increase font size
Land Rover Discovery.
News noted last year that the price of the Land Rover Discovery 6 was right up there, perhaps too high to get the vehicle out onto farms.
But the Discovery is as good as it gets in an SUV, with great performance and predictable handling and off-road capability. So when JLR New Zealand introduced a new Pioneer version we put our hands up for a closer look.
Externally, the Pioneer doesn’t look much different from its much pricier cousins, still using the underpinnings of the Range Rover, including 4WD and long-travel air suspension, mounted to the monocoque, aluminium-based floor pan.
Inside, there’s plenty of room for up to seven adults, and with the second- and third-row seats lowered there’s a cavernous 2500L of space available, and 45 litres more in numerous storage boxes, door pockets and cubbyholes.
The driveline starts with the maker’s silky-smooth, 3L V6 twin-turbo diesel that pumps out 190kW at 3750rpm and 600Nm torque between 2250 and 1750rpm.
The 8-speed transmission remains the same as in the rest of the range, as does the dynamic stability control, cornering brake control, electronically assisted power steering and electronic air suspension.
Off-road it has electronic traction control, front axle open differential, gradient acceleration control, hill descent, off-road ABS and the industry-leading terrain response control offering set-ups for all types of surfaces.
So what’s different, given that the Pioneer is about $15k cheaper than the entry-spec SE variant? That puts the Pioneer into the price bracket of a high-spec Toyota Prado.
A move from leather-clad to cloth seats is easy to live with, as are fixed heated door mirrors. The removal of internal ambient lighting and externally a switch to halogen from LED headlights is no great shakes; neither are the tweaks to internal trim such as a standard rear-view mirror and the loss of a 12v socket; this is still a great SUV.
Out on the road, the smooth, quiet power makes cross-country travel composed and relaxed, as seen during a fast hustle across the Kopu-Hikuai road at the bottom of the Coromandel Peninsula. A front-seat passenger remarked how ‘planted the Discovery felt, with little or no indication of any body-roll. Pushing hard, this driver felt always in control, and the several driver aids and traction controls kept the vehicle in check on Coromandel’s poor road surfaces and adverse cambers.
What’s not to like? Not an awful lot. Older drivers shy of too much technology might find the simpler layout refreshing, compared to many vehicles that continue packing too much in. The cloth seats trim might not be to everyone’s taste but can always be uprated to leather if the buyer wishes.
One thing’s for sure, this revised Discovery will get rural types taking a closer look, so expect to see more of this British icon on a rural road near you soon.
Jaguar Land Rover has announced a new global strategy that will see the Land Rover brand release six pure electric variants through its Range Rover, Discovery and Defender families, with the first all-electric variant arriving in 2024.
As I'm writing this review in early December, I’d like to make a prediction – the new Land Rover Defender should win the New Zealand Car of The Year title.
The saying goes “the only good thing to come out of Birmingham (UK) is the M6 motorway”, but just a few miles down the road in the heart of the Industrial Revolution, is Solihull, the home of the Land Rover.
A New Land Rover -- Discovery Sport – is the first of the company’s new Discovery vehicle range. The compact SUV seats seven in an optional ‘5+2’ arrangement.
WHEN DRIVING a genuine motoring icon you tend to forgive shortcomings, especially when you are driving the last of the breed.
Recent rain has offered respite for some from the ongoing drought.
New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.
With much of the North Island experiencing drought this summer and climate change projected to bring drier and hotter conditions, securing New Zealand’s freshwater resilience is vital, according to state-owned GNS Science.
OPINION: Otago farmer and NZ First MP Mark Patterson is humble about the role that he’s played in mandating government agencies to use wool wherever possible in new and refurbished buildings.
For Wonky Box co-founder Angus Simms, the decision to open the service to those in rural areas is a personal one.
The golden age of orcharding in West Auckland was recently celebrated at the launch of a book which tells the story of its rise, then retreat in the face of industry change and urban expansion.
OPINION: The appendage swinging contest between the US and China continues, with China hitting back with a new rate of…
OPINION: The irony of President Trump’s tariff obsession is that the worst damage may be done to his own people.
