What Car? Car of the Year 2005 - Large 4x4

Land Rover Discovery TDV6 S auto
List Price £33,490
Target Price £32,536

When Land Rover wheeled out the new Discovery at the New York Motor Show in April 2004, its top brass seemed remarkably confident. A couple of months later we knew why. After a 14-hour day in which we drove the car over bitumen, shale, gravel, grass, mud and up slopes that were close to being vertical, we had a new champion 4x4.

It remains a ‘proper’ Land Rover, with a tough separate body and chassis but, on real roads, the Discovery drives and rides so well you’re never conscious of how it’s built.

Off-road it’s as capable as ever, except that you no longer need the dexterity of a crane operator to get the best from it. Press a button, and the new electronic Terrain Response system will automatically adjust the four-wheel-drive system and gearing to suit the conditions. You’ll look as though you’ve been off-roading all your life.

The Discovery has never been so spacious or practical; so easy to get in and out of; so simple when swapping seats around; or so thoroughly engineered with owners in mind.

Broadband users click here to see our video review of the Land Rover Discovery

Dial-up users click here to see the our video review of Land Rover Discovery

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