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Apparently, bundu bashing isn’t the only strength of the current-gen Landy Disco. Oh no, if there’s one thing it’s considerably better at than traversing mud slopes and wading rivers with its host of technological aids like the Terrain Response 2 and Wade Mode; it’s dividing opinions.
A case in point: the missus came home to find it parked in the driveway. Instead of the near-ritualistic inquiry about anything and everything from price to power to service plans she just walked past the larger-than-life Disco without even stealing a glance. Odd. She couldn’t have not seen it since it’s 44 millimetres shy of five metres and stands 1.9-metres tall. It’s huge.
Naturally, I had to ask her what she thinks of the Disco. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have: “whoever designed that must have had one glass too many” she replied while scrolling through the cluttered Netflix homepage. Sorry, Gerry McGovern. Somewhat amused and at a genuine loss for words, I just uttered "Uhm" followed by a pause before I finally managed a rather weak retort: “if you mean the rear-end, it’s the Discovery design signature”. Yeah, I really made my point there. Then just for good measure, I added; "it was designed by the same guy that did the new Defender”. No reply.
And speaking of the Defender, this also happened to be the topic of an inner-office discussion. It went something along these lines: “The Defender has completely rendered the Discovery obsolete, it too offers seven seats refinement is surprisingly almost equally as good.” Then the matter of the Defender's 2021 World Car Design of the Year award was brought up with the final nail in the oversized Discovery’s argument being that “with the Defender, Land Rover actually managed to successfully implement the heritage design elements”. I really tried championing the Disco here but then the topic of drivability somehow crept in and I was, once again, silenced since the only Defender driving I’ve done was virtual off-road tracks on Xbox’s new Forza Horizon.
I can, however, speak to the drivability of the updated Discovery (5) but I’ll get to that in a bit. First, there’s the matter of the cabin and it’s here where it shines. I couldn’t help but get the idea that the pressure was on the interior department to overcompensate… Not that I’m complaining because, well, except for the obvious giveaways like the button-and-dial-operated climate control, Land Rover badging and somewhat less shiny cabin adornments, there really isn’t a world of difference between this range-topping spec Disco’s cabin and a considerably pricier Range Rover Sport.
Part of the Disco’s recent update is the addition of a new 11.4” infotainment system that LR says is 48% larger than what you’d find prior. While the bang-up-to-date graphics are crisp and the operation speed seamless for the most part, navigating around all the features it has on offer proved a chore. I’m sure, though, with continuous use it’ll get easier…
So, driving. When the Discovery 4 launched in the late stages of the 2000s, road testers waxed lyrical with what they called “newfound driving predictability”. The consensus was that due to improved body control, it felt smaller than the 3. On a scale of progress then, this Disco 5.5 should be as effortless to drive as an Evoque all the while instilling a sense of superiority over other road users in their cutesy runabouts. You’d think.
Well, obviously it's enormous. I couldn’t get it to fit in my garage. Nor in a parking space during the after-five supermarket rush – even with all the onboard sensors and park-assist-related cameras.
Even on the road, the 2.4-tonne heft makes its presence known. The 3.0-litre turbodiesel unit in our tester with its 221 kW and 650 Nm felt outmatched, but luckily it does a decent job once cruising.
While unrelated to the power unit, on my last day testing the Disco, my cruising contentment was short-lived as a 125 km/h highway journey nearly ended in a call to the insurance. With cruise control on standby, I kept a four-second following distance to the vehicle in front as I was overtaking a series of slower cars. A tailgater impatiently weaved behind me and without warning, and without any unannounced cars making a sudden appearance, the accident-avoidance system slammed on the brakes nearly creating a concertina-like accident. Needless to say, some bird-flipping followed as the tailgater probably thought I was brake testing him.
At least it comes with a five-year / 100,000 km maintenance plan so should it happen to you not all hope is lost.
I can appreciate what the Discovery represents with its black-tie and off-road warrior duality – it is, after all, one of the most competent and luxurious off-roaders on the market. It even shares some modern adventuring wisdom with its Defender sibling. And while I’ve always been of the opinion that the Disco 3 and 4 were some of the prettiest SUVs ever made, I can’t help but feel that this, the 5.5, is a placeholder model of sorts. It’s great on some fronts, sure, but there’s no one significant element that really sets it apart. I’m pretty sure with time that rear-end might just grow on you, though…
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