Land Rover Discovery TD6 HSE
The fifth-generation Discovery oozes upmarket appeal, but can it still play rough?
DRIVING along a slippery, muddy track, there’s a massive boulder ahead lying in the right-side wheel tracks, with little space to pass on the left. As we stop, a friendly Land Rover Experience guide appears from the forest and issues instructions in a thick Scottish accent: “Please select low-range and the rock-crawl-drivetrain mode, lad. Then aim your right front wheel at the obstacle and drive over it.” What? Surely not? But, I do as I’m told … and this prototype Discovery sails over the rock as if it were merely a kerbstone in a car park.
With 27 years of acclaimed history in the family lineage, the fifth Disco has a lot to live up to. Like the previous generation did with the Range Rover Sport, this new Discovery and the current Range Rover Sport share a platform, but in this instance it’s resulted in a substantial departure in construction philosophy. Gone are the heavy, cumbersome ladder-frame chassis and steel body, replaced by an aluminium unibody.
According to Land Rover’s vehicle engineering manager, JeanPhilippe Soula, who is riding with us in the second row, the new construction method results in a stiffer and stronger structure than before (see page 144 for more). The fact that there were no rattles or squeaks in the interior while covering some extreme terrain enforces his claim.
The unibody construction contributes significantly to mass shedding, says Soula, resulting in certain derivatives boasting a total saving of 480 kg over their direct predecessors. Other main areas of mass reduction include the use of hollow-cast aluminium suspension components and the addition of the company’s Ingenium four-cylinder turbodiesel engine (which will be available in South Africa later in the model cycle).
The new unibody chassis has allowed for a revised multilink suspension setup at the rear, as well as extra space for the thirdrow occupants. And that’s no Slab-sided rear styling is the most obvious deviation from the Range Rover Sport’s styling. false claim; my 1,93-metre frame comfortably fitted behind the second row (while there, I noted HSE derivatives gain seat heaters and a USB charging point).
With the memory of our boulder bashing still fresh, the next obstacle comes into view: an innocent-looking water crossing. Cue the arrival of the next guide, who warns us that the water is deeper than it appears and requests that we keep moving until we reach the other side. As the Disco enters the crossing, the nose dips alarmingly and the water level rises to just under the bonnet level. It is a good thing that the air intakes to the engine are above both front wheel arches to prevent
Certain derivatives boast a total mass saving of 480 kg over direct predecessors
water ingestion. Again, I needn’t have worried; the Discovery commandingly parts the liquid and scales the muddy bank on the other side as if it were paved.
On the one hand, being such a departure from the previous boxshaped versions, the external styling does require familiarisation, but there’s a lot that’s familiar, too. Land Rover has incorporated original Disco elements such as a slightly raised rear roof section and prominent C-pillars (although they’re now more raked), but the front area appears very similar to that of the Range Rover Sport. Which is hardly surprising given that the platform, from the nose up to the second row seats, is basically the same as that vehicle. Towards the rear, the Disco is squarer (and higher) than its stable mate, but this part strongly reminds you of its younger brother, the Discovery Sport. The vehicle definitely looks upmarket, but I wonder whether the general public will be able to distinguish the three vehicles from each other as they flash past.
The steering system provides very little feedback as we continue on the demanding track through the slippery forest terrain, but the surround-view camera image on the infotainment screen is useful to ensure that the front wheels point where they should. Land Rover left the toughest obstacle for last – a steep climb littered with rocks – and it requires the air suspension adjusted to its highest setting, which raises the ground clearance to 283 mm.
A prod on the accelerator is all that is needed for the powerful but refined 3,0-litre V6 diesel to deploy 600 N.m, and from there the electronic systems and multiplate differentials (centre and rear) send drive to the wheel with the most traction. The result is a two-tonne Discovery that wafts up the hill in complete comfort with 500 mm of wheel articulation on each corner ensuring the tyres have plenty of chance to take a bite at terra firma.
The interior is an evolution of
what’s offered in the Range Rover Sport, yet there’s clearly more of a focus on practicality, with a plethora of storage spaces that includes a centre console that can swallow up to four tablets. What will no doubt be an owner’s favourite secret storage space exists behind the climate control panel. The press of a button swivels this section out of the way to reveal a hidden cavity that’s large enough for a smartphone and wallet.
The seats are beautifully crafted and comfortable, while the high roofline leaves lots of headroom. On the whole, the interior fit and finish, including material quality, are of the highest order.
On the off-road course, we were allowed to drive these prototype vehicles only at a maximum speed of 40 km/h, so I’ll reserve judgement about the Disco’s on-road behaviour. If the Range Rover Sport is anything to go by, though, it should excel in this department, too.
Right, to answer that question posed on the cover of this issue: from my taste of the Discovery prototype, it is clear that it is again an immensely capable off-road vehicle. Yes, its styling has lost some of its chunky character and uniqueness, but I doubt this will hamper sales. Along with the perceived ruggedness still deeply coded in its DNA, the new Discovery also carries more convenience features than you would expect of a vehicle in the segment.
The only negative, however, is pricing. This 3,0 TD6 HSE will retail at R1 440 000, which juts it into – and beyond – hallowed terrain occupied by the Mercedes-benz GLS and Toyota Land Cruiser 200. And it isn’t even the flagship model... The range will kick off with the 2,0 TD4 at R980 000, which might just be easier to swallow.