Disco Is Back

We Bid Farewell To Ladder-Frame, But Don’T Think For A Second This Landie Has Lost Any Off-Road Capability.

- Alisa Priddle

Land Rover builds go-anywhere beasts that can traverse great distances in luxuriant opulence. Most never need this extreme capability, but it’s good to know it can handle heavy sport when called upon.

Showing an ability to persevere through snow, sleet, hail, and rain while battling high winds and steep sand dunes, our redesigned 2017 Discovery snaked through Utah canyons and Arizona desert. And although Land Rover had plotted this course to highlight the Disco’s strengths, its PR minders had no idea Mother Nature would supply such a meteorological onslaught. Seriously, the Postal Service would have stayed home.

But the Disco danced through the test. No winches, sand ladders, or other assists proved necessary during a two-day drive of almost 500 miles on- and off-road.

A few months ago Motor Trend tested a prototype of the Discovery off-road in Scotland on a greasy, muddy track through an estate in the highlands. But we were not allowed to take it on public roads.

We can now verify the successor to the LR4 handles like a gentleman on pavement but also retains its adventurous pluck under adverse conditions.

We started the day in rain, which quickly turned to blinding snow as we gained altitude near Zion National Park. Whiteout conditions descended upon our convoy as we passed a jackknifed tractor trailer. (Our Land Rover Defender support vehicle straightened it out.) Still, it was an omen of challenges to come.

The Discovery dates back to 1989, when it was known for its boxy shape, stepped roof, and asymmetrical liftgate with a spare tire. The U.S. model changed its name to LR3 in 2004 (third-gen), followed by the current LR4.