Land Rover Discovery (98-04) - Review

Review by Parkers on
Discovery's got two sorts of reputations, and both are deserved. The first is for being a go-anywhere, do-anything 4x4, happy to tackle snow, mud and desert. The other's not so marketing-friendly; patchy build quality, poor reliability and all-over rust. But the model from 1998 (with major revisions again in May 2002) was a big improvement, with better electronics, more powerful engines and improved safety.
3 out of 5

Other Land Rover reviews

3 out of 5

Running costs

Service and parts costs are expensive and V8 models thirsty so the frugal choice is the refined Td5 diesel. Insurance is above average, but depreciation is kept to a minimum, thanks to the Land Rover badge.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£3,610 - £3,836 *

Diesel

£2,137 - £4,006 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

6000 miles (minor), 12000 miles (major).

Warranty

Three years mechanical.

Road tax (12 months)

£220.00 - £270.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

1.5 out of 5

Green credentials

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CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

Discovery is a polluting model. With an average of 297 g/km CO2 across the line-up, its emissions are high for a large 4x4. However, it's worth noting that the line up has a high number of diesel models, bringing the average down and giving buyers more choices of low-emission versions. Diesels typically produce less CO2 than petrol engines with similar power outputs. The range is quite thirsty, averaging 26 mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2