ‘Progress Control’: a kind of off-road cruise control if you’re feeling super-lazy, and even though our car has the optional £1000 ‘Capability Plus pack’ fitted (an active rear differential and the aforementioned PC), you get the feeling you’d have to be really stupid to get stuck.
Oh and the Discovery can wade up to 900mm, a figure chosen for the simple reason that after that, it floats. It really is impressive off-road, this thing, making fibs of Newton’s so-called laws.
More importantly, does it work as a posh people carrier?
It’s a full seven-seater, with second-row seats getting 954mm of legroom and the third row not needing to be worryingly short to find space — there’s 851mm in the far rear, and enough gap for real adults.
It’s also versatile; you can individually fold each rearmost seat, and the second row has a 60/40 split, recline and load-through facility. Heated seats are available all the way through, and you can have headrest-mounted screens, or just opt for the optional iPad holders. Handy.
There’s also help if you need the space and are peculiarly weak in the wrist, because you can always option the Intelligent Seat Fold system, which allows you to electrically raise and lower the seating to any spec from the dash touchscreen, boot-mounted buttons or a phone app.
What do you think of the looks?
The Discovery has a reputation as a people-moving seven-seater with practicality to spare, and a kind of bluff aesthetic that appeals on several visceral levels. The new one, however, is smoother. More urbane. Arguably less… Discovery-ish.
The new one has been styled under the direction of LR’s design boss Gerry McGovern, and has smoothed itself away from the blocky brutalism of the Disco 4, and into something much more generic.
The big stepped roofline is all but absorbed, the front and rear chamfered into a slipperier shape. There’s still a chunky look to it, but it’s more than a bit fraternally related to the smaller Discovery Sport. Both a good and a bad thing.
And that rounded bottom has deleted the split tailgate from the old model. Yes, you still get a kind of carpeted internal flap that drops down when you open the boot (which will support a decent 300kg), but really, it’s not the same.
You’ll have your own opinions on the styling though. Feel free to tell us them below.
Final thoughts?
It’s an extremely accomplished vehicle. You really can seat seven adults in it, do proper things, live active lifestyles. It hits all the right notes in terms of performance and handling, has a lovely, cosseting interior and levels of comfort on the daily grind that mean you’d think nothing of a 700-mile journey in it. In one day. Even if it doesn’t fully look like one, this seems to be a Discovery in every other sense.
Land Rover Discovery — long-term review
Usefulness. That’s why we’ve got a Discovery. Because we always need a car on the feet that can handle stuff. So obviously it’s been pressed into service immediately – bikes and dogs seemed a reasonable place to start. First impressions? There’s an awful lot of tech to negotiate: the towbar whirs in and out electrically, the seats lift and drop via buttons as well. Or an app on your phone, apparently. Haven’t quite fathomed the drop-down seat fap that replaces the split tailgate yet – how it works or the role it plays. Sometimes it lowers when you open the boot; sometimes it doesn’t.
Plenty of time for that. Introductions, then. This is a Discovery in top-line trim – a Td6 HSE Luxury, which, I’m almost ashamed to admit, costs £66,595 before you’ve added any options. These stack up to a further £11,375 (TV £880, Park Assist £935, massage seats £870, console fridge £235, etc). You can live without just about all of these when you get keyless, a 14- speaker Meridian sound system, LED headlights, air suspension, four-zone climate, rear-seat screens and leather as standard. Bit cheeky of Land Rover to demand you pay £110 extra for a pair of 12v chargers in the second row, but if it helps keep the kids’ iPads charged.
The new Disco is simply expensive. Five years ago, prices started at £36,785. Now £45,895 is the entry ticket, and that’s for a 2.0-litre 4cyl diesel. Step one trim up, and that’s another six grand. Land Rover used to be the affordable, utilitarian alternative to the more luxurious, stylish Range Rover, but these days the two seem much more closely aligned.
Say what you like about the styling, but it’s done a good job of making the Disco look smaller than it actually is. Up close, you’re aware of how much sheet metal is involved and just how enormous the rear doors are. They’re colossal. Inside, despite the standard twin sunroofs, it’s nothing like as light and airy as the old one. I miss that. And I’m already fed up with jibes about the offset number plate. But what’s key is whether the Disco still has the rugged, family-friendly qualities we know and love. Time for some tests.
