The perennial towcar favourite from Land Rover has been refreshed for 2012, with a more powerful engine, an eight-speed automatic gearbox and lower carbon emissions.
Fans of the Discovery 4 may be excited to learn that the 4WD best-seller is getting the ZF gearbox range from Jaguar, which offers a rotary gear-shift selector and a flappy-paddle option.
The eight-speed automatic transmission results in improved fuel efficiency and brings the CO2 emissions down to just 230g per km, which is outstanding for such a large towcar.
Even with prices starting from the slightly higher price of £37,995 on the road, the Discovery 4 is almost £5,000 less expensive the equivalent 2012 Porsche Cayenne.
The price tag does invite comparisons with the luxury market though, showing how far the Discovery has come from being known as a utility family car.
Clean, mean machine
A power boost to 256bhp gives you more poke for your pound, while the 500Nm of torque can be delivered at 2,000rpm in just half a second – ideal for towing large tourers at low speeds.
Furthermore, Land Rover claims that the 3.0-litre diesel engine is one of the cleanest on the market resulting in almost 35mpg on country roads, which is no means feat from a car that weighs more than two and a half tonnes.
On the entertainment front, there’s a new colour-screen audio system, which you can connect to via Bluetooth or USB, while the radio can play DAB channels. For the boy racer in you, there’s an even the option of a more powerful 825W 17-speaker set, while the Disco also comes with 19-inch alloys as standard.
A helping hand
Continuing from the 2011 edition is the Hill Start Assist system, which retains the brake pressure while you move your foot over to the accelerator.
Caravan owners can also benefit from Land Rover’s Tow Assist system, which uses the rear parking cameras to detect the shape of your tourer and guide you when reversing.
What’s more, the Tow Hitch Assist system makes it easier to precisely line up the tow bar with a tow hitch by using the main dashboard screen.
Finally, with petrol prices spiralling upwards it seems like the super-efficient 3.0-litre diesel will be your one and only option.
