Land Rover’s Discovery has always been the red-haired stepchild of the company’s product portfolio.

Defender, despite its anarchic nature and lack of cross-axle traction (only fixed with the 2007 upgrade), is curiously revered as an icon in the 4×4 community.

Range Rover, after defining the luxury SUV segment, remains vastly popular.

Even Freelander 2, despite its predecessor’s deservedly horrid reputation for mechanical frailty, is championed as the best soft road 4x4xfar.

Discovery though, has always been regarded as just a bastardised Range Rover or, more accurately perhaps, a compromised parts bin exercise.

With the fourth generation Disco due to go on sale locally in the fourth quarter, I was given an opportunity to reacquaint myself with the Disco 3, in HSE trim, powered by TDV6 power.

Was the disdain with which Defender owners treated me – no polite wave from the Land Rover fraternity – justified, or is Disco 3 the thinking man’s Range Rover?

All the wrong credentials?

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Discovery range, despite being a rabid Defender hater.

The Disco’s aspiration to some modicum of comfort, its simple and uncluttered styling, the passable ergonomics and the right ingredients to best most competitors in the SUV market space, appeal to me. As a whole though, something was always amiss.

Unfortunately, due to Land-Rover’s vacillating ownership, staggered funding and some rather curious engineering integration, the Discovery range (especially its second incarnation) gained a reputation for electronically-rooted reliability issues.

Disco 3 is a thoroughly better thought out vehicle though.

Firstly, its construction, employing hydroforming (the use of fluid pressure to form shapes) allowed designers to transform high-strength steel into a unique body-frame.

Hydroforming enables designers to fashion shapes, curves and bends with steel which is practically impossible with traditional construction methods.

Combining the strength of a conventional ladder-frame chassis with the packaging ingenuity of a monoque, the hydroformed body-frame houses electronic control units and sensitive mechanical parts within the body-frame in a way that would be impossible (or extraordinarily costly) with a conventionally-tooled monocoque or ladder-frame chassis.

Secondly, although Disco 3 features independent double-wishbone suspension at all four wheel corners (absolute blasphemy in the eyes of Defender owners), its cross-linked air suspension negates much of these independent wheel attachments presupposed lack of off-road ability.

As each air-suspension unit is cross-linked with the other on both fore and aft axles, as one deflates, the other inflates – effectively mimicking the behaviour of a constant clearance solid axle. On-road, the ride quality and lateral force management benefits of the all-round double-wishbone suspension ushers in steering feedback and high-speed body-control Disco 2 owners could only dream of.

So Disco 3 doesn’t have a ladder-frame chassis, or a solid rear axle, even. The body-frame chassis and cross-linked air suspension sounds innovative enough, yet it’s dismissed out of hand by 4×4 traditionalists. Perhaps they have a point?

Disco 3 appears to have all the wrong ingredients for an uncompromising off-road vehicle then, or does it?

Well, at least it looks decent

Even in 2009, five years after launch, the flatteringly simple shape (it’s essentially a box, look at those flanks with no shoulder line or styling creases present) is both original and recognisable. I particularly like the asymmetric, curved shutline of the horizontally split tailgate.

The cabin is brilliant too. Fascia surfacing is quite flat and vertically slanted in terms of architecture (not to mention the glut of hard plastics), yet it works well and ergonomics are superb.

A surfeit of stowage spaces litter the cabin, with Disco 3’s sturdy door pockets especially well suited to stowing miscellaneous items which always manage to find their way on off-road expeditions.

Large glass surfaces, combined with the commanding driving position and stadium rear seating, imbue the Disco 3’s cabin with a sense of airiness. Travelling with five adults hardly inhibits of personal leg- and shoulder room.

The transmission control panel between the seats is devoid of a secondary lever for the transfer case, or a handbrake girdle, thanks to Land Rover employing electro-mechanical control for both the parking brake and all-wheel drive system’s differential and reduction ratio override controls.

Like a tank, with air suspension

It’s big. It’s comfortable. It has a server room’s worth of electronics sorting the all-wheel drive system and, oh yes, it’s properly heavy too.

Hardcore overlanders will scoff at the level of digitisation onboard the Disco 3, especially its proprietary terrain response system.

Replacing a conventional transfer case shifter and differential lock dial, terrain response assesses throttle input against a set of four off-road surface/traction parameters (grass/gravel/snow, mud and ruts, sand and rock crawl), continuously locking or the centre-differential, or allowing limited slip on the fore and aft differentials. It adjusts suspension ride height too.

