The Land Rover Discovery series is a 3-door estate / 5-door estate / 3-door van from Land Rover, built from 1989, in the age of turbocharging and the first electronic engine management. Under the bonnet: 2.0 . Dave Evans, Mike Sampson, Richard Bartlam, Mike Brogan, Mehmet Ozoturk, Alan Sheppard and George Thompson (1987) / Alan Sheppard (1992; 1994 facelift) drew it.
Where it came from
The Land Rover Discovery is a series of sport utility vehicles produced by the British manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover—previously Land Rover—and marketed under the marque Land Rover. The series has been in its fifth generation since 2017. The first was introduced in 1989 and was the manufacturer's first model series to launch since the 1970 Range Rover—on which it was based—and the third new product line since the brand's conception by Rover in 1948. An influential vehicle within the automotive industry, the Discovery is one of the first true off-road capable family cars. Although the Range Rover had originally been designed as an everyday four wheel drive car that could be used as both a utility vehicle and a family car, it had progressively moved upmarket through its life to evolve into a luxury vehicle sold at a much higher price point.
The Discovery was intended to fulfill the role the Range Rover originally was intended for; a segment which was now dominated by Japanese rivals such as the Nissan Patrol, Mitsubishi Pajero and Toyota Land Cruiser. Although positioned below the Range Rover in the company's line-up, the vehicle was both longer and higher, offered more room in the back, and optionally also more seats. Space utilization became more sophisticated in later generations, but the series keeps offering seats for seven occupants. Despite originally being sold as an affordable alternative to the Range Rover, the Discovery has also progressively moved upmarket through its successive generations to become a bonafide luxury SUV. The second generation Discovery, introduc
Under the skin
Power comes from 2.0 other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. It shifts through a 4-speed ZF 4HP22 automatic / 5-speed manual. The layout matters: drive goes to all four wheels, which is what lets the power be used on a wet road. The wheelbase is 100.0 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
Its family tree is legible: assembly was at Solihull (Solihull plant), United Kingdom. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Mazda MX-5, the Lexus LS, the Subaru Legacy — show what else the money bought that year. Nearby in the Land Rover catalogue sit the Land Rover Defender L663 and the Land Rover Discovery Sport.
What it costs now
EPA combined economy is 21 mpg, about $4,450 a year in fuel at the EPA's assumptions. Condition, mileage and specification move any single car a long way from a headline figure.