2017 Land Rover Discovery: What's It Like to Live With?

What do you want to know about?

• Introduction
• Monthly Update for November 2017
• Monthly Update for December 2017
• Monthly Update for January 2018
• Monthly Update for February 2018
• Monthly Update for March 2018
• Monthly Update for April 2018
• Monthly Update for May 2018
• Monthly Update for June 2018
• Monthly Update for July 2018
• Monthly Update for August 2018
• Monthly Update for September 2018
• Wrap-Up

Introduction

What Did We Get?
The Land Rover Discovery has been a go-to choice for adventurers, or people who want to appear adventurous, for decades. The boxy vehicle has been popular everywhere from Beverly Hills to the Masai Mara, but its shape hasn't quite won everyone over.

The 2017 Land Rover Discovery received a full redesign that smoothed over some of the hard edges of its predecessors (renamed the LR3 and LR4 in the U.S.). It no longer looks like a kitchen appliance, thanks to a tapered nose and graceful body sculpting. The redesign should give it some added appeal for shoppers new to the brand, but die-hard Discovery fans shouldn't fear that it's lost any of its off-road credentials. Land Rover claims the 2017 Discovery is even more capable than before.

We intend to test that claim by driving one for a year in a variety of circumstances. From commuter duty to hard-core off-road adventures, our long-term Discovery will see a little bit of everything during its first 20,000 miles. By the end of the year, we'll have a good idea whether or not it lives up to its reputation as a tough but sophisticated SUV.

What Options Does It Have?
The 2017 Land Rover Discovery comes in four trim levels: SE, HSE, HSE Luxury and First Edition. We went with the top-of-the-line First Edition so we can get the full experience. It has a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 gasoline engine, which is likely to be far more popular than the diesel engine option.

Priced at $74,945, the First Edition comes with 21-inch wheels, a power liftgate and inner tailgate, a two-speed transfer case, an air suspension, a heated windshield, a center console cooler, tri-zone climate control, ventilated front seats, power-folding second- and third-row seats, forward collision warning and mitigation, lane keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, a surround-view monitor and a 14-speaker Meridian premium audio system.

We added 22-inch wheels that brought our grand total to $76,145. At that point, the only features we could have added were dark wheel finishes and a tow package. It's a far cry from the $50,000 base price. There was no room for negotiation, and it was lent to us for the year by Land Rover.

Why We Got It
This is the most significant redesign for the Discovery since it debuted way back in 1989. With the latest enhancements, it now gets closer to delivering the level of luxury found in the Range Rover without giving up any of its impressive off-road prowess. We were impressed when it was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 2016 and at the global launch last February in Utah.

It's one of those few vehicles that is equally at home in front of the Metropolitan Opera House as it is atop a Moab vista. Our mission over the next year and 20,000 miles is to see how well it does at both and everything in between.

The manufacturer provided this vehicle for the purpose of evaluation.

Monthly Update for November 2017

Where Did We Drive It?
You're in luck. This 2017 Land Rover Discovery update contains bonus material. Our new Disco arrived just after October's midpoint, so we decided to save the late October impressions and roll them into November's update. You're getting six weeks for the price of four. Such a deal.

Even with that in mind, we're still surprised at the miles our new Land Rover has accumulated. The final November gas station visit occurred on the 27th of the month and the odometer was already showing 5,718 miles.

A look at the logbook shows why. One of our editors had driven the Discovery to Yosemite National Park. Another loaded it with dogs and gear and took it on a duck hunting trip. And I've piloted it to Oregon and back to see family in two parts of the state. Add in the usual commuting and that big number makes more sense.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
Because this is the first official update, all of the milestones are new. But who can say if the best-range mark of 449.9 miles that I set on the last leg of an Oregon road trip will hold up? Maybe someone will beat the best tank fuel economy of 21.3 mpg set on the return from Yosemite. The latter is a great first effort because our gasoline-powered Discovery is rated at 21 mpg on the highway. But it remains to be seen if that someone else does better in the coming months.

Our average fuel economy is 17.96 mpg at the moment, which rounds up to match the Discovery's EPA combined rating of 18 mpg. But it's unlikely this figure will hold up because of the sheer number of highway road trip miles that make up our current average. The coming months will likely settle into a more normal driving pattern for the Disco, and the average mpg will probably dip somewhat to match.