When either the rock crawl or mud and ruts settings are engaged, the air-suspension jacks to maximum height, enabling Disco 3’s 240mm of ground clearance to by buoyed by 255mm worth of wheel clearance fore and 330mm at the rear.

Powered along by a Jaguar-sourced 2.7l turbocharged compression ignition V6, Disco 3 distributes toque via a ZF-supplied six-speed automatic transmission.

Despite the V6 generating 140kW and peak rotational force of 440Nm at 1 900r/min, it’s burdened by the Disco’s whale-like mass of 2.7t. It’s not quick.

On-road, the ZF ‘box shifts with alacrity, allowing some decent highway cruising speeds accompanied by reasonable overtaking performance. Getting underway though, with four passengers onboard, there is nearly 3t of inertia to overcome, and the Disco 3 can be a little sloth-like around town.

Off-road, the independent air-suspension and innovative terrain response system turns conventional 4×4 wisdom on its head. I am afraid to report it works awfully well – most of the time.

The traction control system can be meddlesome in sand (where the Disco suffers badly on its standard tyres and due to its mammoth weight), especially as one has to disengage the DSC each time after starting the car up or changes modes on the terrain response dial, even with low-range engaged.

At times terrain response disengages the rear differential lock for inexplicable reasons too, to enable a smaller turning circle when all you really want is secure traction at the back.

The air-suspension irritatingly deflates from the highest setting at speeds above 50km/h too, which as anybody who has tried to make up time on the overland routes of Africa with those forbidding middelmannetjies will know, is way too low a speed parameter with an hour or two to sunset and 100km to go to your destination.

Aside from these foibles, Disco 3 is superlative.

In rock crawl mode, with the automatic transmission in second gear, even careless throttle action is absorbed seamlessly by the terrain response system.

For novice off-roaders, Disco 3 is by far the easiest of the serious overlanders to pilot. In experienced hands – shod with more off-road biased rubber than the standard Goodyear HPs – it’s practically unstoppable, conquering obstacles with scant drama and in flattering comfort.

Design

Basically a box (a big, very heavy box), yet makes most other European and Japanese SUVs seems contrived by comparison. Repositioning of the spare wheel from the tailgate to under the loadbay a neat touch.

Interior

The plastics are cheap, yet the seats are superb. Ergonomics even more so, and those hard-wearing thick rubber mats are very practical indeed. Light trim colours are sure to show wear extraordinarily quickly if the kids come along on safari, though.

Driving

Double-wishbones attaching each wheel, air-suspension in operation, it’s hardly going to ride like a Defender, now is it? Can be a little cumbersome around town, yet high-speed cruising ability way ahead of first- and second-generation Discos. Heavy, yet very capable off-road.

Verdict

With the arrival of the new Disco 4 imminent (with a suite of more powerful engines) you should be able to secure a good deal on a run-out Disco 3.

Its weight is an issue (recoveries are not the work of a moment if you get stuck), yet the flip-side is an awesome 3.5t towing capacity.

Those standard tyres are rubbish off-road too, and you can’t fit 16-inch wheels for long-range safaris into Africa because the brakes are too big. But much the same can be said for Disco’s Japanese competitors.

Concerning the terrain response system’s electronic complexity and its possible vulnerability in harsh operating conditions? Well, most high-end SUVs drivetrains are increasingly being digitised and terrain response is easily the most accomplished of all current systems.

If you’re tired of only conquering the polo field’s muddied parking lot in your Range Rover, and yearn for something with equally aspirational image value, ample room, loadability and redoubtable off-road ability, well the red-haired stepchild of Land-Rover’s model portfolio has finally come good third time around.

Pluses

Brand cachet

Wonderfully original styling – inside and out

Unconventional blend of on-road ride comfort, off-road ability

Minuses

Ever tried to jack up a 2.7t vehicle with an EU-spec jack?

Mass and road-biased stock tyres mitigate against sand/mud driving ability

Unwieldy in urban environments

This article was taken from: Wheels 24

There’s something very disconcerting about the way water laps at our Discovery 4′s underpinnings.

The gentle slapping sounds make their way into the cabin as the car gently crabs sideways – caught in the swiftly flowing current of the Tweed River in central Scotland. It slows our forward momentum slightly, but doesn’t halt it.

Land Rover has literally thrown its Discovery 4 straight into deep water to show the world’s media just how hardcore the softer-looking new model really is under the skin. The Tweed has risen in depth since the previous day, our guides tell us, and water is pressing half-way up the doors.

Every single vehicle gets through the deep wade unscathed, a testimony to the broad talents of the Discovery.

