Land Rover Discovery 4
In the beginning there was Jeep,
and it was good. Soldiers could travel from one battlefield to
another with ease, using four wheel
drive in a lightweight vehicle; it was
a revelation. Civilian use on farms
was an inevitability. Not to be
outdone, the Brits built Land Rover,
a three seater vehicle with centre
steering, that is the driver sat in the
middle, a feat they probably didn't
bother trying again until the
Mclaren F1.
This was such a
resounding success that they built
3 of them. After some time back at
the drawing board, they came up
with the Land Rover as we know it.
Built from Birma-Brite, an
aluminium sheet metal alternative,
due to the post-war steel shortage,
we had the perfect agricultural
lightweight. Spartan, off road
capable, power-take-off's to run
farm machinery and due to the
body material, rust resistant.
A hero was born.
A few Corgi's later and the Queen needed something to go about her property in, in comfort, and Range Rover was born.
This worked for a while until evolution brought Ranger Rover to where we are now, a pointless, very pretty, gas guzzling behemoth, neither off road vehicle nor nimble M5-esque über-sedan, whose sole purpose is to announce the arrival of some oligarch or other. Super Capable off road you say? Well do you know anyone who bought one who ever actually tried that out? Well do you?
Discovery was now needed to fill in the gap. Family off roader. Capable in the commute, spacious and able to get you to the trout hideaway with ease. Unfortunately for a while there, Terence Conrad's involvement aside, they were a little ugly and not particularly well built or reliable. In actual fact the reliability issue seemed to plague the entire fleet of Land Rovers, but we have a love affair with these iconic cars so we forgave. A lot. In petrol form these were still able to consume huge amounts of rainforest without seeming to accelerate particularly quickly.
The diesels on the other hand made lots of impressive noise, only drank small oilfields and failed to accelerate quickly. The whole deal seemed a little pointless. Go slowly, empty wallet fast and break down often. Want one?
They then tried Range Rover Sport, Disco in drag as Range Rover, only now there was nowhere to put anything as the packaging is a little hopeless. The ultimate sports car for those who hate the nimbleness looks and speed of sports cars? Enter Disco 4 in HSE form and TDV6 engine. Reasonable fuel economy, acceleration that feels faster than it relay ought to, good road manners and by all reports reliable! We seem to have a winner. Three rows of seats, even if using the last row would be considered a cruel and unusual punishment in certain cultures.
The interior is classy and very u p m a r ke t i n a m a c h o, i f understated way. In Piano Black detail finish, the car is pure class with a leather dash covering and not a piece of cheap plastic or imitation veneer to be seen.
Familiar Land Rover control gear, updated and made to have an even better tactile feel. The touch screen nav is still a week-point and aftermarket products are still easier to use. Seats are impressively comfortable and the driver gets power settings with memory. It loses to Range Rover, in not being standard with heated and cooled seats and warmer for the steering wheel.
The drive train is good, feels bulletproof, has masses of smooth torque and feels good. It is nimble and impressively quick and very happy to lift her skirts and run. The air suspension is at a stage of development where it works. Impressive really. Of course Land Rover's very well developed idiot aids to off road are all standard and work impressively. If you get this one permanently stuck you deserve it.
The killer feature though is the camera system. Originally a Range Rover bit of quirkiness, these parking and driving aids make life a pleasure. Working well even in low light, from getting out of a blind driveway to parking in precarious situations, these work, and on a car this size they don't seem superfluous.
In my opinion? The Range Rover is now completely pointless. Unless you are an oligarch, and are scared no-one knows, rather get the Disco 4. Better, less ostentatious and just as impressive and capable in every way..
