Why Land Rover still holds the edge

THE RANGE ROVER’S nose dropped over the edge and pushed down the steep slope, as it cocked a rear wheel about a foot into the air. Carefully squeezing between unyielding trees, it dropped, controlled by electronic and engine braking, down a slippery, muddy slide that you would fall off if you tried to walk down it. Looking on admiringly, one of our party wistfully remarked “So darling, what did you do with your €130,000 car today?”

After a year in which the focus has been on the front-wheel-drive Freelander and the glamorous, bijou Evoque, Land Rover decided it was high time we were reminded that it still makes big, hefty off-roaders with low-ratio gearboxes and the agility of a mountain goat.

In the fine traditions of such things, that reminder came in the form of test drives that spent far more time in mud, water and forest tracks than on the firm, reassuring tarmac that most heedless owners will ever experience their Land Rovers on.

For the big, “full-fat” Range Rover, the changes for the 2012 model year have been pretty minimal. The 4.4-litre V8 diesel engine that was introduced in late 2010 remains the same, as does the eight-speed gearbox. Some minor changes to the cabin trim, instrument displays and color options are about the limit of it, but it was nice to get a chance to remind ourselves of just what an imperious machine the Range Rover is.

Big? Yes. Profligate? Yes – if a touch less than once it was, thankfully. But the comfort, refinement and sense of occasion are almost unbeatable. It is certainly expensive but you’d have to upgrade to something with a Bentley or Rolls-Royce badge to get a car that makes you feel quite this good. And it’s aloof, slow-reacting driving style encourages you to sit back and relax, surely a boon for road safety.

The (slightly) smaller Range Rover Sport is a car we’ve always been a little less keen on. After all, it could surely only be a disappointment next to its big brother. And it’s a bit too much Footballer’s Wives to boot. But, once aboard, such worries diminish. The cabin is still wonderfully comfortable, even if the rear legroom and cheap-feeling overhead trim are constant let-downs.

The ride quality, too firm and jiggly, likewise detracts. But as a way to cross country (by road or otherwise) very quickly and comfortably, it’s at least 90 per cent as capable as the big RR. A new ZF-supplied eight-speed gearbox, now with a Jaguar-style rotary gear selector in the cabin, draws power from a brace of modified V6 diesel engines. Both of 3.0-litre capacity, they come in 256bhp and 211bhp forms, and the good news is that the 211bhp version now has CO2 emissions of 224g/km; sufficient to drop the Sport out of the top band for motor tax. Those same V6 diesels and eight-speed gearboxes are also fitted to the updated Land Rover Discovery and, of the four vehicles we drove over a hectic two days, it was ultimately the Discovery that proved the most impressive.

It’s not quite as sharp as a Range Rover Sport to drive (in fairness, the Sport feels like a hot hatch on stilts at times). Nor is it as luxurious as the Range Rover. But what the Discovery has is a close to unbeatable mixture of abilities.

It’s as refined as a luxury saloon when you’re cruising on the motorway. It can seat seven full-sized adults in comfort (as long as you are willing to sacrifice all the luggage space). If it’s not as sharp as a Sport, it still drives with calm competence and can be hustled down a twisting road with surprising verve. Land Rover says that no suspension changes have been made, but we definitely reckon that this Discovery rolls less, steers more sweetly and rides better than any previous one we’ve tried.

Faults? Well, the cabin still doesn’t feel quite up to the Disco’s €65,000 price tag, it feels massive in tight car parks and that grille and LED daytime lights combo, introduced last year, are just too much bling for our taste. But the reduced annual motor tax on the lower-power model (down from €2,400 to €1,050) will be welcome and there’s the intangible benefit of Discovery ownership; and that you look slightly less like a hateful, capitalist overlord (or Premiership footballer) than you would in a Range Rover.

There was one final vehicle to try and it was the original, the Defender. Still able to trace its lineage back to the Maurice Wilks-designed original of 1948, the Defender defines Land Rover and vice versa. It may be noisy, uncomfortable, thirsty and its turning circle is equivalent to the land area of Meath, but as a beast of burden or a tool of off-roading, it really is unbeatable.

For 2012, it gets a new 2.2-litre engine which keeps it up to date with EU emissions regulations and potentially extends its life through to 2017, giving Land Rover a couple more years to try and work out how to replace it. With 360Nm of torque and a low-ratio gearbox, there is little terrain that the Defender can’t traverse. When Armageddon finally comes, it’s a Defender you’ll want to have on the driveway.

Aside from Armageddon, though, it’s the updated Discovery that we’d have.

FACTFILE

Land Rover Discovery TDV6 XE

ENGINE2,993cc six-cylinder turbodiesel with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, putting out 211bhp @ 4,000rpm and 520Nm of torque @ 2,000rpm.

PERFORMANCE0-100km/h: 10.7 seconds; 180km/h top speed

ECONOMY8.5 L/100km (33.2mpg)

EMISSIONS224g/km (€1,050 motor tax)

FEATURESDaytime running lights, air conditioning, Cruise control, Steering wheel-mounted audio controls, Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), Terrain Response system, seven seats

PRICES€64,250 for entry XE 211bhp as tested; €75,700 for 256bhp HSE

OUR RATING 8/10

An almost unmatched breadth of talents. Yes, it’s massive and thirsty, but it’s also massively impressive.