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First Drives

Land Rover Discovery TDV6 HSE CAR review

By Ben Pulman

First drive

18 February 2008 09:11

What's the best multi-purpose vehicle on sale today? You'll struggle to find a better one than the Land Rover Discovery - an amazing jack of all trades, if ever we've seen one. It can go almost anywhere. It can carry seven full-sized adults in absolute comfort. It's family friendly, loves motorway journeys and, in diesel spec, is even vaguely sensible.

Yes, ok, so it weighs a frankly astonishing 2.7 tonnes (even
Volkswagen’s V10-engined Touareg only tips the scales at 2602kg) and the tide is turning against lumbering, big SUVs. But is this fair? We thought it was time to reappraise the Discovery and its ilk.

It's hardly new. Why are you only driving the Land Rover Discovery now?

CAR Online launched in summer 2006, which means we missed out on the Disco’s original launch. With new engines and other tweaks coming next year it seems the right time to revisit a vehicle that is a true favourite in the CAR office. (We're planning to plug some of the gaps in our first drives over the coming months, so look out for more retrospective first drives.)

Based on the same sturdy underpinnings as the Range Rover Sport, the Discovery offers a more traditional take on the Land Rover experience than the new-age flashiness of its brother. It's still vast, though, with plenty of space for seven.

Surely the Land Rover Discovery is too big for British roads?

The Disco certainly feels better suited to US roads than our more congested European streets. At 4835mm long and 2009mm wide it's actually shorter than an Audi Q7 (5086mm) but wider (1983mm), and only slightly smaller than its big brother the Range Rover. The height also means you’re always instinctively ducking when going into multi-storey car parks.

But the Discovery never feels too intimidating to drive. Of course, the Disco feels big but the chunky, angular styling means you always know where the extremities are. The styling of an
X5 might disguise its size, but it also hides where the bumpers are. Driving the Discovery around town is like driving an enormous Smart car.

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Need to know

CAR's rating

rating is 5

Handling

rating is 3

Performance

rating is 4

Usability

rating is 5

Feelgood factor

rating is 5

Readers' rating

rating is 3.5

Statistics

How much? £44,535
On sale in the UK: Now
Engine: 2720 24v V6 turbocharged diesel, 188bhp @ 4000rpm, 324lb ft @1900rpm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Performance: 12.8 0-62mph, 112mph, 27.7mpg, 270g/km CO2
How heavy / made of? 2718/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)? 4835/2009/1887

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Land Rover Discovery TDV6 HSE CAR review

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Britbloke

Britbloke says

The best car I've ever owned

Pretty much have to agree with the article. I bought one two years ago (still have it) and, even though logic tells you otherwise, it's simply the most brilliant car. Who cares that it doesn't corner like a Ferrari, modern traffic doesn't let you do that anyway. Who cares that it doesn't have a 0-60 of 5 seconds or a top speed of 140mph - modern traffic doesn't let you do that either. It goes anywhere and is totally relaxing to drive. Over the years (too many of them!) I've owned all types of car - sports cars, american cars, a Bentley, a Fiat 500 (the original!), Volvos, Fords, Mercedes -you name it. This is the best by a long way. And it has, so far, been reliable. I shall be buying a 2009, no matter how much the greenies tell me I shouldn't.

17 April 2008 15:35

Clarke

Clarke says

So let's get this straight ....

... this thing is 2.7 tons of metal that doesn't accelerate, doesn't handle, has an Airfix interior, and whose sole redeeming feature is the ability to carry 7 blokes across a muddy car-park. Woo hoo. Is this CAR Magazine, or IRRELEVANT TRUCK Magazine?

29 February 2008 06:30

JohnnyBimmer

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JohnnyBimmer says

Clear statements

This Discovery smacks of integrity like no other car on the planet. It is quite beautiful and unmatched in its crisp, modern, brick-like design and presence on the road. If only they could do this at 600kg less to up its acceleration and economy figures LR would find many customers moving with their wallets from X5's, Cayennes and Merc GL's. As it stands, all 2.7 tons of it, it remains a heavyweight achievement which I for one love to see on our roads.

25 February 2008 20:19

GDThomson

GDThomson says

Setting the record straight

To MAX25 Although the Range Rover was designed under BMW ownership is was designed by Land Rover's own team working in Munich. The Discovery 3 was conceived under Ford ownership and was designed totally by Land Rover designers. No one from BMW was involved. The Range Rover Sport was also an in-house design, done alongside Discovery 3 but involving a different team of people, most of whom were ex Rover Cars designers.

22 February 2008 19:34

asp

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asp says

Best all-rounder seems a bit keen. Yes, it's a very handsome 4x4, seemingly derived from an ethos of industrial, rather than car design in its purposefulness. But how often do you need to carry 7 full-sized adults? Not enough probably to put up with such woeful performance, if this had the TD V8 fitted then maybe, but then again how much of a premium price would it be. I'd prefer the balance of a 330d/335d touring for size versus pace in the best all-rounder category.

19 February 2008 12:20

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