The power plant of choice is the lusty 3.0-litre Jaguar turbodiesel, boasting a lively 241bhp while the 443lb ft available from a lowly 2000rpm made it the industry’s torquiest six-cylinder passenger car diesel at the time of its launch. The Discovery 4 may not appeal to the mass of luxury car devotees, but for anyone who does want a car that not only has class-leading off-road capability but also looks the part, not to mention boasting as much modern electronic wizardry as anyone actually needs, as well as superb estate car and seven-seater capability, it’s the only sensible choice.Ĭapable and comfortable both on and off the road The new Discovery is still a big car, still a seven-seater, and the styling is still eye-catching enough for it to stand out among the mass of blander-styled rivals, but – like the Range Rover Evoque – it inspires thoughts of performance and high-street image rather than mud-plugging practicality it’s lost the iconic styling themes that so caught the public imagination at the launch of the original Discovery in 1989 and has continued to do so through three more generations. The new Discovery will also be an good off-road machine in the same way the Range Rover and the new Discovery Sport are, but that’s a by-the-way factor, just as it is with its other premium rivals. There are, however, vastly more wealthy people the world over – and Land Rover is now firmly established as a world brand – who have neither the need nor the interest to drive off-road, and seek style, refinement, performance and cosseting luxury in a purely road car, people for whom the current Discovery just looks too bulky and feels too heavy, an automotive dinosaur clinging to its primitive off-road values.

Some would argue that the Discovery 4 had already achieved that, but only in the eyes of enthusiasts who appreciate its iconic styling, the dominating road presence, and the unbeatable off-road competence. The all-new Discovery may be an exciting prospect, but it’s unquestionably been designed to compete with other premium road-biased luxury SUVs, aimed at outclassing the BMW X5, the Volkswagen Touareg, Mercedes-Benz GLE and the like. With an all-new high-tech, futuristically modern Discovery on the way, you’d think Land Rover dealers would be falling over themselves to shed remaining stocks of new and nearly new Discoverys still in their showrooms and on their forecourts, but a check of prices being asked suggests that they’re hardly being given away. The all-new high-tech Discovery will be an automotive tour de force, but for those who favour genuine all-terrain capability and superior practicality, the current Discovery 4 will be hard to beat.

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