Are a facelift, reduced CO2 emissions, improved safety features and a new single-speed drivetrain enough to keep the Land Rover Discovery competitive? Glenn Brooks gets the measure of the just-launched 2014 model.
Are there people out there who don’t like the looks of the Discovery? I guess there must be but surely after almost ten years on the market, this vehicle wouldn’t still be selling as well as it does, were it unattractive. The latest updates are subtle, especially at the back where new tail-lights and badges dwell. Up front you’ll now see DISCOVERY on the bonnet’s edge, though in North America and the Middle East, the LR4 model name has not changed, so LAND ROVER is still there in big letters.
Other differences over the outgoing ‘Discovery 4’ include engine badging having been removed from the bottom part of the tailgate, with just the model grade remaining on the right-hand side: in the case of the test car, ‘DISCOVERY’ remains on the left with ‘HSE LUXURY’ on the far right in a smaller font. It’s a cleaner, more premium look. In the UK, a small ‘SDV6’ ingot can now be found on both front doors, denoting the 256PS (and 600Nm) 3.0-litre diesel that comes as standard here. JLR sources this V6 from Ford’s Dagenham works in Essex, while the eight-speed automatic is ZF’s 8HP70.
Power is one thing that hasn’t been altered as part of the package of mechanical updates but emissions are improved, the CO2 average dropping from 230g/km to 213g/km. Fuel consumption is also better, at a Combined 35.3mpg (8.0l/100km). That number is pretty good, considering the 2,570kg (Total, EEC Kerb) weight of the thing. I saw just over 31mpg, so the real world consumption is competitive with rivals such as the similarly sized Toyota Land Cruiser and Mitsubishi Shogun, or the smaller Jeep Grand Cherokee, Volvo XC90, Mercedes-Benz M-Class, Audi Q7 and BMW X5.
Other things that have changed include a new range of driver assistance, comfort and safety features, such as: Wade Sensing (Land Rover claiming this as a unique technology), Blind Spot Monitoring, Closing Vehicle Sensing, Reverse Traffic Detection and T-junction Cameras. Meridian audio systems from the Range Rover are also new, with eight speakers and 380 Watts of power coming as standard, with 17 speakers and 825 Watts available as an upgrade.
Driving the 2014 Discovery is a surprisingly distinct experience to that of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, each of which somehow feels smaller (maybe it’s the weight advantage they have). This has always been a big vehicle but even with all that thick glass mounted quite high above the beltline, the last thing it feels is top heavy, which is quite an achievement. Unlike an X5, it doesn’t feel like a sports SUV when you’re steering it, but there again, the turning circle is car-like and on the motorway it doesn’t get blown around. Nor do you need to allow lots of extra room for emergency braking like you do in a couple of aged Japanese brand rivals. Imagine the four-wheeled equivalent of a weight lifter who’s just back from finishing school, and is wearing a dinner suit: that, for me, is the latest Discovery.
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By GlobalDataThere’s been a lot of refinement to the roadholding and handling of this model over the years and even by the time it’s replaced in 2016 or 2017, it’s unlikely to feel uncompetitively old-school. Much of the praise should be heaped upon the pneumatic suspension, which somehow manages not only to deliver a soft ride, but also far less bodyroll than I would have imagined.
The engine and transmission work extremely well together, and there are five push-button off-roading setttings as follows: Standard, Grass Gravel Snow, Mud Ruts, Sand, and Rock Crawl. You may also lift or lower the body at the touch of a button so getting in and out, as well as low roofed carparks present no problem. Not to mention the kinds of flash floods we’ve had in my part of the world this winter. Underlining just how serious a 4×4 this vehicle is, there are six grab handles overhead: even the driver and those in the third row have one.
The interior is perhaps the one area where you’ll notice the Discovery’s age but that’s mostly if you compare it to any of the three Range Rover models. Land Rover has done a good job of getting it to look and feel more contemporary than the inside of the Discovery 4. I also found that the touch-screen SatNav works far better than some rivals’ systems. The test vehicle came with a long glass panel in the roof, which from inside gives the appearance of three separate sunroofs. It’s almost that good: there are sliding glass panels for the driver and passenger and those in the third row, while the middle row occupants have a fixed pane.
Is there enough room for seven? Indeed there is. The final row of seats folds flush and you’d be surprised how much space there is for legs back there. The boot is also huge, and Land Rover’s interior designers also give you two gloveboxes, huge door bins and in the vehicle I borrowed, a compartment for chilled drinks under the central armrest.
On the downside, you might be in for a shock if you haven’t looked at Discovery prices in some time. The admittedly loaded model I was lent was priced at GBP59,450. Now that you’ve caught your breath, having realised that you can easily spend RRS money on a Discovery, do take note that that number is for the top-spec version. The cooled cubby box is an extra GBP235.00, and the Exterior Detection Pack (Blind Spot Monitor, Closing Vehicle Sensing, Reverse Traffic Detection and Wade Sensing) costs GBP750.00.
A so-called ‘Black Design Package’ is another new option and my opinion, the Discovery looks great with it. Available with either 19-inch or 20-inch black painted wheels, the package includes gloss black treatments to the grille, front wing vents, door handles, mirror caps, and badging. I recall when the 2014 model had its international debut at last November’s LA show, the US importer put out press pics with this package and the LR4 really did look the business. In North America, by the way, the former standard 5.0-litre V8 has been discontinued, replaced by JLR’s 340hp supercharged V6. Across the Atlantic, they don’t get the V6 diesel but that should change when the replacement model shows up in a couple of years’ time.
Will the next model have the same construction as this one, with its integrated steel unibody mounted on a rigid boxed full frame? No it won’t. The current Discovery dates from the time of Ford’s ownership of what is now Jaguar Land Rover, with the long-gone Ford Explorer’s T5 platform evolved into the current architecture by JLR’s engineers.
It will be all change when L462 succeeds today’s Discovery. A lower cost version of the aluminium platform as used by the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport will feature, with the Solihull plant which currently builds all three models being steadily switched over to a facility which will eventually build just low-weight vehicles. So expect a dramatic drop in mass when the current L319 is replaced.
This year should be another record one for Land Rover, especially if rumours of a Freelander/LR2 replacement prove true. This month sees the arrival of a V8 diesel for the Range Rover Sport, with a hybrid powertrain to follow from April. The Range Rover will also be available with petrol-electric power later in the Spring, with other new variants to follow later in 2014, including the top-spec Autobiography Black, and the new L stretched wheelbase body.
Last year was the best yet for Land Rover, with deliveries up 15% YoY to 348,338 vehicles. Judging by the obvious excellence of the brand’s newest products, backed up by the recent transmission and styling revisions made to the Evoque, and also now to the Discovery, getting to 400,000 in 2014 seems almost assured.
