This week we have the Land Rover Discovery in SE trim, our vehicle was assembled at the Solihull plant in the UK. Our test model has an MSRP of $69122.
Fun Factor: 6
Can it Family: 7
Fuel-Friendly: 3
HWY-warrior: 6
Karaoke Friendly: 6
Baby friendly: 7
City Cruising: 4
Does the recently refreshed Land Rover Discovery keep up to the heritage and the Land Rover name? Let us plunge into the specs first, on paper the Discovery has a supercharged V6 making a respectable 340hp and 332 lb-ft of torque and will jump you to 100 km/h in 7.1 seconds. In our test, we were able to get any results as low as 7.5 seconds. To get our results of 7.5 seconds these tests were done during the winter and with winter tires including a small layer of snow. Those numbers are decent and are similar to the results to our recently reviewed Q7. The discovery also felt faster off the line then the Audi and had a more enjoyable supercharged winding note. As for the actual driving experience, the Discovery handles in a very sporty fashion, tight corners are possible without upsetting the balance of this enormous SUV. Something we give respect to Jaguar & Land Rover is the wizardry they use to make their cars handle. We had the chance to test both the Discovery & the Discovery sport both have similar handling feeling. Even if the Discovery Sport is a much smaller vehicle. At higher speeds large SUV’s such as the Discovery tend to lean or have an uncomfortable ride as soon as the road start to see imperfection this is not the case with the Discovery. It has a decent ride on regular roads, nothing that makes it really stand out compared to the competition as far as daily driving dynamics. So why do so many people want to get a Land Rover? The answer is simple, it comes from two simple elements. Both of these elements come from the Land Rover history. One is from its off-road capabilities and being able to plow yourself a route with 3 feet high of snow hasn’t convinced you on driving one then the prestige of driving one will win you over.
Now our SE model came only with 5 seats with a massive trunk, we were able to fit 5 larger suitcases while still having extra space. You can option your SUV for $2710 to have a 3rd in the SE variant and $3630 in the HSE version this will slightly eat up some of your trunk space. One thing that did bother us on the SE trim is that neither having heated seats on a luxury SUV nor dual climate control are unacceptable. We personally think that Land Rover shouldn’t even have this as an option, especially at this price point. As a family hauler, we can really only suggest the HSE luxury that we tested last year, this will set you back a couple of thousand dollars more for a grand total of $88392.
Now anything that is supercharged does consume more fuel, in our test the average consumption was 15.1L per 100km with premium gasoline (91 octane gas) over 1500km. On the HWY our average consumption was between 12.6L per 100km while in the city we reached 16.8L per 100km. The results were obtained were during a snowstorm and traffic while driving in Toronto during rush hour. The total range on our Land Rover barely hit 500km in the winter. Not ideal when having to drive from one province/state to another. When we tested our car this summer has consumption was as low as 9.6L per 100km on the HWY and 12.3L per 100km in the city.
We gave the Discovery a lower grade as a HWY warrior in our test we would achieve less than 500km per tank with premium gas. When careful the highest we’ve obtained was 535km on one tank. The other negative points on this SE trim were the headlights while driving. You can barely see in front of your car. This is a shame as otherwise, the ride is very comfortable as well as a feeling of security on top of having fantastic visibility during the day.
The sound system of the Discovery is of decent quality. If you’re an audio enthusiast, an upgrade might be necessary. Otherwise, the base sound system will be excellent. As for the infotainment, it has a lot of submenus. Starting with the main menu that is divided into 4 categories that give you information on your music, phone, climate controls, and maps. These menus are made simple and are relatively user-friendly. Other submenu get crowded and have too much irrelevant information or tiles that are only relevant to higher trim models.
Does the Discovery make life simple for families? If you have children that still require child seats, the ISOFIX system in this car will make your life simple. The latches are hidden using a small cushion when not in use. It is a clean and neat way to protect them. Our only worry is that they might get lost over time. Entering car seats into the car is made enjoyable as the doors open wide. Even for those that are of smaller posture, car seats can also be installed within the vehicle as you'll have enough leg room for yourself and the car seat, no need to extend your hands. Since our version had 5 seats, we attempted to install 3 car seats as there was no use going any further without a 3rd row. 3 car seats can easily fit in the 2nd row, even 3 adults fit comfortably in the 2nd row. If you have kids playing sports and have their equipment to haul everywhere, the Discovery is an excellent proposition.
The Discovery might be too big for most in the city, and the gas consumption doesn’t help it in any way, we would love to see a hybrid version for those that use it mainly in the city. In our perspective, the Land Rover is home in the outdoors not too remote from the nearest gas station. It will love driving in the forest, on a snowy mountain it will handle the nastiest terrain.
What we’ve liked on our Discovery: Large cargo, comfortable ride, seats 5 adults, it can go almost anywhere.
What we’ve disliked on our Discovery: High premium gas consumption, no heated seats, no dual climate, low range many fuel stops needed to get to your destination.
