Emerging classic: Land Rover Discovery 2

The introduction of the heavily revised Discovery 2 in 1998 provided a much-needed fresh start for Land Rover in the very competitive and unforgiving mid-sized SUV market.

It’s not there yet but now is the time to buy one of these go anywhere 4x4s.

When Land Rover plugged the gap between the upmarket Range Rover and the agricultural Defender with the introduction of the Discovery in October 1989, little did the motoring world realise that the first two generations of this go-anywhere 4x4 would go on to be described as a design icon.

The Discovery’s squared-off but attractive all alloy bodywork made the new Land Rover a popular choice for those buyers who found the Range Rover too expensive or were put off by the Defender’s austere cabin layout. As well as its business-like looks, Land Rover’s new SUV proved itself just as capable off-road when the going got tough as its two long-established siblings.

Although the MkI was only available at first with three-doors, it wasn’t too long before buyers could order the five-door version and all models were offered with the option of two side facing foldaway seats in the load area. Engine options at launch for the Discovery 1 included either a well-proven 3.5 litre V8 petrol unit or a 200 Tdi oil burner, while versions powered by a 2.0 litre petrol MPI engine was offered for a short while in an effort to tempt fleet buyers.

A major revamp in 1994 waved farewell to the Disco’s Sherpa van headlights (door handles came from the Marina and rear tail-lights from the Maestro van) and although the Discovery sold well, quality and reliability hadn’t always been as good as it should have been. As Land Rover now came under the control of BMW, the German carmaker set to work on a revised model and in 1998 the covers came off the all-new and far better built Discovery 2.

ENTER PROJECT TEMPEST

Although the heavily revised second version of the Discovery still retained the familiar stepped roofline and high level windows, the rear section of the bodywork had been extended slightly and the only panel that hadn’t been changed was the tailgate doorskin. Inside the revised model’s cabin, the original and much-acclaimed Conran designed interior had been seriously reworked during the 1994 revamp and the choice of trim levels at launch included S, GS, XS and ES. A rare entry model badged as the E was also offered and the Discovery Adventurer eventually replaced the so- called sporty XS.

A new line up of power units now featured the gruff sounding 2.5 litre Td5 inline-five 136bhp diesel and a 182bhp 4.0 litre version of Land Rover’s evergreen petrol fuelled V8. Improvements to the chassis included the adaption of traction control on the more expensive models in the form of the Green Oval’s electronically controlled Active Cornering Enhancement (ACE), a hydraulically operated anti-roll system.

The Discovery 2 was also fitted with the Hill Descent Control (HDC) from the Freelander, although the manually operated central differential lock on the transfer box was still fitted (but not connected) until it deleted in 2001. In 2002 the Discovery 2 underwent a facelift that included new headlights and tail lamps, a revised front spoiler, upgraded interior and a set of restyled alloy wheels.

Due to popular demand the manually controlled differential lock was reintroduced as a cost option (standard on the more expensive versions) and models produced from 2003 featured 3D ‘Land Rover’ lettering on the bonnet. In February 2004 Land Rover introduced the Pursuit and the Landmark as a series of run out models and the final Series 2 Disco to be produced rolled off the assembly line in May of that year.

ON THE ROAD

The Discovery 2 may lack the outstanding luxury of a Range Rover but it’s far more family friendly than a Defender and a large number of enthusiasts use one of these versatile mid-sized SUVs as their everyday driver as well as a weekend mudplugger. Manual versions use the five-speed R380 gearbox – the numbers relate to the Newton metres of torque this ‘box can handle. Although a few early Discos experienced gearbox issues, by the time the Discovery 2 came on the scene these problems had been sorted out. Therefore gear changes should be smooth and bulk free, although high mileage ‘boxes may be showing signs of mainshaft wear and have weak synchromesh.

Automatic variants used a ZF four-speed gearbox and these have proved to be generally very reliable and long lasting.

