Awesome Looks This Time Around.
The facelift has certainly done wonders for the Discovery 4 which was launched in 2005. Those LED lights, the Range Rover-style front grille with a mash pattern, the new front bumper, new rear lights cluster and bumper have all gelled to make it a much more attractive car than ever.
Inside Also Right?
Yes of course. That’s probably where most of the best work has been done. Apparently existing Disco 4 customers and potential ones liked what they saw initially, until they pulled those plastic door handles for an inside peek and feel. What they saw I’ve seen a few times before myself. It wasn’t impressive. Enter this facelift and the label “premium vehicle” can finally be stamped on Disco. The dashboard is extremely welcoming, such
that you want to keep touching its soft leather/smooth wood combo material, the aluminium inserts on the steering wheel and elsewhere, as well as the lavish leather seats. These are obviously electronically adjustable, as is the steering wheel column, side mirrors and windows. The rear windows showed a tendency to automatically get back into position when being closed or opened. There must have been an electronics problem with my test unit. Hopefully it doesn’t point to a wider Disco 4 problem, or heavens forbid, another Land Rover issue.
that you want to keep touching its soft leather/smooth wood combo material, the aluminium inserts on the steering wheel and elsewhere, as well as the lavish leather seats. These are obviously electronically adjustable, as is the steering wheel column, side mirrors and windows. The rear windows showed a tendency to automatically get back into position when being closed or opened. There must have been an electronics problem with my test unit. Hopefully it doesn’t point to a wider Disco 4 problem, or heavens forbid, another Land Rover issue.
What Nice Stuff Is In There Anyway?
The usual stuff really. The car I drove was fitted with touch screen satellite navigation but no Bluetooth cell phone connection. It also had heated front seats, a 6-CD changer and a trip computer among others. Three rows of seats make for a 7-seater, although at the very rear you either carry people or luggage, seldom both. Nice touches are the two auxiliary points near the rear-most windows in which the two passengers can plug music earphones. All four rear seats can be folded flat for extra loading space.
New Engine I See.
It replaces the long-suffering 4.2-litre V8 which was shared with Jaguar. Its maximum thrust is to the tune of 276kW and pull is rated at 510Nm. These are very good figures for any SUV, but problem is it won’t breathe quite the same up in Jozi as it does in the coast. So that 276kW could very well hover around 230kW, shifting over two tonnes of metal. Don’t be surprised by the figures attained then, both performance-wise and from a fuel point of view. The V8 sounds healthy though, especially when pedal hits the floor and the 6-speed shifter changes down.
Has It Not Lost Its “Land Roverness” Though?
Not at all. On the contrary Land Rover’s all-terrain response AWD system is probably one of the best and easiest in the market to use. It’s actuated through a knob near the gear lever, allowing the driver to choose a programme suited for gravel, snow, mud, rock, sand or normal road driving. I’ve driven it through all these terrains except snow/ ice and I don’t see why it wouldn’t be able to overcome the same obstacles as the more rugged Defender, while providing a much more comfortable ambiance for the passengers.
Is It A Worthy Competitor?
The Disco 4’s credentials as a competent weapon against tough roads and as an acceptable everyday steed were never in question. The whole matter revolved around two main points; Land Rover’s long reputation as a builder of unreliable oil-spitters and its insufferable industrial looks, for a so-called premium SUV. I think both have been addressed, though I can’t say for sure about the former.
QUICK STATS
LAND ROVER DISCOVERY 5.0 V8 HSE
ENGINE: 5.0-litre (5000 cc) V8
GEARBOX: 6-speed automatic
POWER: 276kW at 6500rpm
TORQUE: 510Nm at 3500rpm
0 – 100KM/H: 9.4 seconds
TOP SPEED: 190km/h
FUEL AVERAGE: 20.2 l/100km
FUEL RANGE: 420km (combined)
CO2 e: 410 g/km
PRICE STANDARD: R720 000
NATURAL RIVALS: Audi Q7 4.2 V8, BMW X5 4.8i, Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 HEMI, Mercedes-Benz ML 500, Volkswagen Touareg 4.2 V8, Volvo XC90 4.4 V8
*PRICE RIVALS: Audi TT RS Coupe, BMW Z4 sDrive35i DCT, BMW 535i Gran Turismo
BABE-MAGNETIC FACTOR: High
*A price rival falls within R20 000 or so of the subject’s price on either side of its price spectrum for cars over R350 000, R10 000 for cars of between R250 000 and R350 000 and R5 000 for cars below R250 000.
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