Car: Land Rover Discovery
It is the start of Land Rover’s efforts to introduce a wider and more modern model range. Five new cars will teem out of Solihull in the next six years, many of them dependent on the versatile chassis which we’re seeing for the first time on the new Discovery. The next Range Rover and a sports 4×4 along the lines of the Range Stormer concept car that has been doing the rounds of motor shows are two forthcoming models that will have their origins in the new platform.
The need for a basis that could serve a number of different cars meant the new Discovery was always going to have a separate chassis on to which the body is mounted, rather than the welded saloon-like structure (monocoque) of the class-leading Volvo XC90 and BMW X5. But Land Rover claims the Integrated Body-frame it has developed for the Discovery gives the off-road toughness expected of a Land Rover with the on-road rigidity of a monocoque 4×4.
The Discovery also had to have a four-wheel-drive system that could take it further off-road than most of its competitors. However, instead of the secondary low-ratio gearbox of the current model, electronics now do all the work, adjusting the Land Rover’s ground clearance, engine response, transmission settings and traction aids as necessary. And it’s all controlled by a rotary switch in the centre console.
The system is called Terrain Response, and has five different settings - one for general driving. another for especially slippery conditions such as snow or wet grass, and three more for mud, sand and rocks. ‘It’s like having an expert alongside you to help you get the best out of the car whatever the conditions, on- or off-road,’ Land Rover says.
As with the current car, you’ll be able to opt for a V8 petrol or a muscular turbodiesel, although both engines are new to Land Rover and come from Jaguar.
The petrol unit is a 4.4-litre development of Jag’s 4.2, modified to improve low-speed pull, shut out dust and water in extreme conditions and operate when the car is running at acute angles off-road. With 295bhp and 3151b ft of muscle, it is much stronger than today’s V8. The diesel is the brilliant new 2.7 V6 recently slotted into the S-type Jaguar, and it shows healthy power gains over the current engine - igobhp and 3251b ft of pulling power against 136 and 220. The V8 model gets a six-speed automatic gearbox and the diesel a six-speed manual, though the self-shifter is an option.
The new Discovery is a bigger car than the model it replaces, though the increase in wheelbase is greater than the overall stretch. With 345mm more between the front and rear wheels, it’s now a true seven-seater. It’s also wider, necessitated by the switch to air suspension on most models, which means the wheels on each axle are further apart. That gives it a more planted stance. But it’s a fraction lower - to allow it to sneak under the barriers of French car-parks.
Design director Geoff Upex describes the new Discovery as a car derived from its capabilities. ‘Some 4X4S are caricatures of toughness, but everything on this one is functional, not decoration,’ he says. ‘For instance, it has only one air intake on the sides because that’s all it needs. Simple, minimalist design invariably lasts well.’
The design team’s brief was to come up with something modern that could be instantly recognised as a Discovery. The most controversial view is from the side, where the huge doors are almost devoid of the decoration found on the front and rear wings. Land Rover says it considered carrying the waist-level crease line right along the flanks, but it made the car look too long and over-emphasised the increase in length.
To address the things owners see as shortcomings in the present model, front head and legroom have been increased and access to the second and third row of seats has been improved.
‘The first thing we did was to increase the wheelbase by 14 inches,’ says chief designer Dave Saddington. ‘That gave us three fantastic rows of seats, which was one of the essentials for the car, but it has also reduced the overhangs, which gives us a great approach angle when tackling difficult terrain off-road.’
Because people liked the split tailgate on the Range Rover, that was incoporated in the new Discovery - but with a difference. The rear window line dips from left to right, which means owners don’t have as far to stretch to drop things in, or as far to reach in order to drag them out again. The spare wheel is now mounted under the luggage platform floor.
