Land Rover Discovery Review

Land Rover Discovery prices from £24,200  Finance from £437.96 per month

The Discovery is the largest, most practical car in Land Rover’s range, designed to be an unfaltering workhorse for families who have a thirst for adventure to rival David Attenborough.

It offers seven seats, a huge boot and go-almost-anywhere capability. And, of course, in a world of copycat SUVs, it comes with the kudos and authenticity of the Land Rover badge, the Levis of the 4x4 world.

Much was changed for this, the fifth generation of Discovery. But then it needed to be. In 2019, there are desirable and capable cars to choose from, including the accomplished Audi Q7, sporty BMW X5, new Mercedes GLE and excellent Volvo XC90.

These sorts of SUVs are some of the largest and most expensive money can buy. The Discovery range costs from more than £47,000, and has been refreshed for 2019, with additional standard equipment.

Drivers who don’t want to spend this kind of money should consider the Skoda Kodiaq or even Land Rover’s (slightly smaller) Discovery Sport.

There’s a choice of one four-cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine, or four-cylinder or V6 diesel engines. All come with four-wheel drive as standard, not to mention the Discovery’s impressive ground clearance of 28cm.

Arguably the core appeal of this Land Rover is its interior. The company claims it can seat seven people in comfort, and sure enough, it can. (Buyers can choose to have just five seats, should they wish.) Better still, those in the rearmost, third row of seats (which lift out of the floor manually, or at the touch of a button, or via a smartphone app, if you pay extra) don’t have to be children to relax in comfort. Adults can get in there easily enough and with the middle row of seats adjusted slightly there’s a fair amount of knee and legroom.

The problem then is that with all seven seats in use, the boot goes from huge (1,231 litres) to snug. Only a few bags of shopping will fit in the remaining space.

In the middle row, there’s lots of room, plenty of storage areas and a couple of handy USB charging ports. The outer seats have Isofix points, but when each is carrying a high-backed child seat, an adult can barely squeeze between, which is disappointing in such a large car.

Up front, the Discovery feels great in some areas, disappointing in others. The high seating position, throne-like chairs with adjustable armrests and expansive windscreen give one of the most commanding, and comfortable, views of the world around you. And there is no shortage of stowage space.

However, we think rivals like the Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90 better reflect their cost with stylish layouts that feel more upmarket and better made. By contrast, some of the plastics in the Discovery feel a bit cheap, especially around the centre console and transmission tunnel, the doors rattle when closed and some of the shut lines on the car’s bodywork leave room for improvement.

Also, Land Rover’s 10inch touchscreen (standard on all models) and associated displays and menus for the audio, Touch Pro Navigation (standard on SE trim or above), phone and more besides is good but not the best of its kind. And in this part of the market, such systems hold great sway with drivers.

We’d like to see more equipment come as standard on the lower spec models. Land Rover made recent improvements, for post 2019 models, but even so it’s an eye-opener to compare the Discovery with, say, Skoda’s seven-seat Kodiaq and see how much money you could save without sacrificing equipment.

Happily, the driving experience has moved on a great deal from the previous generation Discovery. That’s been helped by losing up to 460kg in weight. The air suspension smothers poorly surfaced roads well, keeps the car reasonably level and allows it to be extremely versatile on a variety of terrains.

You can wade through water up to 90cm deep, should you be so inclined. And with all manner of on-or off-road driving aids, as well as permanent four-wheel drive, a low range gear setting and adjustable ride height, plus the latest Terrain Response 2 Auto system – for everything from sandy beaches to rocky climbs – it’s as capable as cars of this size come.

On the road, everyone on board is always conscious of the car’s sheer size. It completely fills a lane, giving cause for involuntary intakes of breath on the average country road.

It’s a comfortable cruiser though. Long distance holiday runs would be a breeze, and the eight-speed automatic gearbox helps with fuel economy – a little. We achieved 32mpg during our time with the most efficient, 2.0 SD4 version, an improvement on the previous Discovery.

 

Key facts

Warranty	Three years, unlimited miles
Boot size	1231 litres (five seats) or 258 litres (seven seats)
Width	2220mm
Length	4970mm
Height	1888mm
Tax	£1240 in first year; £450 a year for next five years

Best Land Rover Discovery for...

Best for Economy – Land Rover Discovery 2.0 SD4

There is no plug-in hybrid or hybrid model in the Discovery range, or an electric version, so the best for fuel economy is the four-cylinder diesel engine of the SD4. It can return up to 33mpg, and we almost achieved this during day-to-day driving.

Best for Families – Land Rover Discovery 2.0 SD4 SE

Unless you’re feeling particularly flush, we’d opt for the most efficient engine in the popular SE trim. It’s well equipped, following the updates for 2019 models, and picking the more expensive HSE trim level would cost an extra £8,200, which doesn’t strike us as money well spent.

Best for Performance – Land Rover Discovery 3.0 SD6

For the ultimate in pulling power and effortless acceleration – especially when towing or loading the car with people, a roof box and bikes – the more powerful V6 diesel engine delivers the goods.

One to Avoid – Land Rover Discovery 2.0 SI4

We don’t consider this to be a bad car, but within the range there’s a definite compromise that comes with switching to petrol power: poor fuel economy. The claimed consumption is 25mpg, but you’ll be lucky to better 20mpg.

History

Understanding Land Rover Discovery names

Engine 2.0 SD4

This signifies that the engine is a 2-litre capacity, and ‘Sd4’ refers to it being a four-cylinder diesel unit

Trim SE

The Discovery is offered in four trim levels. The most affordable is S. SE is more popular, while HSE costs significantly more. The most luxurious version is the HSE Luxury.

Gearbox Auto

As standard, every Discovery is fitted with an automatic gearbox. It has eight gears, and drives all four wheels.

Land Rover Discovery Engines

Land Rover Discovery Trims

Land Rover Discovery Reliability and warranty

Used Land Rover Discovery

Other Editions