Land Rover Discovery SDV6 2016 Towing Review

The Land rover Discovery is a vehicle that has combined rugged features and elegant styling. It still has that typical profile we all know and love so she’s easy to spot it in crowded market. The interior has bold chunky controls, and a peculiar pop up volume controller which in fact is the gear selector, all surrounded in a glossy silver finish its these small touches that give this vehicle a bit of elegance despite the off road nature of the vehicle.

The trailer connectors on the Discovery are concealed beneath a plastic trim which initially left us scratching our heads but, once the trim was removed, we found two Euro plug options for setting up our load. Luckily our vehicle came with the necessary adapter stowed in the left rear compartment of the cargo area so the inconvenience was only minor but, if you’re looking to buy a Discovery, it’s worth being aware of where the adapter is kept and which trailer plug you should use.

 The visibility was very good from our high driving position. The A pillars aren’t too bulky and the rear window is large, so we didn’t experience any issues monitoring our surroundings. On the test track hill, we managed to accelerate up from 50 to 80km/h easily in fifth gear. From there, the power dropped down to around 2200rpm. Once we were past the hills and on the motorway, the engine fell down to near idle speed in seventh gear at 90km/h while only doing between 1300 to 1500rpm. We felt extra confident behind the wheel of the Discovery when taking corners - it was like it was sitting on rails and the brakes were excellent too.

For a larger off road diesel vehicle, the Discovery is quiet like a country cottage. It also uses air suspension to make it adaptable for all conditions because it’s able to adjust its suspension dependent upon the load.

 As a recreational passenger vehicle in its own right, it’s a mightily big one. If you have a tight park, you may have to practice your maneuvring skills but, as you’d expect from a vehicle that comes with a high price tag, it’s also well-appointed boasting high end sound systems, superb safety features and luxury leather finishes.

The only thing holding the average Kiwi back from investing in the Discovery is the cost and perhaps its size but if budget and space is of no consequence to you, then this could be the dream towing vehicle. 

Thanks to SeaCraft Miller Moyes for the test boat & trailer.