By Khulekani Dumisa

Recently we spent time with the refreshed Land Rover Discovery D300 R-Dynamic which is a perfect medley between off-road capability and top notch luxury.

Exterior and interior

Outside, there’s a restyled front and rear end with new signature LED headlights, daytime running lights and sequential turn signals.There’s also a new R-Dynamic package whichpackage boasts a series of unique design elements, including Gloss Black and Shadow Atlas exterior accents on the exterior and two-tone leather and contrast seat stitching on the interior.

Inside, key upgrades include a new steering wheel, a completely redesigned centre console with larger 11.4-inch, full HD touchscreen with the new ClearSight Ground View technology, wireless charging with signal boosting technology and dual SIM capability.

Power and transmission

Powering the new Discovery are two new 3.0-litre straight-six Ingenium engines offered in petrol and diesel. The petrol version features features48V Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) technology. Our test D300 diesel kicks out 221kW and 650Nm and can accelerate to 100km/h in 6.8 seconds.

Some thoughts

Tech fest? Not words that come to mind after spending time with a large, 7-seater, and very capable SUV. Yes, the Disco marries capability and luxury effortlessly. The quality is top shelf whether you are in front looking at the newly designed dash with a new infotainment screen, steering wheel and gear selector or just in the second or third row with comfortable leather seats.

The stand out theme is the tech though – safety boxes ticked adaptive cruise control, lane keep with steering assist, blind spot monitor and 360 degree cameras making piloting the massive car relatively easy. The off-road features were also a button away, with the car being able to select the most appropriate off-road the programme for us.

The new 3.0-litre straight-six diesel with 221kW/650Nm is a boon. Being able to accelerate to 100km/h in 6.8 seconds, it makes the Disco agile but this doesn’t sacrifice comfort thanks to the air suspension. Consumption is a tad high. We never saw anything below 10l/100km despite our best effort. Not a deal breaker for us though. We would keep this one.

Pricing

The refreshed Land Rover Discovery range is priced from R1,452,700.