LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SE SD4 / Discover value
LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SE SD4
When the new Land Rover Discovery made its debut in 2016, it replaced a 14-year-old icon with a car that proved, yet again, to be as powerful, luxurious, and capable as its forebears. While these adjectives all aptly describe the new Discovery, Land Rover now adds ‘affordable’ and ‘value-packed’ to the Discovery’s vocabulary with the introduction of a 2.0-litre Ingenium turbodiesel engine as an entry-point to the range. Bernie Hellberg Jr reports.
As a motoring journalist, I tend to measure the passing of time in the space between new car launches and range enhancements. It was “just the other day” that Land Rover introduced the new Discovery to South Africa, yet here we are, four years later, and its almost time for the car to get a bit of a makeover. Wow.
Yet, if we’ve learnt anything from Land Rover’s track record for stretching a car’s useful lifespan as long as they do, it’s clear that these guys know how to keep fans happy and buyers coming back again, and again.
Land Rover’s latest addition to the Disco family is one such arrow in the brand’s quiver, and it’s aimed squarely at a market that seeks all the virtues of the Discovery nameplate, albeit in a slightly cheaper, yet still marvellously capable package.
WHAT’S IN, WHAT’S OUT
Based on models with SE trim, the 2.0 SD4 still has all the standard spec that you could need – including LED headlights, rain-sensing wipers, a 10-speaker Enhanced Sound System, Terrain Response, 12-way adjustable leather seats, and InControl Touch Navigation with Apple CarPlay. It also has the unmistakable Discovery design, and the ability to take you over almost any terrain. Still, it should use much less fuel and is bursting with the latest safety kit.
If you were lucky enough to lay your hands on one of the 50 enhanced units that Land Rover introduced to celebrate the launch of the new engine (our tester was one), you received a sunroof, power inner-tailgate, roof rails, and keyless entry, on top of the standard equipment.
Inside, the Discovery benefits from third-row seating, a centre console cooler, ebony headlining, and USB ports in the second seating row.
Building on the strengths of its predecessor, the fifth-generation Discovery offers more space – enough for up to seven passengers – and there’s more headroom, too, even when all seven seats are in use. Same goes for boot space, which is comparable to a typical family hatchback even with