Category: Large 4x4s 
Price Range: No data available
Astounding ability off-road, and vastly improved for onroad duty. Unique character has also been successfully updated.
This is a heavy car, which begins to show when you're really pressing on. And that weight will mean higher fuel consumption, especially with the petrol V8.
No question about it, Land Rover has created one of the most desirable off-roaders on sale with the new Discovery. Nothing will beat it off-road, and with vastly improved space and on-road manners, the Disco really rocks.
Discoverys have struggled with a poor reputation for reliability, especially in countries with harsh conditions. The company has a lot of work to do, for example, in Australia where the Discovery is regarded as a poor choice compared with rivals such as the Nissan Patrol and Toyota Land Cruiser. Land Rover bosses are candid about the Discovery's poor record, and there is a real passion to turn that around. Our initial impressions are very positive - the new car has a tremendous amount of torsional rigidity and even the most punishing farm tracks taken at speed failed to elicit a single rattle or squeak. Land Rover decided on its unusual structure - basically, a frame with a monocoque body attached - because the Discovery's underlying platform will also be used for the upcoming Range Rover Sport and possibly a Defender replacement after that.
The heavy doors close with a reassuring 'thunk' and there's a general sense of solidity about the new Discovery. The interior does, however, use a lot of different grade and grain of plastics, with one or two of them looking and feeling a bit cheap. The Discovery is an all-new car, so while we'll give it the benefit of the doubt, we'll have to see how it performs in the real world over the next few years.
