Yesterday our Discovery 4 was due a service so I arranged a test drive of the Disco 5 (2.0D HSE version) with the dealership. In total I probably had 40 mins driving it, and an additional ca. 30 mins messing about with it. For those who are mildly interested, here are my random comparisons between the two generations - they are very different beasts!

Positives: (i) the new vehicle feels considerably lighter and more nimble. There is less body roll, the steering is sharper, it stops quicker. The 2.0L Diesel engine is surprisingly punchy, the car felt just as fast as our 3.0D Disco 4 but with less turbo lag. It feels more car like, in fact in reminded me of a larger Jag F-Pace. (ii) The driver's seat goes lower so you can actually see all of the dash display (I have a long torso for my height!). (iii) The wide screen sat nav display looked great, the interior felt decent. (iv) The third row seats now electrically rise, saving faffing about with levers. (v) Looks are subjective but in the flesh they look good in darker colours (from the front at least!).

Negatives: (i) the dealership service team transferred over our 3 car seats into the middle row (1x isofix, 2x high-back boosters). I only had two girls with me so I would not have bothered - but I glad they did...they didn't fit in properly! The middle row is narrower than the Disco 4. It was a real faff securing the middle seat belt. The second row is also several inches lower; once they were (finally) strapped in the girls were complaining they couldn't see out as well. (ii) The rear wiper blade is now attached at the top of the screen, but only does a 3/4 sweep and stops at the 1/4 position on intermittent....it annoyed me instantly! (iii) They have replaced the split fold tailgate with a single piece design, featuring a crappy fold down flap. It's crap. (iv) the boot space looked considerably smaller as the rear of the car is not slab backed, but curves forward. (v) the sat nav seemed to zoom in and out randomly. It's better than the previous generation, but a league behind BMW Professional. (vi) It has an ugly back-side!

Does the 5 look modern and fresh, or does the 4 look more distinguished? I'm not sure.





Overall, I think LR have cocked it up. If they continued what was great about the Disco 4 they would have had a seriously special vehicle here. But they have ignored what makes these cars great for families. And did I tell you the rear wiper was annoying? Luckily it wasn't raining much yesterday....oh actually it was.