SMOOTH OPERATOR
The Land Rover Discovery is a breath of fresh English air in a category long dominated by hard-hauling Japanese heavyweights like the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol. Given it seems something of a Johnny Come Lately against the likes of the aforementioned pair, it’s hard to believe the Discovery has been with us now for three decades.
Major upgrades within each of the first two generations mean this all-new third generation model is commonly referred to as the Discovery Five. The ‘Disco Five’ arrived here in 2017, introducing a number of significant firsts, not least of which was the move away from body-on-frame to a unibody chassis design, and the adoption of aluminium chassis and body panels. Land Rover claims the changes increased the new model’s torsional rigidity and reduced vehicle weight by a staggering 480kg, both important considerations when towing.
There were other changes too, including the adoption of an even more capable version of its sophisticated computer-controlled 4x4 system, dubbed Terrain Response 2.
The system can be set to fully automatic or controlled via a dial on the centre console, with a total of five different modes to cover Auto, Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud, Sand and Rock Crawl.
But perhaps the most controversial and readily apparent change was the move away from the trademark boxy, angular design to a
