2014 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY REVIEW

Land_Rover_Discovery_front
Land Rover Discovery took out the ABC (Australia’s Best Cars) award in 2013 for the ninth consecutive year – that’s right, ninth year.

Competing in the All-terrain Vehicle segment, the Disco impressed the judges from the Australian motoring associations with its off-road ability and on-road poise.

Having just spent the week behind the wheel of the latest iteration of the Discovery we find it impossible to disagree with the decision. Most of our road testing was done in ‘real world’ conditions – that is on sealed roads in traffic and on motorways – though we did thump it at highish speeds on our favourite dirt tracks.

Land_Rover_Discovery_off-road
September 2013 saw the Land Rover Discovery get a major update, one that’s likely to see it through the next couple of years before an all-new model arrives. The concept vehicle shown at the New York Motor Show a few weeks back probably gives serious cues to the next Disco, obviously Land Rover won’t comment at this stage.

STYLING
The Discovery still carries the same practical shape as before, check out the tall squared-off tail that lets it carry far bigger loads than the trendy crossovers aimed at the ‘boutique wagon’ market.

Land_Rover_Discovery_interior
For model year 2014 the Discovery received a bolder grille, new front bumper, and revised headlights, the latter with a clever DRL design that really makes a statement.

Rather than having a ‘Land Rover’ sign across the front of the bonnet, the word ‘Discovery’ is writ large in that position. The Land Rover badge has been relegated to a small one built into the grille.

ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS
Two versions of the 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel are offered, as is an all-new supercharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol. Our test vehicle had the more powerful version of the diesel, with a hefty 183 kW of power and 600 Nm of torque, the latter at 2000 rpm.

The lower powered diesel still has decent punch, with 155 kW and 520 Nm. The blown petrol unit has 250 kW, cleverly it doesn’t lag far behind the diesels in torque, producing an impressive 450 Newton metres between 3500 and 5000 revs.

All models use the eight-speed automatic transmission that was introduced in the last of the run of the previous model Disco.

SAFETY
Driver aids are impressive, with Land Rover introducing Closing Vehicle Sensing, Reverse Traffic Detection, T-junction cameras and Blind Spot Monitoring.

DRIVING
The front seats are reasonably wide and very comfortable, the centre row can take three adults without them rubbing together over much. The three seats in this row can be individually folded down. The rearmost pair of seats can cope with adults thanks to having decent legroom. The latter two seats can be independently retracted into the floor of the cargo area. Overall, there’s exceptional versatility in the way the passenger / luggage room can be juggled.

The superb suspension really does give the so-called magic-carpet ride yet provides far more road grip than seems possible in a high-riding 4WD. Yes, 4WD, because the Discovery is certainly far more than a sports utility vehicle.

Steering is slow in the central position, a deliberate design feature as the Discovery will be used off-road by far more owners than the typical SUV and the last thing you want in tight, tricky conditions is steering that reacts too fast. However, on-road and in tight parking situations you have to get accustomed to the steering.

Engine performance from the powerful turbo-diesel is very good and there’s minimal lag before the engine really starts to percolate. The sheer grunt makes overtaking easy.

Yet fuel consumption is surprisingly low; we found it running in the eight to nine litre range when cruising on motorways, and the figures of 10 to 12 litres per hundred kilometres around town are more than acceptable.

SUMMING UP
A large practical 4WD has no right to behave like a passenger sedan when pushed at corners. Add the ability to go places off the beaten track that will challenge other all other 4WDs and the Land Rover Discovery really is something right out of the ordinary.

About Ewan Kennedy

Ewan Kennedy, a long-time car enthusiast, was Technical Research Librarian with the NRMA from 1970 until 1985. He worked part-time as a freelance motoring journalist from 1977 until 1985, when he took a full-time position as Technical Editor with Modern Motor magazine. Late in 1987 he left to set up a full-time business as a freelance motoring journalist. Ewan is an associate member of the Society of Automotive Engineers - International. An economy driving expert, he set the Guinness World Record for the greatest distance travelled in a standard road vehicle on a single fuel fill. He lists his hobbies as stage acting, travelling, boating and reading.
Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *