SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 GQ.COM.AU 141141W
e’re plundering the
latest Land Rover
Discovery through
a large puddle of water
that’s been poured in
the outback – 20 clicks
from Uluru – for our benefit.
“Keep it steady and don’t go too quick,”
we’re told. And so we head in too fast and
swash silty brown slush up over the bonnet- to the amusement of those gathered who
don’t work for Land Rover. It shouldn’t
matter – the new engine, we’re told, can
“breathe” underwater and the wading depth
of the new Disco is an impressive 900mm
(up 200mm on the previous model).
Next comes a moguls course,
a cluster of hardened obstacles
that mean increasing the
car’s height by the
press of a solitary
button to let the
vehicle know it’s about to drive across some
extreme speed bumps.
Given the engineering clout and tricked-
up tech of what lies beneath, it’s all rather
easy – nudging up and over the hardened red
dirt boulders, front wheels independently
airborne before driving out onto the flat.
It was during our second assault of this
staged NT circuit that we started to ponder
just how many of these new, luxury British
SUVs would actually make it outdoors.
It was clearly also the concern of one
of this trip’s seasoned motoring hacks –
a predominately heavy-set collection of
men whose lives seem to revolve around
accruing air miles and free motoring jackets- who asked as much, wanting a percentage
breakdown from those at Jaguar Land Rover.
None was forthcoming, though the
marque’s brass didn’t shy away from
discussing where this, Land Rover’s fifth
and latest iteration of the much-loved
Discovery, would end up – on tarmac,
doing school and weekend sports runs.
For all its ease at devouring sandy
bush tracks, the Disco remains
a status symbol for city
types – a car that
speaks of certain wealth and boasts about
the idea of adventure, even though its most
punishing outing will likely involve ferrying
a half-dozen seven-year-olds high on sugar
following a party.
And this is a shame – given the capabilities
of what the car can really do when it comes to
finding a path where there isn’t one.
The first thing to really strike is the new
model’s updated shape. Gone is the brutal
squareness of before in favour of a more
rounded, fuller structure. That’s not to say
she’s fat – the lines that pull from the bonnet
are still sleek, though the rear is a little
‘Kardashian-esque’, especially noticeable
in side profile. The junk in the trunk’s
necessary to accommodate a third row of
seating for the seven-seaters, an option we’re
assured will accommodate three adults.
Despite such growth, the car actually
carries less weight – the new, largely
aluminum body meaning it hits the scales
a whopping 480kg lighter than before.
There’s a trio of diesel engines to choose
from, each with an eight-speed transmission
and available across four different finishes:
S, SE, HSE and HSE Luxury.
While $65,960 will get you the five-seat
four-cylinder, 2.0-litre S Td4, it’s the range-
topping HSE Td6, with 3.0-litre V6, that
feels right – a $103,760 spend that delivers
190kW and 600Nm with a 0-100km/h
time of 8.1 seconds.
Some claim that the opulence of the new
Disco sets Land Rover on a collision course
with its luxury Range Rover siblings, though
this suggests the bush basher’s gone a bit soft- which it hasn’t, even if it’s talked about as
‘the ultimate family SUV’. It’s about riding
high, cocooned in leathery-luxury – even off
road the ride is quiet and smooth – with an
ability to wedge a lot of stuff in. There are
21 varying seat positions across the three
rows – the last two can be driven completely
flat via the press of a button, or via an app.
As for connectivity, the car boasts nine USB
points and six 12v charging points.
It’s all very impressive, so too the Advanced
Tow Assist, which will please any man who
sweats a little when it comes to reversing
whatever’s attached out back.
Since it first arrived in this country in
1991, more than 65,000 Australian motorists
have claimed ownership of a Discovery.
And now with the refined tweaks, increased
luxe and connectivity, that number’s sure to
quickly increase – even if there’s little off-
road driving being done. n
Available now; landrover.com.au