The true joy was gliding about almost noiselessly, the engine never doing much more than murmuring and the eight-speed transmission so deliciously smooth that picking gearchanges was a pursuit only successfully practised by a Disco expert. The steering felt calm but alert – massively different from the way Discos used to be, especially around the straight-ahead – and with the active roll control at work, body roll simply wasn’t a factor, however energetically you attacked corners. That powertrain was barely there: the Disco usually felt as propelled by the proverbial giant piece of elastic attached to the horizon. Like all true enthusiast’s cars – and I believe this is one of them – it was the driving that provided the pinnacle of enjoyment. All of the complicated stuff, such as the folding mechanisms for seats six and seven or the tailgate retraction system that also pulled up the ever-handy lower seating loading platform, worked with imperious ease. The £895 Hakuba Silver metallic paint was lustrous, the trim quality was excellent and it never rattled. Whatever people think they know about the state of Land Rover quality, this car’s standards were exemplary. ![]() The Disco was simply equal to every occasion. Two adjectives I’d choose to describe it are ‘serene’ and ‘carefree’. However, none of this spec talk tells the real Disco ownership story. ![]() The only spec change I’d have made after living with the Disco would have been to ditch the funky black alloys for a silver set, a simple personal prejudice. And our car was distinguished by no-extra-cost suede-cloth seat inserts that suited the well-equipped but not quite plush persona of the rest of the interior. The HSE equipment pack worked perfectly: I’m one who admires the capability of JLR’s latest infotainment set-up. The 21s ran tall-enough Michelin all-terrain tyres to protect the alloy rims (we were able to give this hard-worked car back with its wheels unmarked). The engine – good for an impressive 6.8sec 0-62mph sprint time – was unobtrusively perfect for the job. The chassis was surprisingly sharp for handling on road, where the car spent 99% of its driving life. After several months of extensive driving, every one of those choices stood the test. The key highlights were the deep HSE options set, the 300 mild-hybrid diesel engine and the R-Dynamic chassis (complete with sensibly sized 21in alloys). This car’s £75,120 price (it would have been £67,290 with no extras beyond the chosen packs) struck us as quite enough. The Discovery options list is long and complex, and ticking every box can produce a vehicle of eye-watering price. The D300 came to us with around 4500 miles on the clock from Land Rover’s launch press fleet, pointing out the options its own experts considered mattered most. True, this latest iteration was a bit slow out of the sales blocks in its first months, but now it seems to be subject to the same sort of long waiting times as the rest of the Land Rover line-up. My D300 R-Dynamic HSE fitted so brilliantly into the life and times of my family, just as Discoverys have done in five generations since 1989. However, if my ownership experience is any indication, such a move can really only extend to the styling. ![]() ![]() The next Disco, they say, must be more “family-oriented”, whatever that means. Land Rover Discovery 2.0 SD first drive.Land Rover Discovery 2.0 Si4 SE 2018 first drive.Land Rover Discovery D300 2021 UK first drive.
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