2026 Land Rover Discovery Tested: Getting Left Behind

• What's new: Land Rover has been selling special editions of the Discovery for a few years now, and we recently got our hands on the Discovery Tempest for testing.
• Why it matters: The Discovery uses an aging platform, so we wanted to see if it's still competitive as its rivals have gone through two or three generations since the Dicso's launch. 
• Edmunds says: While far from poor, the Disco shows its age in more than a few areas, and we think Land Rover needs to show it some love. 

The front seats have also evolved; they're adjustable in more than a dozen ways and are much more compliant on longer trips than we found in our initial impression so long ago. The Disco is also easy to see out of, with a great view out of the mostly upright windshield and plenty of glass all the way around. The third row might be almost completely vestigial, but you can cram someone back there (just make sure you really need to, and it's not for very long). 

Slowing down with age

The engine, which has gone from supercharged V6 to turbocharged inline-six over time, makes 355 horsepower and 368 lb-ft of torque and sends its power to all four wheels. When we first drove the Disco, we said the acceleration was decent, but the evolution of this competitive industry means what was decent in 2017 is downright slow in 2026. 

Just like before, we noted a dead spot as you initially tip into the throttle. The "D" setting on the gear selector is conservatively tuned, and those who want real get-up-and-go off the line will need to pop it into "S." There, the transmission engages with more authority, and "S" is genuinely the setting you're going to want to use to pass or merge onto a highway.

With that in mind, our test team was able to hustle the 5,729-pound SUV from 0 to 60 mph mph in 6.7 seconds. If you don't do all the setup work to get the Disco ready to launch, acceleration will suffer. In the real world, where you just mash the throttle in "D" to get up to speed, the big Land Rover will need a properly lackadaisical 8.8 seconds to hit 60 mph. In the last six-cylinder BMW X5 we tested, we just stabbed the gas pedal and shot off, hitting 60 mph in just 6.1 seconds without any setup for a launch. 

So it's slow, but that doesn't mean the Disco is some lumbering behemoth. Given Land Rover's more off-road bent, it's genuinely surprising how pleasant a place it is to be on the road. The air suspension strikes a nice balance between compliant and steady when you're on the dead ahead, and in the corners, it leans far less than initially expected. 

The 0.76 lateral g it pulled on our skidpad is far from special, but you have to remember just how seriously Land Rover takes off-roading into account. The X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE might have off-road modes in their settings, but the people over at JLR build it right into their vehicles' bones. All-season tires and very conservatively tuned traction control systems hamstring the Disco when you're trying to find its limits, but it's not a compromise that will leave you wanting. 

Trouble-free tech this time

One of our main complaints with the Disco when we first drove it (and for quite a few years after that) centered around its infotainment system. The screen was too small, the boot-up lag was "exquisitely slow," and the touchscreen itself was described as wonky. While it's still not perfect, Land Rover has hugely improved the Disco in this area. 

The standard screen now measures 11.4 inches. It's crisp, the black levels are good so it won't blind you at night, and the responsiveness is far better than that of older models. Plus, Land Rover hasn't fallen into the trap of putting all of your climate functions into the screen. There are real knobs here to adjust fan speed, your heated or cooled seat, and the temperature. The only issue we noticed was a touch of lag when trying to move to menus quickly and a solitary errant Apple CarPlay disconnect. 

But again, luxury rivals have the Disco beat. BMW is introducing tech in its Neue Klasse vehicles (like the new X5 and iX3) that feels leaps and bounds beyond what Land Rover offers here. Mercedes vehicles will deluge you in screens should you ask them to, and the end result is impressive (if not a little much in some cases). Even Volvo is iterating on its systems and introducing new software across all its cars — a big move for a brand historically so conservative. 

The bottom line…

The Disco is still a relatively well-executed, well-rounded SUV. But thanks to just how good its rivals have become in the time since its launch, it struggles to be truly competitive. The X5 has now been through three generations since the Disco was first launched, the Audi Q7 has cycled through two, and Land Rover's own Range Rover Sport has been moved on to a new generation, too.

It's time Land Rover gave the Disco some more love and thoroughly evolved what is, at this moment, only almost a compelling formula.