What they said when the Land Rover Discovery 3 was new… (Sep 13 2004)
WHEN you are sitting in a vehicle at the top of a giant sand dune with the car's bonnet pointing skyward and a drop below so severe you can't see it from the driver's seat, it takes a leap of faith to drive over the edge.
Taking that leap proved to me that Land Rover has delivered the goods with the new Discovery 3.
For despite the stomach churning gradient and moving surface, the technological wonders which make up this vehicle bore me safely to the beach below.
The following day with a colleague I successfully repeated the experience, this time going over what is best described as a "mini cliff", so steep it would have been impossible to walk down it.
Prior to the drop I had looked over the edge and wondered if the experts from Land Rover were asking too much of the new vehicle.
But its sure-footedness meant it took it all in its stride like it was just another day at the office.
In between the two extreme tests we had driven the car through rivers, over boulders larger than its wheels and through mud ruts which scraped the axles, and not once did we get stuck or even slip.
Now 99 percent of the people who buy the car would never be mad enough to subject their vehicle to such extremes - but to know it is capable of taking on such conditions and winning is one hell of a good selling point.
Land Rover has invested millions of pounds in the development of the new car and its success is vital to them. This vehicle is the most advanced the company has ever made and has features never before seen on any car.
The secret of its mind-boggling off-road capability is its new " Terrain Response" system which is exclusive to Land Rover.
"It's like having an off-road expert in the cabin with you to get the most out of your vehicle."
Land Rover's chief engineer Peter Richings told me. "It's easy to use and you don't have to read books to understand it."
To develop the new system, experts from the company looked at 50 different surfaces around the world and categorised them into five different types.
The driver simply turns a dial on the centre console to select the type of surface about to be encountered - like sand, mud and ruts or grass, gravel and snow - and sets off with confidence.
Terrain Response uses existing features like ride height settings, hill descent control, electronic traction control as well as transmission and differential settings to a greater or lesser extent depending upon what you dial up. It's off roading made simple for the driver - and it works.
In fact its capabilities are truly awesome ensuring the Disco is top of the off-roading charts. For how long it is difficult to say because the new system will definitely be put on the Range Rover in due course.
The new Discovery 3 offers more refinement, more internal space and more flexibility than its predecessor. And to be sure everything works as it should, it has already been tested over four million miles on five continents.
The vehicle is available with a 4.4-litre V8 engine with a top speed of 121mph or a 2.7-litre V6 turbo diesel engine with a 112mph top speed. Both these engines have been adapted from those currently used by Jaguar to high acclaim.
And while the V8, with its 18.8mpg fuel consumption, will be the big seller in the USA, the diesel will account for the bulk of sales in Britain, due partly to its more affordable 30mpg.
Both engines are ideally mated to the new Discovery and ensure the car is just as good on the road as off.
In fact the Disco 3 is a superb long-distance, high speed cruiser in both petrol and diesel form. Both engines are impressively flexible and whisk the two-ton car along with ease.
The ride on-road is excellent and for such a high vehicle it takes bends with consummate ease with just the amount of body roll you would expect. Night time driving is made easier with headlights that shine around the bends.
The V8 comes with automatic transmission while the diesel has a six-speed manual box as standard with an autobox as an option.
There is a choice of five or seven seat models with the seven seater giving more flexibility than most MPVs. The three seats in the middle row and the two seats in the back row can be folded completely into the floor without even removing the headrests to give a totally flat surface and the carrying capacity of a van, all be it a luxury one.
The Discovery 3 has "stadium" seating so the rear seats are higher than the front ones to ensure everyone has good visibility.
The new model has been designed from the inside out and boasts a wide range of creature comforts including four glove boxes and so many cup-holders and bottle holders they can accommodate 17.5 litres of liquid.
One of the Discovery's distinctive features has gone, however. The spare wheel moves from the traditional spot on the rear door to underneath the vehicle, helping to lower the centre of gravity.
Technological advancements on the Discovery have brought with them the bonus of cheaper servicing - claimed to be 42 per cent less than the present model.
The Discovery 3 goes on sale on November 1 with prices ranging from £26,995 to a massive £46,995. Despite that, this year's entire production has already been sold.
It seems buyers of 4x4s know a good thing when they see it.
Words: Edward Stephens
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