LAND ROVER DISCOVERY

In few other cars will nearly 10,000 driven miles be so effortlessly amassed

- STEVE CROPLEY 

MILEAGE 15,355

WHY WE'RE RUNNING IT

To discover whether the increasingly crowded Land Rover world still has room for a full-sized family SUV

My mileage in the Disco has climbed rapidly to around 8500 in just a few months, and in all that distance I've given very little thought to the engine. I guess it's because it's so refined and unobtrusive - and because Land Rover slipped the 2996cc straight-six version of its mild-hybrid diesel into the range with only a fraction of the fanfare that greeted the original Wolverhamptonmade Ingenium range.

Even so, I see from lots of time spent following other people's full-sized Land Rovers that the six-cylinder has become a popular choice and I'm rapidly learning why. It idles smoothly and quietly. It pulls strongly from low revs (assisted no doubt by the MHEV's integrated starter-generator). It is very smooth when operating in its maximum

torque band (1500-2500rpm), and it easily supports a very tall top gearing. I continually find myself rolling smoothly along at 1500rpm in seventh or eighth gear, which helps deliver the Disco's other overarching characteristic - effortlessness.