Landmark edition for Land Rover Discovery
IT’S hard to believe that the Land Rover Discovery is celebrating its 30th birthday and to mark such an achievement there is a new special edition called the Discovery Landmark.
The new model is based on the Discovery SE but gains lots of extra kit. It is also available with a choice of two Ingenium diesel engines – the SD4 with 240hp or the SD6 with 306hp.
The Discovery Landmark has all the same seven-seat appeal of the standard model, but gets a Dynamic Exterior Pack that adds a bespoke front bumper design plus Narvik Black mesh grille and fender vents. Narvik Black nameplate scripting can be found on the bonnet and tailgate and there is also some unique Landmark badging.
Factor in front fog lights and Hi-Line tail lights, privacy glass, front and rear panoramic sunroofs and 21-inch gloss black alloys and the Disco Landmark has plenty of on-road presence.
Move inside and you will be surrounded by luxurious fixtures and fittings. The seats are power-adjusted and there is a wealth of technology to explore. Our car boasted Ebony grained leather upholstery with heated or ventilated seats and even passengers in row two benefit from heated seats.
Creature comforts include the likes of a really smart and intuitive 10-inch touchscreen Touch Pro infotainment system. This is where features such as the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity is located. There is an easy to use navigation system, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth, a rearview camera, DAB radio, TV and plenty more besides.
It’s nice to be able to adjust the car’s temperature on the fly and this is easily achievable in the Discovery Landmark thanks to a separate lower interface where all the settings for the climate control are located.
There are also separate dials and buttons for the Terrain Response system for driving off-road or in more challenging weather conditions.
Despite all the upmarket kit, the Discovery is still very capable away from the Tarmac with a wading depth of 900mm, and ground clearance of 284mm. And with family holidays in mind, it can tow a trailer or caravan weighing up to 3.5 tonnes.
We tested the model with the smaller 2.0-litre engine but it still delivered when it came to performance. It could reach 60mph from a standing start in 8.3 seconds, maxing out at 121mph while delivering combined fuel economy of 30.0-33.6mpg under WLTP testing with carbon emissions of 194g/km (NEDC).
On fast moving country lanes, it accelerated smoothly through the eight-speed automatic gearbox with paddles for extra driver fun. The ride can be a little bouncy mainly due to the larger 21-inch wheels, but that aside the Discovery was nicely balanced. On dual carriageways, it cruised effortlessly at 70mph and it was deceptively agile for its size in busier town centres.
The vehicle offers seven-seat versatility with two rear seats folded flat to the boot floor when not in use. On the higher trim levels, folding and raising the car’s seats can be done automatically, but on our model it was carried out manually which is fairly simple.
But one word of warning, there is a trio of second row headrests that are huge and really block the visibility through the rearview mirror.
Once again these can be poweroperated on higher trim models, but you had to physically lower them on the test car. Forget to do this before you set off and you will soon be looking for a layby.
The boot capacity ranges from 258 litres when there are seven seats in use to a massive 2,406 litres with rows two and three folded flat. And there are plenty of handy storage compartments throughout the car, including a double glovebox, deep central bin, a sunglasses holder, practical door pockets and cup holders.
And when you take into account its maximum five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, the Discovery Sport seems to have it all.
Admittedly at £57,350 (£62,590 with options), it’s not a cheap vehicle to buy, but one thing is guaranteed – the Discovery Landmark will keep going no matter how much disruption Mother Nature throws in its path and that’s something the likes of farmers and workmen can’t put a price on.