We’re driving the twin-turbo 3.0-litre diesel V6 model, as none of the 5.0-litre V8s are yet ready for testing. Diesel does have its benefits in serious off-roading, though, and Land Rover has pulled out all the stops to see that we get plenty of off-road experience.

Earlier in the day we’d had a quick spurt down the highway from Edinburgh, which gave us a chance to try out the refined dynamics that mark this new generation.

First of all, the engine. It makes 180kW of power, and a huge 600Nm of torque, according to Land Rover, the “highest torque output for any six-cylinder diesel production passenger vehicle [long pause] in the world”.

It’s immediately impressive as it dispenses with one of the most irksome flaws of the old 2.7-litre engine it replaces – turbo lag.

There’s also a fair bit more poke than the old engine, which incidentally will hang around in Australia for a bit longer.

The old single-turbo 2.7-litre V6 diesel made 140kW and 440Nm, but at low revs it struggled to move the Discovery 3′s huge 2.7 tonne bulk from idle with any authority.

Indeed, the 0-100kmh sprint with the 2.7 was dispatched in a sluggish 12.8 secs and seemed a lot slower in real life. The new 3.0-litre V6 crushes it with a 9.6 secs sprint.

Even more surprising is the rolling acceleration. Tramp the right foot into the rubber mat (the folk at Land Rover optioned these into our test cars – well, we were taking them off-road in the middle of a Scottish summer) and the Discovery 4 responds with an instant shove in the back.

And whatever Land Rover’s chassis engineers have done, it works. The old Discovery 3 felt its weight. It tended to lean into corners, then give a bit of a vague wriggle at the steering wheel as the weight shifted across the centre of gravity, but in the new model it’s all but gone.

Steering feel, too, is surprisingly crisp and direct, with a decent level of feedback considering its speed-dependent assistance is tuned to help it shunt around shopping centre car parks.

But the enhanced handling does have its downside. At speed the Discovery is quite refined, but slow down, and the ride becomes noticeably bumpy, particularly on rougher road surfaces. Off-road, the Discovery at times feels overly sprung and choppy. But as the Discovery 4 is likely to spend most of its time in suburbia, it’s a liveable compromise.

Ad Feedback The Terrain Response system is impressive. The car’s electronics kept the drive where it was needed through a series of tough off-road sections, which included a drive along a water-filled creek bed and several heart-stopping steep descents and climbs.

At the flick of the Terrain Response dial, and occasionally selecting low-range gearing, we ploughed on through everything ranging from slippery rocks to sticky mud using 18-inch road tyres running at road pressures. No chunky mud lugs with bulging sidewalls for us.

But Land Rover’s attempts to impress the world’s media with the Discovery 4′s depth of off-road ability will probably hold little sway with many Australian customers.

As an exercise, I phoned up several people advertising second-hand Discovery 3s in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney to find out how many had taken theirs off-road.

Of those I contacted, only one admitted to an off-road excursion – they’d once taken it down a dirt driveway while on a winery tour through rural Victoria. It was pretty slippery gravel, the owner said, and wet, but the Discovery got down there and back OK.

For that one owner, the spirit of off-road adventure that Land Rover promises was realised. It’s all about how you see it, though.

This article was taken from: stuff.co.nz

No, it’s not some blinged-up Chelsea tractor. Land Rover has treated the Discovery 4 (as it’s now called) to lots of body-coloured finishes where plain black once ruled, plus a restyled nose, twin wing vents and some cool LED lights front and rear. Doesn’t sound like much, considering Land Rover deems it worthy of a new suffix. But there’s more going on under the skin of the new Discovery 4 that makes the real difference.

New tech on the new 2010 Disco? Tell me more!

Headline news is a new engine, related to Jaguar’s new twin-turbo V6 turbodiesel. Power’s up 29% over the frankly slow old 2.7 (which continues at entry level), and torque’s up 36%. Result? Well, 30.4mpg is 9.7% better, and 244g/km is 9% less.

The chassis engineers have been hard at work, too, lowering the lardy Disco’s roll centre and smoothing out the primary ride and body control while maintaining the old car’s impressive bump-smothering ability. There are bigger brakes, new off-road software, an uprated six-speed auto-box and variable-ratio steering.

Does it work?

Yes, and brilliantly. The new Discovery 4, finally, is brisk enough that you can enjoy it properly and can recommend it as superlative family transport without the caveat that ‘you might wish it was quicker’. That’s not to say it’ll suddenly outrun 911s, but the TDV6’s new-found urge is immediately apparent, delivering plentiful low-down shove, useful overtaking power and producing a thoroughly tuneful snarl into the bargain.

