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One of may initial sketches that show the creation of the Discoveries iconic asymmetrical roof.
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The original Discovery proved to be a popular off-roader for the family.
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The infamous Camel Trophy helped endure the Discovery’s off-road credibility.
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Camel Trophy vehicles are now collector’s items. They were highly sought after when sold as demos with low mileage, although they were "Camel Trophy miles".
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The Discover II freshened up the design and added more off-road inspired technology.
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The LR3 saw the return of Land Rover to expedition competition in the failed G4 Challenge.
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Nick Dimbleby
The current generation LR4 recently returned from a 8,000-mile expedition to China to raise money for the Red Cross.
Story by Budd Stanley, photos courtesy of Land Rover
The Disco is 25-years young.
It’s hard to believe that the first Land Rover Discover rolled off the factory line a quarter century ago. Designed originally to plug the gap between the utilitarian attributes of the iconic Land Rover Defender and the more luxurious characteristics of the flagship Range Rover, the Discovery soon became the perfect niche vehicle linking luxury appointments with off-road performance.
Would you believe that back then the Discovery was considered the Range Rover Evoque of its time? It ushered in a new segment that would see production dramatically rise and set Land Rover on its path to distance itself from its agricultural and military stereotype to become a purveyor of fine luxury off-roaders.
Despite sharing the same chassis and drivetrain with the Range Rover, the Discovery was aimed at a larger market segment intended to compete with Japanese offerings such as the Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol, which were beginning to bloat in both luxury appointments and price at that time. Although, the Discovery did hold a distinctive place in the segment with a unique design not seen in other vehicles.
Land Rover wanted to meet the concerns of the family, and so a folding third row was placed in the cargo compartment that would supply seating for two… smaller people. They also mounted both rear seats higher than the front to give all occupants a clear view through the windshield. As a result, the Discovery will be forever be renowned for its unique exterior shape, which to this day continues the stepped roof and asymmetric rear glass theme, designed to give the higher rear passengers increased headroom.
Here in Canada, we didn’t see the Discovery until the 1994 model year, directly after Land Rover gave it a mid-cycle redesign improving the front fascia and implementing airbags, a move required to pass North American safety regulations. All North American specification (NAS) models were fitted with the 3.9L V-8 from the Range Rover SE models, and later models saw a change to the 4.0L version of the engine. The rest of the world could also have their Discovery’s with the 3.5L Rover V-8, 2.5L 300 Tdi four-cylinder diesel or the rather unpopular 2.0L Rover T-Series gasoline powered four-pot, which was discontinued for obvious reasons
Those who don’t follow the Land Rover brand as closely as the ever faithful Roverphiles will likely remember the Discovery best from its duties as the primary expedition vehicle in the Camel Trophy competitions that were run through the 90’s. Between 1990 and 1997, Land Rover Special Vehicles would heavily modified between 16 and 20 vehicles with a range of expedition, recovery and safety equipment. This included:
- Safety Devices roll cages
- Under body protection and steering guards
- Modified electrical systems
- Winches
- Dixon Bate tow hitches and recovery points
- Mantec snorkels
- Transmission breathers
- Michelin XCL or BF Goodrich Mud Terrain tires
- Upgraded suspension and transmission components
- Auxiliary fuel tanks
- Webasto fuel burning heaters
- Brownchurch / Safety Devices roof racks
- Hella driving, spot, fog, convoy and work lamps
- Brownchurch Bull bars and bush wires
- Flag poles
- Expedition tools, Jerry cans, Pelican cases, Zarges boxes, high lift or New Concept air jacks, sand ladders, axes, ropes, drawbars, spades
- Garmin, Terratrip and other navigation and communication equipment
Unfortunately, the Camel Trophy would evolve to become less about the vehicles, and more about the physical and mental challenge. As a result, Land Rover pulled their sponsorship and the Camel Trophy ceased to exist, other than running a single event in 2000 with RIB boats.
However, the popularity of the Camel Trophy was so great that Land Rover implemented its own version of the Camel Trophy dubbed the G4 Challenge. Surprisingly, the inaugural Land Rover G4 Challenge contained many of the elements of Camel Trophy 1998, which Land Rover had reportedly been disappointed with. The Discovery would be front and centre once again, this time with specially equipped LR4’s being prepped for duty. Although, once again, the event would be axed in 2008 after Land Rover had to cut costs during the recession.
