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.
4 out of 5

Performance

The 184bhp V8i is well suited to Discovery's heavy body and doesn't disappoint in performance terms. But it's very thirsty with a Combined fuel consumption figure of 17mpg. Nine-out-of-ten buyers go for the 137bhpTd5. It's 4.7 seconds slower to 60mph than the petrol, but at least it'll give around 30mpg. Ride is excellent even on the roughest of roads.

3.5 out of 5

Handling

It's fitted with Active Control Enhancement (ACE) suspension (standard on XS and ES, optional on others) and it gives stable body control. Drivers used to something a bit smaller will find it a bit cumbersome for parking and manoeuvering. Gives a good balance between off-road ability and on-road refinement.