I was looking at the back end of the subject of this week’s review – the Land Rover Discovery – my attention once again drawn to that offset number plate. I know it’s trivial but whenever I see it I just can’t help but wonder why. Why?

Anyway, I’m determined not to let that influence my review because the Discovery has many, many qualities that render a misjudged, in my opinion, design choice.

First of all, it’s a proper SUV that is entirely capable of tackling something more challenging than Waitrose car park. The Discovery will, in fact, take you to places that Sir Edmund might think twice about tackling. That It will do it while carrying seven people while they luxuriate in the upmarket surroundings – though that might not be entirely true of whoever draws the short straw and ends up in the rear-most seats – and a substantial amount of their luggage will leave Sir Hilary positively floundering.

It’s off-road abilities are without question. Since its arrival on the scene way back in the 80s it has, in most people’s minds I’m sure, become associated with Britain’s hardworking farmers. It and the omnipresent Defender of course. It’s also true that the latest model is more lavish and technologically advanced than ever and that the closest most owners are likely to get to venturing off-road are their gravel driveways so it’s going to be how it fares on the road where this game will be won and lost.

It faces some stiff competition from the Audi Q7, BMW X5, Mercedes GLE and Volvo XC90 so lets take a look and see if it has what it takes to leave its rivals in the dust.

Being a proper SUV you’ll find yourself sitting high up with a commanding view of your surroundings. The seats are very comfortable and easy to adjust thanks to standard 14-way powered adjustment. R-Dynamic SE raises that to 18-way while HSE trim makes that 20. And here was I thinking we existed in only four dimensions.

There’s plenty of adjustment in the steering wheel too. It’s manual on S and R-Dynamic S trim but R-Dynamic SE and R-Dynamic HSE have powered adjustment that’s connected to the seating’s memory function.

The passenger space feels light and airy and a quick glance around certainly produces a favourable impression in terms pf quality. Dig deeper, much deeper, and you’ll find a few harder plastics and rough edges but they are buried away in places where any normal human being would rarely, if ever, venture. Anything and everything that you’ll come into contact with day-to-day feels solid and tactile with more than a little dash of the luxurious.

There’s space aplenty in the Discovery – or Disco as it is often fondly called – so regardless of shape and size you should have no trouble fitting in. It has one of the widest interiors in the class so there should be no rubbing of shoulders, bumping of elbows or clashing of any other parts of your respective anatomies.

I believe I did mention that this is a wide car and that means that you can comfortably accommodate three people across the rear bench. The floor is flat, too, so there’s lots of room for three pairs of feet. Headroom is equally as generous.

Now what about that third row? Usually I would recommend very, very occasional use for anyone but smaller children however, in the Discovery there’s enough room for a pair of tall adults to get quite comfortable with nice touches like padded armrests beneath the rear windows.

There’s lots of storage space, especially in the front, with room for as many as four tablet PCs – note my acknowledgement that not everyone uses Apple devices – in the deep bin between the seats and one-litre bottles in the door pockets. There’s a secret storage compartment – the location of which I won’t reveal otherwise it wouldn’t be a secret – that’s only revealed with the push of a button and is big enough to hold a wallet or a mobile phone. And, because one glovebox is never enough, there are two.

The middle row of seats split 60/40 rather than a more flexible 40/20/40 configuration. In higher trims you can raise and lower them, and the rear seats, with the press of a button in the boot, on the infotainment touchscreen, or using a mobile phone app. It takes 14 seconds, which is significantly longer than it would take to do the job manually but also significantly less labour intensive. The second row slides fore and aft and recline.

To prevent small people getting crushed in the event of accidental operation each seat has a weight sensor that disables the system if it detects someone sitting on it.

It goes without saying but, yes, I’m going to say it anyway, boot capacity is entirely dependent on how many passengers you’re carrying. With just five people on board you can carry 1,137 litres of luggage but add a couple of more people in the boot and there’s barely room for a weekly shop.

With all the rear seats stowed away there’s a frankly cavernous 2,406 litres of boot space to play with.

There’s no split tailgate – though it is powered on all versions with gesture control so you can open it with a wiggle of your foot – but the boot floor folds out so there’s somewhere to sit whether you want to swap your footwear or just crack open your flask and tuck into your egg and cress sandwiches.

The infotainment touchscreen measures 11.4in and looks gorgeous. The graphics are sharp, crisp and easy to read. It is, in fact, one of the best in the business but, like all touchscreens, you’re still faced with the challenge of operating it without taking your eyes off the road. A challenge that, so far, has proven beyond me.

My review car was fitted with the 296bhp D300 diesel engine. It’s a flexible powerplant that pulls strongly from low revs. That’s reflected in a 0-62mph time of just 6.6 seconds. It’s also quiet. Even when pushed hard it’s barely more than a distant hum and that makes it a shame that, at motorway speeds, there’s a degree of wind and road noise permeating the cabin. It isn’t loud – you don’t have to raise your voice to be heard – but it is noticeable.

The Discovery rides on air suspension as standard and it delivers a smooth and unflustered ride at motorway speeds, rather like an oil tanker dismissing the ripples on a boating lake. It isn’t quite as competent around town, however, with larger impacts sending tiny shudders through the car.

If you’ve arrived at this point in my review expecting me to talk about the Discovery’s dynamic, sporty and precise handling then more fool you. Being sporty is not part of the Discovery’s remit. Sure, you can steer through corners at decent speeds and with a fair amount of confidence but it possesses a definite reluctance to change direction with any real purpose and is prone to lean a bit as you turn in.

The steering is slow, too, which means a lot of arm work whether you’re out in the country or driving around town but, then, why go round corners when you can cut straight across them? Okay, so maybe not in town; or the countryside come to that, but the point I’m labouring to make is that the Discovery is a cracking off-roader.

It’s excellent 283mm of ground clearance, wading depth of 900mm and a catalogue of clever off-road driving aids mean that it will tackle terrain other SUVs won’t dare to follow. All-Terrain Progress Control – an option as part of the Advanced Off-Road Capability Pack on all trims bar the entry-level S – works like cruise control on the rough stuff. You can also change the speed on the hill-descent control.

If you’re likely to spend some time off-road then the Discovery has got to be on your shopping list. It is also an excellent cruiser – spacious, comfortable and luxurious – but some of its rivals do offer a more exciting driving experience. Equipment levels are generous and the D300 diesel engine reviewed here offers an excellent combination of efficiency, performance and refinement.

Land Rover Discovery HSE R-Dynamic D300

Price: £67,290

As tested: £73,055

Engine: 4-cylinder diesel MHEV

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Max power: 300hp

Max torque: 650Nm @ 1,500 – 2,500rpm

Max speed (mph): 130

0-62 (sec): 6.6

Fuel economy (WLTP) mpg

Low: 22.5 – 22.6

Medium: 34.6 – 32.2

High: 42.7 – 38.8

Extra high: 33.9 – 31.9

Combined: 33.9 – 31.9

Emissions (CO2) g/km: 218 – 232

For more information visit www.landrover.co.uk

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