In 1998, the Discovery got a new makeover, freshening up the exterior and interior design, stepping even farther away from the utilitarianism of its big brother, the Defender, opting for an even more opulent design. While many say the first generation was the model to have if you were going to properly wheel a Discovery, Land Rover did not stop developing new systems to aid in all-terrain versatility.
Self-leveling air springs were fitted to some models as well as Hill Descent Control, which used the vehicles Traction Control (thus its brakes) to aid drivers down steep or slippery slopes. Land Rover also thought that a centre-locking differential would become redundant with this system. As such, early Discovery II’s were sold without the centre lock linkage attached; the mechanism was then removed altogether in 2001. Ironically, the system was fully reinstated with the upcoming LR3. Land Rovers claim was that while the traction control system worked very effectively, it did not offer the same level of control and smooth operation. Disco II’s, as they would become know as, were upgraded with the 2.5L Td5 (in-line direct-injected straight-five engine for Europeans, while Canada received the standard 4.0L Rover V-8 and the new 4.6L V-8.
Under the ownership of Ford, the third generation of the Discovery was launched in 2004 and was renamed the LR3 here in North America. This was the first complete redesign aimed at combating the increasingly competitive Japanese luxury SUVs that were now taking sales from Land Rover. The new LR3 incorporated several new technologies, such as Land Rovers Terrain Response. This patented system allows the driver to actively tune the vehicle’s systems (including engine, suspension and traction control settings) to optimize it for virtually any driving situation, from rocky deserts to swampy jungles. Terrain Response has since been recognized in the Queen's Awards for Enterprise for Innovation.
The LR3 was updated with Land Rovers Integrated Body Frame (IBF) that mixed a monocoque body and engine bay to a ladder frame chassis. The fully independent suspension implemented Land Rovers “Cross-Linked” air suspension that would press down on wheels that became unloaded, raising the vehicle an additional inch from the off-road setting and increasing traction in high articulation circumstances. Engines were lifted from sister company, Jaguar, composed of the 4.0L V-6 and 4.4L V-8, while the Europeans received the 2.7L diesel V-6.
The latest generation of the Discovery dubbed the LR4 here in Canada, made its debut in 2009 and featured slightly refreshed styling giving the LR4 a more opulent feel over the LR3. Power came in the form of the 4.0L V-6 and a new direct injected 5.0L V-8 from Jaguar.
Most recently, the one millionth Land Rover Discovery rolled off the factory floor and straight into yet another adventure. This vehicle as well as two other Discovery’s were lightly outfitted for a charitable 50-day overland journey from Birmingham to Beijing ending on the 23rd of April 2012, aiming to raise £1,000,000 ($1,829,519 CAD) for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The expedition featured some of Britain’s most famous adventurers, including Bear Grylls, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Ray Mears, Monty Halls and Polar explorer Ben Saunders
The expedition trekked from the Solihull manufacturing plant to its ceremonial send-off at the Geneva Motor Show and passed through 13 countries over challenging terrain ranging from snow in the Alps to sunbaked sand dunes in the Taklimakan Desert.
Today, we come to yet another milestone. Not only does the Disco celebrate its 25th birthday in November, but the Discovery will receive a massive overhaul and even its own family of vehicles. Land Rover unveiled the Discovery Vision Concept vehicle back in April that continues Land Rovers tradition of leading off-road technology and a glimpse of what the next Discovery will look like. Features such as Land Rovers “Invisible Bonnet Technology” utilized front mounted cameras and a head-up display on the windshield to virtually let the driver look through the hood of a vehicle and see the terrain they are crawling over. Land Rover has also planned to give the Discovery a little brother in the form of the Discovery Sport.
Land Rover is looking to carry on the successes of the Evoque with the new Discovery line, essentially bringing the Discovery full circle from its own purpose when it was created. The good news is, Land Rover has themselves winners, and they are running with it. So, it looks like the Discovery name, what ever that may be here in Canada, will live on for a long time to come.