As mentioned in Ronnie Schreiber’s recent TTAC review of the 2013 Land Rover LR4, that model was due for some freshening, which now has been announced at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
The LR4, sold as the Discovery outside of North America, gets a new front end, with new headlights, grille and fascia that better match more recently updated Land Rovers. There are also refinements in the cabin, with Meridian replacing Harmon Kardon as the stereo supplier, along with technological upgrades like blind spot monitoring, reverse traffic detection and Wade Sensing for when you’re crossing streams. Jaguar Land Rover apparently realizes that not everyone who buys a Land Rover is a serious off-roader. The LR4/Discovery is now available with an optional single speed transfer case made by Torsen that “acknowledges that some customers do not need to fully exploit the Discovery’s off-road capabilities.” The thirsty 5 liter Jaguar V8 has been replaced by the 3.0 liter supercharged engine as fitted to the new F Type, which generates 335 hp and 332 lb.ft., allowing stated 0-60 times of under 8 seconds. The two diesels currently offered in most markets will be carried over. No word yet on what engines will be available in the United States. All engines will be backed by an 8 speed ZF automatic gearbox. There is also no word on how the SUV, which now features “DISCOVERY” badging across the front of the hood, will be branded in the United States.
I still find the LR4/Disco tremendously appealing. Supremely comfortable, refined, and quiet in almost every setting, with excellent sightlines (increasingly unique for SUVs/CUVs), a nice interior, and a unique look. It seems to do 90% of what a Range Rover does, but at 50% of the cost. Plus, you aren’t mistaken for a rapper/footballer/Hollywood wannabe/drug dealer when you drive one of these. A solid update, since the string of individual LEDs in the front headlights was somehow more garish and fussy than this. Too bad they kept the altezza lights out back.
And I say all of this as a 24 year-old male with absolutely no use for basically any of the features the LR4 provides.
Land Rover can go straight to he!! for all I care. I will never own another one.
Thank you Land Rover for finally giving the Discovery its name back here in the US. I hated the El Argh Fore name.
They haven’t announced that they are are doing so yet as far as I am aware. Keep in mind this is Frankfurt so they are using the Discovery name because that is what the SUV is known as in Europe.
I can see the day these all get branded as Range Rovers – the Discovery badging on the front might be a step towards that, as might the RR’esqe face. A shame really, as some of us see the LR’s as classier alternatives to the more blinged-out RR’s. Certainly, their drivers seem to be a nicer group.
I’d like them to bring back the Disco name, but I think you might be onto something there. The entire Range Rover/Land Rover thing is confusing to most people anyway. When I had a Discovery I constantly had people asking me if I drove a Range Rover, I would explain it’s a Land Rover and they would tell me that they didn’t like Land Rovers they liked Range Rovers, etc. Especially when Toyota also had the Land Cruiser out there, people who weren’t into it just didn’t get it. Maybe Land Rover is just going to embrace it and go with Range Rover everything!
Squint a bit and that profile looks very Dodge Nitro!
My main issue is the black-and-white instrument-panel LCD that’s in the current LR4/Discovery 4 and outgoing Range Rover Sport. Now that you can get a color LCD between the gauges in a nice Focus or a base Altima, I hope that Land Rover has remedied this…
So really… that’s the most important feature to you?? Why would a color LCD even matter? I have a red LCD in my GTI, it shows me the MPGs, odo, etc. Would that info be better if rendered in multi-color?
Because Dog-Forbid that an expensive luxo-truck lack a feature seen on a $19K economy car. I’m with you, I could care less. And those full-color screens tend to be WAAAAY too bright at night for my taste. They never are dimmable enough, Saab had the right idea.
Hey good comment. Worthwhile.
Well it looks better (and of course better than Ronnie’s tester black-plasto-edition trim). It won’t be a Discovery here, and thus won’t say Discovery on the front, or LR4 for that matter because it’s too short.
I disagree with the general principle of putting any model name across the front of an LR product except for Range Rovers. That’s not how it’s done!
All those rocks, and the PR photos show it sitting on flat level ground. We are understand that most of these are sold to Walter(or Wendy) Mittys, but they’re not even attempting to play the game.
Disco Biscuits for everyone!
So they drop the sweet Jaguar 5.0L V8 for a blown six cylinder and lose 40 HP and 43 ft/lbs in the process? That’s no good. I know I am driving a fuel sucking pig, give me the power at least!