However, any hesitation when swapping ratios could be a sign that the internal clutches are on their way out. There’s no getting away from the fact that a Discovery fitted with the silky smooth V8 engine can deliver a very refined amount of power but with an appetite to burn a gallon of fuel every 18 or 20 miles, many buyers will decide to opt for the more economical 2.5 litre Td5 oil burner instead.

The five- cylinder diesel engine pull strongly through all the gears and clever electronics provide two separate throttle maps; one for low range driving and one for high range to provide better on-road acceleration. Although the Td5 inline five is known to be a robust unit, it can suffer from overheating issues if the plastic dowels locating the head crack. This will allow the head to move and if the engine overheats, the ECU will put the power unit into limp home mode.

While some top of the range Disco 2’s will be fitted with air suspension on the rear axle, most examples are suspended by all round coil springs and when ACE is fitted, the front and rear anti-roll bars are equipped with hydraulic rams to control any body roll. Brakes are by all-round servo assisted discs with ABS and the handbrake on the Discovery is pure Land Rover featuring a drum affair on the central propshaft rather than operating on the vehicle’s road wheels.

The ABS system on the Land Rover 2 controls two other important driver aids; the first is the Electronic Traction Control (ETC) and the second is the Hill Descent Control (HDC). ETC reacts to signals from the ABS sensors to detect wheel spin and will pulse the brake on the affected wheel until traction is regained. HDC is manually activated by a switch on the dashboard and only operates when low range has been selected. On a steep down hill descent, the HDC system will pulse the brakes to keep the vehicle’s speed below a pre-set limit and if anything goes wrong with either of these systems, warning lamps on the dash will illuminate to show a fault.

VERDICT

All Discovery 2’s have five doors with the option of seven seats and there’s a choice of either examples powered by the 4.0 litre V8 or the reasonably fuel efficient 2.5 litre turbocharged Td5, an engine that has gone on to become a highly respected unit in Land Rover circles. Both these engines were matched to either a five-speed manual gearbox or a four-speed auto.

A mid-term facelift in 2002 included a number of changes to the Discovery 2, such as the installation of a different shaped front apron and ‘pocketed’ headlights. Several interior changes were also made for the 2003 model year, including changing the colour of the dashboard mouldings from grey to black.

As previously mentioned, some Discovery 2’s won’t have a manually operated central diff lock. So if the vehicle is going to become a hard working off- roader, it will probably be better to track down a post-2003 model fitted with a manual locking control. Although having said that, quite a few Land Rover specialists are able to supply a conversion kit for examples that only came with electronic traction control.

If you’re in the market for a Discovery 2, it’s important to check the condition of the chassis for any signs of off-road damage or corrosion, as this will be expensive and very time consuming to repair properly. Plating over any damage will only delay the inevitable and for major chassis repairs, the body will have to be raised from the chassis.

Quite a few examples will have been fitted with a tow bar and with a three-ton towing limit; the Discovery makes light work of towing a four-wheel caravan or a fully loaded car trailer. With this in mind, it’s doubly important to check the condition of a Discovery’s chassis, especially the area around the rear cross member.

A top of the range Discovery 2 will come fully loaded with a host of driver aids and prices for a good, sound 2003/4 Td5 start at around £2995. A V8 powered Discovery will cost around the same and some examples may even have been converted to run on LPG. If this is the case, ensure the conversion has been carried out professionally and that the set up is safe and operates as it was designed to when first installed.

Land Rover built just over 219,000 Discovery 2’s between 1998 and 2004, which means there are a lot of decent examples out there to choose from. While the later run out versions of the Disco 2 still have some way before they can be considered fully fledged classics, now is the time to buy a decent one. Providing it’s been maintained correctly, even an example with around 100,000 miles on the clock still has a lot of useful life left in it. Off road driving doesn’t need to be challenging and with a large network of specialist repairers, as well as an impressive club scene, a tidy looking Discovery 2 should be able to provide practical go-anywhere transport at a very affordable price.