Land Rover’s large cars have all received makeovers for 2010. Range Rover was first in July with a supercharged 5.0 litre replacement for the 4.2 V8 petrol unit from Ford’s South Wales engine plant.
For September, the Range Rover Sport inherits the same Jaguar Land Rover 5.0-litre and similar interior and technology refinements. For the Discovery things go further and ‘3’ has become ‘4’.
Three key aspects, according to Land Rover, justify the new ‘name’: a TDV6 3.0 litre twin turbo diesel engine; improved on-road behaviour; fresh design features – inside and out.
For September, the Range Rover Sport inherits the same Jaguar Land Rover 5.0-litre and similar interior and technology refinements. For the Discovery things go further and ‘3’ has become ‘4’.
Three key aspects, according to Land Rover, justify the new ‘name’: a TDV6 3.0 litre twin turbo diesel engine; improved on-road behaviour; fresh design features – inside and out.
The Range Rover Sport (playing a subtle game between Discovery, on which it’s based, and Range Rover - without stealing sales from either) also gets the new TDV6 but retains the TDV8 3.6 option in common with the Range Rover.
Ford’s Bridgend petrol V8s are exclusive to Jaguar Land Rover whereas the diesel engines (from Dagenham) are part of the Ford-PSA joint-venture.
The new TDV6 twin turbo has gone into the Jaguar XF and will be in upper range Peugeot Citroën cars soon. But for 4x4 use, and as with both V8s, Land Rover has re-engineered it significantly.
With the TDV6 2.7 (which remains as a six-speed manual gearbox entry model at £31,995) it opted for a single rather than twin turbocharger set up.
The new 3.0-litre however boasts breakthrough sequential twin-turbo behaviour – one turbo yielding gradually to the other as the car settles into cruise after ‘take-off’.
Remapping all this has not only enhanced the vehicle’s ability to maintain a softly softly off-road attitude but also transformed its on-road alacrity.
Claims are very impressive: power up 29 per cent at 245bhp; torque up 36 per cent at 443lb-ft; fuel consumption down 9.7 per cent at 30.4 mpg (combined); CO2 down 9 per cent at 244g/km. It can cover the 0-62mph dash in 9.6 seconds and top speed is 112mph.
Lubrication and oil supply both beefed up for off-road use, pulleys and ancillaries (alternator, power steering pump, air-conditioning and starter motor) have all been given extra protection from the elements.
Dynamics received a going over too: steering; suspension; brakes together with Terrain Response/Hill Descent Control systems and on-screen displays which inform driver decision-making.
It’s a pity the demand is just not there, apparently, for a manual gearbox – the one thing going for the ‘old’ TDV6 2.7 (if at the risk of used car value) – but the revised six-speed automatic is adaptive in a ‘suits you, sir’ sort of way and, at least, offers a fair amount of manual override. It ‘interacts’ more effectively with the clutches/diff. locks too - so we’re told.
Visually, changes are restrained: a nose job to make it look less intimidating; some optical trickery to make it look more compact and lighter on its feet; and the usual arty lights-as-jewellery thing.
Inside on the other hand the whole cabin has been elevated to a very definite premium level. The dashboard and instruments look very elegant while the seats and trim are all luxury and quality.
Land Rover could do with front seat bottoms which adjust for length (Jaguar does it) - it would be good for the taller, leggier driver. Not sure about that cheese-grater-by-Alessi type grille – got the nod from the ‘clinics’ presumably.
Discovery 4 is the full seven seat anything-an-MPV-can-do-I-can-do-better proposition it always was and the lordly ‘command driving position’ is still there of course. Solihull’s Ancien Regime probably would have dubbed this “Series IIIA” or something but, cumulatively, the revisions do make a ‘4’ out of the ‘3’.
The new diesel has transformed the driving experience both on and off-road. Cornering, body control and ride quality have all improved.
The sheer composure and tractability of these machines under such diverse conditions – enhanced yet again – never fails to impress. Asking prices have crept up: £34,495-£47,695 for the three 3.0 litre TDV6 models but, still, such a lovely way to motor.
By Huw Thomas
Ford’s Bridgend petrol V8s are exclusive to Jaguar Land Rover whereas the diesel engines (from Dagenham) are part of the Ford-PSA joint-venture.
The new TDV6 twin turbo has gone into the Jaguar XF and will be in upper range Peugeot Citroën cars soon. But for 4x4 use, and as with both V8s, Land Rover has re-engineered it significantly.
With the TDV6 2.7 (which remains as a six-speed manual gearbox entry model at £31,995) it opted for a single rather than twin turbocharger set up.
The new 3.0-litre however boasts breakthrough sequential twin-turbo behaviour – one turbo yielding gradually to the other as the car settles into cruise after ‘take-off’.
Remapping all this has not only enhanced the vehicle’s ability to maintain a softly softly off-road attitude but also transformed its on-road alacrity.
Claims are very impressive: power up 29 per cent at 245bhp; torque up 36 per cent at 443lb-ft; fuel consumption down 9.7 per cent at 30.4 mpg (combined); CO2 down 9 per cent at 244g/km. It can cover the 0-62mph dash in 9.6 seconds and top speed is 112mph.
Lubrication and oil supply both beefed up for off-road use, pulleys and ancillaries (alternator, power steering pump, air-conditioning and starter motor) have all been given extra protection from the elements.
Dynamics received a going over too: steering; suspension; brakes together with Terrain Response/Hill Descent Control systems and on-screen displays which inform driver decision-making.
It’s a pity the demand is just not there, apparently, for a manual gearbox – the one thing going for the ‘old’ TDV6 2.7 (if at the risk of used car value) – but the revised six-speed automatic is adaptive in a ‘suits you, sir’ sort of way and, at least, offers a fair amount of manual override. It ‘interacts’ more effectively with the clutches/diff. locks too - so we’re told.
Visually, changes are restrained: a nose job to make it look less intimidating; some optical trickery to make it look more compact and lighter on its feet; and the usual arty lights-as-jewellery thing.
Inside on the other hand the whole cabin has been elevated to a very definite premium level. The dashboard and instruments look very elegant while the seats and trim are all luxury and quality.
Land Rover could do with front seat bottoms which adjust for length (Jaguar does it) - it would be good for the taller, leggier driver. Not sure about that cheese-grater-by-Alessi type grille – got the nod from the ‘clinics’ presumably.
Discovery 4 is the full seven seat anything-an-MPV-can-do-I-can-do-better proposition it always was and the lordly ‘command driving position’ is still there of course. Solihull’s Ancien Regime probably would have dubbed this “Series IIIA” or something but, cumulatively, the revisions do make a ‘4’ out of the ‘3’.
The new diesel has transformed the driving experience both on and off-road. Cornering, body control and ride quality have all improved.
The sheer composure and tractability of these machines under such diverse conditions – enhanced yet again – never fails to impress. Asking prices have crept up: £34,495-£47,695 for the three 3.0 litre TDV6 models but, still, such a lovely way to motor.
By Huw Thomas
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