By EWAN KENNEDY
20 November 2006

Originally, the Land Rover Discovery was a cross between the capable, but rather crude Defender and the luxurious Range Rover. Over the years it matured into a more refined vehicle, though it wasn’t until the Discovery 3 of 2005 that it became a fully-fledged member of the luxury off-road brigade.

That third-generation Discovery is still relatively new on the market so we won’t go into any real detail on it at this stage. Stay tuned for a future Discovery used-car feature when the Disco 3s have a few more miles under their good-looking bodies.

Land Rover Discovery has plenty of off-road capability as you would expect from a company that builds nothing but 4WDs. Few owners will take a Discovery anywhere near the limits of its ability and it’s much loved by those who take their four-wheel driving seriously.

When launched in Australia in April 1991, Discovery came only as a two-door, but was joined by a four-door just six months later. Unlike some 4WDs that have a shorter, sportier body on a two-door, both wheelbase variants run on the same wheelbase so have virtually identical interior space. There's a little more strength in the two-door than the four-, but only those going into really severe off-road areas will need the extra rigidity.

Discovery’s interior room should be better for the external size of the body, chiefly because of the encroachment of the transmission housing into the cabin. Four adults can travel with reasonable room to move if they can compromise on front-seat adjustment. Three kids in the rear will be comfortable enough.

A major facelift in April 1994 (Land Rover called it the 1995 model) saw an all-new dash with provision for dual airbags. The frontal appearance was changed to incorporate crush cans that act as sensors for the airbags.

Land Rover Discovery Series 2 was launched in Australia in March 1999. It wasn’t so much an all-new model as a major reworking of the original.

Ergonomics let the Discovery down. Early models have window winders down beside your ankle and other such nonsense which make them a bit of a joke, even amongst enthusiasts of the marque. Discoverys from 1995 are better, but still not as easy to live with as Japanese competitors.

Comfort in the ride is pretty good thanks to competent long-travel suspension. On road Discoverys are good for genuine off-roaders. When you do hit the rough stuff they continue to cushion shocks in a way that so-called soft-roaders just can’t manage.

Reliability was not Land Rover's strongest suite during the period being considered here, nor was build quality. Body margins are huge and panel fit is on the hit-and-miss side. The way the interior is screwed together can also be rough and ready at times and this can lead to squeaks and rattles, even things following off.

The original Discoverys had a 3.5-litre V8. Its capacity went up to 4.0 litres in November 1993. Both versions of the engine have a sophisticated fuel injection system that belies the somewhat-ancient, two-valve, pushrod-activated operation of the combustion chamber. The units have plenty of grunt and operate well in low-speed off-road conditions. Never forget that this Land Rover is aimed at real driving conditions in rugged terrain.

Then there’s the 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, badged Tdi. It doesn’t exactly set the tyres smoking but slugs along well in hard off-road conditions and is economical unless it’s pushed too hard.

Replaced by a five-cylinder unit, still with a capacity of 2.5 litres, the later turbo-diesels are significantly better than the older powerplants, but still lag a long way behind current turbo-diesel technology as seen in the Discovery 3.

The insurance industry generally looks favourably at this rough and tough off-roader. Resulting in premium charges that are about average, often slightly lower, for their class. As always, shop around, and make sure you know what is and what isn’t covered by your insurance policy.

Repairs on Land Rovers are generally easy as there's good underbody and under-vehicle access to most components. Naturally, later models have more electronic parts and require additional knowledge in the person repairing them.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Poor build quality means it’s essential to have any older Land Rover inspected by a professional before putting your money down.

Discovery is capable of soaking up a lot of harsh off-road treatment, but so many simply swan around the suburbs that it’s wise to look for one that has had little or no heavy-duty use.

If you do find one that’s spent a lot of time in the bush, and its price is right, look for underbody and suspension damage as well as the condition of the ‘bash’ plates.

Also check for scratches to the paint caused by contact with tree branches or scrub and look for damage at the Discovery’s lower corners and under the door sills.

We haven’t seen any real rust problems, but squeaks and rattles can creep in as the bodies age.

Check for rust in the lower parts of the body, though it’s unusual. Look for signs of any water entry around the windscreens.

Because of its old design the engine tends to be relatively harsh if asked to rev hard, but should be smooth at day-to-day speeds.

Be sure the engine starts reasonably quickly, idles smoothly even when it is cold and doesn’t smoke at the exhaust or oil filler.

A manual gearbox shouldn’t crunch with fast changes through the gears, and an automatic transmission that hunts up and down through the ratios may be due for an overhaul.

The transfer case should be reasonably light in operation, though an occasional baulking is not abnormal.

CAR BUYING TIP

Old 4WDs that have done a lot of off-road work can be real budget breakers if you don’t know all about their condition before buying them.

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