I was tempted to start the write up with “another day another SUV…” except it isn’t. This is the gloriously large and actually off-road capable all-new Discovery. Still a relatively new design, the current generation is Land Rover’s attempt to bring some coherency into the lineup. As such, it loses the “designed with a ruler” look of the previous two generations. Still, the new Discovery doesn’t exactly look soft. If nothing else, its sheer girth compensates for any mildness its rounded-off edges may convey. The rear must be mentioned though – try not to look at it directly from behind. Just don’t.
Spec-wise, our test unit was a very well-appointed HSE Si6. A full-length sunroof, three rows of electric leather seating and Meridian audio can all be found. Sitting in the driver’s (or any) seat affords you a brilliant view of the surroundings and one of the first things to strike you is how easy the vehicle is to place on the road as a result. Being petrol, peak torque comes in at a relatively high (for an SUV) 3,500 revs, but the eight-speed ‘box helps make the most of it. 100kmph comes up in a claimed 7.1 seconds which we wouldn’t dispute – very admirable when you realize this weigh about as much as four and a half city cars. Its height doesn’t inspire one to throw it around corners like its more sporting siblings however as the vehicle does tend to list.
For more realistic on-road driving, the Discovery takes little getting used to and, if it had to be described in a word, it would be “easy”. Ergonomics are spot on and the supercharger whine provides adequate aural pleasure to keep the more enthusiastic entertained. Four-zone climate control, very good massaging, heated and cooled seats and the ability to lower the second two rows with one button press show that the Discovery tries hard, and succeeds, at ticking nearly all boxes of the demanding 2020 SUV buyer.
Its main rivals, the BMW X5, Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90, will never have the off-road credibility and bragging rights the Discovery has earned over the years. As lower percentages of buyers are taking their vehicles off-road, JLR is answering this with more luxuries than you could shake a stick at, while still including enough mud plugging prowess to not dilute the Discovery name. To that end, the Discovery remains an arguably unique offering. Here in Sri Lanka, the Discovery’s biggest “problem” is the Range Rover Sport. Why? Engine capacity-based taxation.
Brand conscious buyers are snapping up the two-litre hybrid Sports, saving a few million Rupees, and resting well at night believing that they’ve hit peak-SUV (at least brand wise).
There’s no doubt that the Discovery’s richer cousin is a brilliant piece of kit. But this comes across as an entry-level Tag Heuer vs. Grand Seiko kind of dilemma. You could get a perfectly engineered premium Swiss watch for less than what you would pay for what many would shrug off as “just a Seiko”. But is it? There aren’t many who would opt for the latter, but when 4/5 of your rich friends are sporting Tags, that fifth gent with the GS suddenly comes across as tasteful, possibly knowing something the others have been missing. This comparison might be a bit of a stretch, but having driven the Discovery, I know it’s where I’d put my money. If anything, that V6 should last longer than a complex hybrid.