The new steering means the Disco feels a lot more compact and controllable, and you can actually hustle this frankly massive car along twisting B-roads in a way that would have scared the inevitable out of you before. It changes direction with alacrity and without roll. And while all that’s going on, the ride manages to be comfy, cushty and quiet. A great improvement on an already excellent car.

What about off-road?

As if you have to ask. But then, please do. Because while many people simply say ‘it’s a Landie, take it as read’, we tested the Land Rover Disco 4 by driving it through a river (a proper wide one with big fish in it) then climbing up the bank and ragging it through the kind of rutted, muddy forest you might have been quad-biking in. And it just did it, while we sat inside with the air-con on, listening to Radio 4 and watching what was going on via the dash-mounted touch-screen and the externally mounted cameras.

This article was taken from: carmagazine.co.uk

Brookwell are pleased to announce the launch of the New Exmoor Trim Seat Riser.

The new seat riser increases the legroom and comfort of your Defender front seats. It is fully adjustable with 24 positions available to ensure your comfort. It features the following:

>> Creates more space between the wheel and seat back
>> Ideal for the taller driver or for simply more breathing space
>> Adjust the height and tilt of your seat for comfort
>> Substantial powder coated steel frame
>> Increase your legroom
>> Mount your seat runners forwards or backwards
>> Quick and easy to adjust the rake of your seat
>> Fits driver or passenger side
>> Fitting instructions, Bolts and Allen key
>> Fits existing Defender seat frame and runners (Single mounting bolt as shown)

This product will be available online and instore soon for £65 + VAT, please get in touch if you wish to enquire about availability and prices.

During a recent visit to California’s Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreational Area, we noticed a 2000 Land Rover Discovery that the park officials use to patrol some of the more remote regions of their 800-acre Upper Ranch facility, the same location where we conduct our annual Top Truck Challenge event. After a brief conversation with one of the rangers about the vehicle’s day-to-day use, we were befuddled by the rig’s mildly-built nature.

Basically, the vehicle was stock, except for a 9,000-pound Warn winch that was mounted up front. Cruising through Hollister’s 24-plus miles of dirt trails each day isn’t exactly easy on a vehicle, especially when laden with an arsenal of law enforcement equipment and personal rescue devices. Couple that with terrain challenges such as steep hill climbs, washed out two-tracks and even the occasional stream crossing, and you have a unique scenario where park rangers actually needed improved ground clearance, better approach and departure angles, and solid extraction anchors to do their job more efficiently.

Additionally, the Land Rover’s limited interior cargo space presented further challenges to park officials when the occasional unruly guest required personal escort from the premises. After learning about these difficulties, we questioned chief ranger Jeff Gaffney about the idea of modifying the Disco with products we felt could better fortify the Discovery for their particular needs. Gaffney agreed to our offer and even arranged to have his lead maintenance supervisor, Gilbert Mayorquin, perform the installations for us.

After: Armed for duty, this Discovery is every park ranger’s dream ride.
Our first priority was to improve the vehicle’s suspension system so that a definitive improvement in ride quality could be achieved. A mild suspension lift would also add valuable ground clearance to the otherwise-capable Discovery chassis, which is always a good thing in our opinion. A front winch bumper from ARB would resolve the whole issue of extraction anchors while increasing approach angle significantly. Up top, we added a roof rack to increase the vehicle’s storage capacity, and to ensure that park officials would actually be able to use the roof rack we added a pair of ARB Protection Steps. Check out how these parts were bolted on to make a hard-working Land Rover the best it could be for our favorite park rangers.

1. These are the new Old Man Emu progressive-wound coil springs and Nitrocharger shocks supplied to us by ARB. The system shown here is a 1.5-inch lift designed specifically for the Discovery Series II. We like this system because Old Man Emu engineers designed it to handle the rigors of the Australian outback, where unmaintained dirt two-tracks are the only roads around. To help absorb bumps while negotiating harsh terrain, similar to what you might find in the Australian outback, Old Man Emu incorporated several smart features into their Nitrocharger line of shocks. Innovations such as triple lip seals and extra-thick body tubes ensure that Nitrocharger shocks can survive even the worst of conditions without springing a leak. Another thing we like about the Nitrochargers is their eccentric sliding intake valve arrangement, which greatly improves rebound response time while also reducing operating noise. Thanks to durable urethane bushings at each end, these shocks are super easy to install in the factory mounting locations.

This article was taken from: Four Wheeler