Land Rover Discovery Td5 in general

The Land Rover Discovery. It's been around for years now, and you can hardly drive down your own street without seeing one. Mind, that's some of the attraction of them - it's not that common to see a G-reg Japanese off-roader still out and about nowadays, but the roads are awash with Discoveries of this age. To me, that says something. While the current Discovery still looks similar to this original late-1980s vehicle that kicked things off, it's a lot different underneath. The last major rework was in 1998, but the new 2003 model (out now) has undergone some 400 tweaks and adjustments. It's this vehicle which really is the focus of this ...

Discovery, 2.5 turbo diesel, 1998 Vomit. I nearly did. This is the worst test drive I have ever had and as I cut short the experience after just fifteen minutes, the puke was on it's way up. The blancmange chassis was too much to stand unless an iron constitution was in hand. I don't have one of those, so the technicolour chunder paid me a visit. Still don't know what it was, but the driving position, the grate of the dreadful diesel unit and that childrens party chassis were chief villains. I was invited by a mate to have a go as he was on the verge of getting one and wanted a second opinion. he never got one! ...

The New Discovery is a quantum leap over its predecessor. Styling, although similar, creates a sharper overall package. The two main improvements have been in the handling and build-quality departments. Where the old Discovery was wallowy, this one is much firmer and can hold a line without inducing mild sweats; it can still soak up potholes and traverse difficult terrain in comfort. Panel fit is massively improved and this Discovery felt much more solid, even the glovebox shuts happily. The feeling of solidity remains and none of the towing ability is diminished. My Discovery has the TD5 engine, which is a big improvement over the old Tdi one; the engine is noisy ...