So, Discovery 3 is the purest expression of a Land Rover, more capable and better tested than any other vehicle. But what about the important questions: how much is it? How fast does it go? What toys does it come with? Will it break down?
Well, prices won't be announced until nearer the Discovery's UK launch date in November, but don't be surprised if it's a bit more expensive than the current model's £24,500-£35,000 - there's at least two-and-a-half tonnes of stuff to pay for, after all.
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| Traction control has extreme settings |
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It promises to be reasonably swift, though, with the diesel pushing 0-60mph in around 11.2secs (auto 11.7), a benchmark the V8 petrol dispatches in just eight seconds. They top out at 112 and 120mph respectively. Nearly two-and-three-quarter tonnes at 120mph. Lordy.
The kit list looks good too. Expect all models to have air conditioning, electric windows and mirrors, a good stereo with CD player, alloys, electronic park brake, loads of airbags and traction and stability control systems. Land Rover reckons that it's important to have a model at the bottom end of the range which doesn't come with air suspension and all the fancy electronics, because this is an aspirational range that people will pay good money just to get into - the Land Rover equivalent of a BMW 316, if you like. Further up the range come autoboxes, the extra seats (which cleverly all fold flat into the floor, incidentally), cool-boxes, DVD systems, sat-nav with off-road waypoint feature, air suspension, Terrain Response, and so on.
And so, finally, to reliability. The previous-generation Disco wasn't blessed with the best of reputations, and reputations sometimes die hard. We'd be surprised, however, if the next Disco wasn't extremely reliable. Land Rover has lost ground to Japanese rivals in extreme markets during the past decade, and it wants that ground back. With Discovery 3, it might have the very vehicle, so don't expect to have to pay to get one fixed too often. Just be prepared to pay to fill its tank.
