Land Rover Discovery review

The Land Rover Discovery is the Swiss Army knife of the car world – it can do almost any job you ask of it and more.

Do you need to carry seven people in comfort? No problem. Are you looking for an upmarket chariot to impress the neighbours? It'll do that, too. Are you likely to tow a caravan out of a muddy field? Again, the Discovery's got your back. It'll even take you to the places that would leave a mountain goat thinking twice about before visitng.

It also has more heritage to shout about than most of its luxury SUV rivals – the Discovery first arrived on the 4x4 scene at the end of the Eighties – and the latest model is the most lavish and technologically advanced yet. It sits above the smaller Discovery Sport and the more rugged Defender in the current Land Rover line-up, and below the posher Range Rover Sport.

The Discovery certainly has plenty going for it, then, but so do its key rivals. Primarily, they include the Audi Q7, BMW X5, Mercedes GLE and Volvo XC90. Now, we know that the most discovering most Discoveries will do would involve searching for a space in a muddy National Trust car park. Still, for some of us, just knowing that it's more capable off road than most other SUVs is what it's all about.

As well as its capabilities on the rough stuff, though, you'll also want to know how it squares up to the competition for practicality, on-road driving manners, interior quality and costs. So read on over the next few pages of this Land Rover Discovery review and we’ll give you those answers. We'll even tell you which engine and trim makes the most sense.

Once you've made up your mind, we can help you save a handsome pile of cash on a new Land Rover Discovery and hundreds of other new vehicles. Simply visit the free What Car? New Car Buying service, where you can browse the latest Land Rover deals and more.