Land Rover Discovery SD4 review: four-cylinder SUV driven
This is a Discovery powered by the bottom-of-the-range engine, a 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel. It has 240bhp, a claimed 43.5mpg, and starts below £44,000.
It’s a rival for some other four-cylinder diesels such as the BMW X5 25d, Mercedes GLE 250d and Volvo XC90 D5. But it will also tackle some V6s, including the Audi Q7, Jeep Grand Cherokee and VW Touareg.
But that list is pretty diverse because there’s not much like a Discovery. So if you want a Discovery, you’ll probably accept no rival substitute. But you do now get an engine choice.
As well as a supercharged petrol engine for those who buy their loved ones petrol station carnations every day, there are two diesels. Is this SD4 the right one, or should you still opt for the V6? Well this, says Land Rover, manages better performance than the V6 did in the old Discovery.
This hulking seven-seater SUV has lost 400kg on its predecessor. Which means the new engines don’t have to work so hard, so it can get away with a smaller one, the new four-cylinder.
And in a wonderful example of the downward weight spiral, the engine weight of the four-cylinder is 100kg or so less than the V6, so in total you’ve lost 500kg. Half a tonne. A Caterham, almost.
That’s the theory. What did you actually, er, Discover?
I hesitate to confess, but I didn’t realise at first that two cylinders were absent. I was being driven by a friend in the SD4. We were making good and peaceful progress. Then I looked at the spec sheet, realised what was under the bonnet and had a drive myself.
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I deliberately held it in low gears and used big revs, because they are good ways to expose any ill-manners of a four. But still I was impressed.
What engine is it?
A more powerful version of JLR’s diesel Ingenium family. Something we’ve not always been kind about in the past.
This 240bhp twin-turbo version is by far the best example yet, though. The older Discovery Sport has one turbo and is mounted transversely. This, in contrast, is a twin-turbo longitudinal installation. It’s smooth and quiet.
But you’d still want the V6?
Of course, but the numbers make it hard to justify. The SD4 has 93 per cent of the TD6’s power and 83 per cent of its torque. Because it’s lighter, the 0-62mph figure trails by just 0.2sec, at 8.3secs. The TD6 costs £1,500 more on like-for-like cars.
Neither engine can really overcome the Discovery’s farm-shed air resistance, so A-road overtaking needs lots of space. But the V6 feels a bit more effortless.
And what about the rest of the road behaviour?
The new Discovery’s on-road manners are imperious, thanks to a nice soft ride and surprisingly precise steering. It’s never car-like, though, and doesn’t want you to go berserk through a series of bends.
The technique with the old one was as follows: brake smoothly, count to three, then turn into a bend. In the new one you can just count to one. Which isn’t counting really is it? You just drive the thing, without having to make particular allowances.
Just as we ask about the track performance of sports cars, how’s this for off-roading?
Astounding, even on standard tyres. All versions get a low-range gearbox, air suspension you can hike up and second-generation Terrain Response.
It’ll wade to the tops of its tyres, with a pair of ultrasound sensors telling you how close to the depth limit you are. In a deluge, even on the road, that could save your bacon. It eases through foot-deep muddy ruts, goes across and down precipitate slopes and for all I know it will ascend the Pyramid of Giza.
And all in carpeted luxury. Top-end Land Rovers manage a spellbinding contrast between the hostile environment outside the windows and the warm luxury within. The Discovery’s cabin is a gorgeous mix of clean design with plush materials.
What about practicality?
For absolute maximum luxury, you will of course require a Range Rover. But keen Discoverists will be coming back for more because of the cabin practicalities. The interior is versatile and magnificently thought-out for any combination of seats, from two to seven.
All the chairs hold grown-ups and provide storage and charging for the provisions and devices mandatory to long-distance travel. For the driver, long journeys are eased, at last, by the assistance and connected navigation that its rivals have done so well for so much longer.
Still a favourite then?
We’re slightly unconvinced by the looks. The old one was just so clear in purpose, while the new has a slightly slippery ambiguity. But under the metal the Discovery is an unmatched combo of limousine, minibus and quad-bike. Even if you’ve downgraded from six to four cylinders.