2022 Land Rover Discovery is one of the few options if you are looking for a premium 3-row SUV with excellent off-road capability.
If you think premium crossovers can’t handle off-road, you should think again. It is true that most luxury SUVs belong to the pavement with their low ground clearance and huge wheels, but 2022 Land Rover Discovery is the first option that comes to mind when it comes to off-road capable luxury 3-row SUV.
The Discovery has always been placed in between the Defender, and Range Rover. It is the most family oriented choice as it comes with 3-row, but there is no compromise in terms of off-road capability. With the latest generation, now it truly feels like a premium product while still carrying traditional Discovery features.
Exterior and Interior
Though 2022 Land Rover Discovery has its own unique design features, it carries traditional Land Rover design language that you can see from a mile away. It looks much like the other Land Rover models, but there are significant differences when you get into the details.
From the front end, it comes with huge Discovery lettering, like most Land Rover models, it wants everyone looking from the front end make sure what’s coming towards them. Blacked out lettering, grille, rims, and small plastic trims gave the Discovery a very sporty look.
The side profile carries traditional boxy Land Rover design language with a lot of black body parts including the roof, which makes it look sporty and upscale at the same time. The sharp lines go through the whole car from the front fenders all the way back to the taillights.
When you go to the trunk area, you find one of the unique design features of the Discovery. You still get huge Discovery lettering on the trunk, like the hood, but traditionally all Discovery models come with uneven license plate design. It also underlines the utilitarian aspect of the Discovery from an era where you find the spare tire installed on the trunk lid.
Nowadays, you don’t find spare tire placed outside, as it is placed under the trunk floor. It gives cleaner look, but still Land Rover has been keeping the same uneven design in the rear end and it became a unique Discovery feature.
Obviously the new Discovery looks very modern from the outside, and it looks modern when you get behind the steering wheel. Discovery has been known as the utilitarian family oriented off-roader, but it was never the luxury choice.
Typical Land Rover fashion, the Discovery’s interior finds a great balance of utility, practicality and luxury. The material choice is excellent, everywhere you reach and touch is wrapped with leather and soft materials. More importantly, nothing is over the top and everything is very well laid out.
When it comes to functionality and electronics, you need some time to get used to the layout. First of all, there is minimal number of physical buttons, and you heavily rely on touch sensitive buttons for essential features. However, once you get the hang of it, it is not that bad.
Interior space and functionality is critical for any 3-row SUV, and Discovery does pretty well in terms of rear legroom and headroom space. Seats can be moved forward or backward individually, and due to the width of the vehicle, 3 large adults can sit comfortably.
Although you have plenty of headroom, 3rd rows are usually for emergency situation for most SUVs due to the limited legroom and lower seat height. If you plan to use 3rd row frequently, minivan would be a better option as it is also much easier to get in and out. Discovery offers decent amount of 3rd row space for what it is.
As expected, Discovery has tons of cargo space due to the boxy design. Behind the third row, you get 258 liters of cargo space, and it goes up to 1231 liters if you fold it down. If you need maximum cargo capacity, it can go all the way up to 2485 liters when you fold down the second row seats. The whole trunk is wrapped with high quality carpeting.
Engine and Drivetrain
In Canadian market, there are two available engine options. Our tester had the more powerful engine, which is called P360 model trim. It’s an inline-6 cylinder 3.0L engine that puts out 355 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque.
Land Rover decided to use both turbocharger and supercharger to get this power figures out of that 3.0L engine. Land Rover also decided to use mild hybrid setup that boosts overall power output. As a result, it offers smooth power delivery, and it has a flat torque curve.
Like many other European entries, the transmission choice is excellent. Land Rover uses ZF’s 8-Speed automatic transmission which is already known to be the smoothest yet plenty responsive option in the market. Of course, 8 speed transmission is matched with 4WD system that can react differently based on the off-road mode.
Driving Impressions and Features
Speaking of off-road, let’s get into the details. No matter how capable AWD/4WD system is, the most essential thing is the ride height. You can change it by choosing different ride heights through the infotainment system. Regular ground clearance is 283mm, but you can reduce the ride height 60mm for easier access, or raise it 75mm for off-road.
Although ride height is crucial, there are other factors that make the Discovery a great off-roader. The approach angle is 34 degrees, departure angle is 30 degrees and break over is 27.5 degrees. Two speed transfer case with low range is standard, as is a locking center differential. However, it does not come standard with a locking rear differential.
With the help of full time four wheel drive system which offers 50:50 split that varies depending on the conditions, it is really hard to get stuck. Of course, it does not come with off-road oriented tires, so as a result tires are the weakest point if you are planning to take it to off-road.
For most families, towing is even more important than off-road capability. The Discovery can tow up to 3500 kg, which is as good as mid-size trucks if not better. You can choose different types of tow bars for your lifestyle, which also includes electrically deployable tow bar.
For the driver, it is all about driving refinement and comfort. You will get tons of body roll as expected, but the steering and suspension tuned for road comfort. It is surprisingly fast on a straight line due to the torquey inline-6 engine, but that’s all you should expect from an off-road capable family oriented SUV.
While you are off-roading, or towing, one of the most important feature you use is the infotainment system. Though we really don’t pay attention, it is the heart of the vehicle that makes the experience good or bad, depending on how good the infotainment system is.
2022 Land Rover Discovery uses the latest software that gives you a lot of details, so much that you need to take your time to get used to the overall layout and all the details. The screen resolution, and touch feedback is excellent.
The digital gauge cluster is also very easy to read and adjustable. You can choose different layouts including full map view. There is some input lag especially when you navigate through the menus and change the gauge layout, but overall you can just find the right setting for your liking.
Pricing and the Verdict
At the end of the day, 2022 Land Rover Discovery keeps its unique stance in a segment where most entries are copycats of each other. There aren’t many premium seven-seat SUVs that offers this level of versatility, combining practicality, comfort, luxury, and off-road capability in one package.
2022 Land Rover Discovery starts $72,700 CAD but our tester had a base price of $87,100 with the bigger engine. Of course, like most European manufacturers, there are tons of different options that you can customize and easily go over $90,000 which is where I was expecting a 3-row premium SUV to be at.
For more details – please visit www.landrover.ca
