All-New Direction

Has Land Rover crafted a premium shopping trolley? There are a few things we’d like to change…

- Angus Boswell

I am going to be a little heretical and bold here, because the All-New Discovery Si6 HSE petrol we recently took for a whirl on a mild off-road route near Witsand, and on gravel roads over the famous Malgas Pont, is a bit of a disappointment. I had driven the so-called preproduction diesel prototypes in the UK, and was impressed at the newcomer’s comfort levels and sheer clawing ability in various muddy conditions. Fellow SA4x4 staffer Andrew Middleton enjoyed the car on the local launch, hailing it as “...possibly the most capable example of the [Discovery] breed to date, both on and off the tar.”

Its principal design departure is in shedding the old Discovery 4 chassis in favour of a mostly aluminium monocoque with sub frames closer in identity and construction to the Range Rover, and shedding 480kg in the process. This is considered vital in a new world where emissions and safety regulations are tightening by the month. It has also gained a new electronic heart, governing almost every vehicle function.

However, Discovery 5 (we have to call it that) has come a long way from its original intent as a comfortable wagon with great off-road ability, and gone too far into the wormhole of electronic control to turn back. If these systems go wrong, and there are so many systems that can, you are as stuffed as the proverbial Christmas stocking. There’s no 24-hour assistance in the middle of the Kalahari, nor are there tyre shops stocking the exotic 20-inch (or bigger) low-profile rubber that comes standard on this new iteration.

My principal problem was that I had issues with the Terrain Response 2 (and associated air suspension) refusing to work. After turning the ignition on and off repeatedly – rather like rebooting a computer – it eventually came into play, and the ride height could be adjusted. Before that, the vehicle was slumped on its belly with the tyres buried deep inside the wheel arches.