We're far more certain about the Land Rover's dash-mounted mpg meter: It's a big fat liar. But we're not fooled. Our mpg figures come from measurement and math using hard numbers.

Looking at 16 fill-ups (two others were excluded from this analysis because the mpg meter reading was not recorded in the logbook), the onboard mpg meter consistently overstated the facts by more than 2 mpg. Our best tank of 21.3 mpg coincided with a meter reading of 24 mpg. If we took the display's number at face value, we'd assume (falsely) that our Discovery has been routinely exceeding 20 mpg. That's simply not the case. Reality is 2 mpg less.

Average lifetime mpg: 18
EPA mpg rating: 18 combined (16 city/21 highway)
Best-fill mpg: 21.3
Best range: 449.9 miles
Current odometer: 7,518 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
Nothing yet, but the first oil change and tire rotation are due soon.

Logbook Highlights

Performance
"The supercharged 3.0-liter V6 always feels pretty eager, and its power delivery is smooth and effortless. Once it gets going, it feels like it'll pull forever." — Dan Edmunds, director of vehicle testing

"The Discovery feels sure-footed and responsive on the many undulating and winding mountain roads in Northern California and Oregon. The steering feels accurate, body roll is nicely constrained, and the Discovery generally goes right where you want it to. The trouble comes on long, straight highway cruises, where the same steering feels a bit too touchy. It tends to stray too easily if there's a crosswind, if the driver reaches across the cabin to adjust a control, or even at night when the driver can't see as far down the road and winds up making more minor course adjustments. The passengers can sense all of this, too, because the elevated SUV seating position amplifies the tiny body motions that result." — Dan Edmunds

Comfort

"The Discovery generally rolls down the road smoothly, and it feels controlled and buttoned-down on winding two-lane back roads. That said, the ride occasionally gets a bit busy on patched asphalt surfaces and truck-damaged freeway lanes. It doesn't help that the somewhat elevated seating position tends to amplify head-toss motions a bit." — Dan Edmunds

"This driver seat was built for long-distance comfort. Three days ago I drove the Discovery six hours with a 15-minute stretch break midway. No complaints. Today I went another 5.5 hours straight, though I found myself squirming a bit at the 3.5-hour mark. My front passenger was equally comfortable. The second row couldn't chime in on the matter because, well, they were in child seats." — Mike Schmidt, senior manager of vehicle testing operations

"I'm of two minds on these seats. Yes, they are well-shaped and that gives them a good level of basic comfort. But I wish the cushioning was just a bit thicker and slightly softer so the surface delivered a touch of softness and made the pressure feel a bit more uniform. The side bolsters barely seem far enough apart at their widest setting, too. As it stands, I find it necessary to remove my wallet from my back pocket, and I look forward to getting out and walking around every couple of hours." — Dan Edmunds

"I really like the heated seats. The controls are easy to use, and the seats get really toasty. I was ready to give them an A-plus, but then it got down to 28 degrees overnight in Bend, Oregon. Next morning I punched the button and was surprised that it took them two or three minutes to get kinda-sorta warm. I expected the heat to feel more immediate, seeing as how such things do not rely on engine-generated heat." — Dan Edmunds

Interior

"Our Discovery's take on the traditional three-dial climate controls is great. I especially like the way you access the seat heating or ventilation features. Just tap the driver or front passenger climate control dial and the display switches to the seat control. Then you dial clockwise for three levels of heat or the other direction for ventilation. It's a smart way to reduce button clutter in an intuitive manner." — Mark Takahashi, senior writer

"Time for another rant about interior surfaces! I've said it before and I'll say it again: Stop putting in surfaces that cause glare or harsh reflections! The center console of the Discovery has shiny piano black and silver surfaces. Under the right conditions, the sun will reflect off these elements, right into your retina. Ugh! To combat this, I just tossed a jacket over the console, but I'd rather not have to resort to this." — Mark Takahashi

Technology

"Land Rover and Jaguar don't quite offer the level of infotainment features as other luxury brands, and that's really not a big deal to me. The problem for me is the consistency of the system. Sometimes the system will simply stop working and reboot. More often, it will no longer allow control over my iPhone, forcing me to either stop the car and restart it or skip songs by using the phone itself. I'm hoping it's just a software bug that will eventually get updated." — Mark Takahashi

"Oddly frustrating infotainment system. Upon restart, sometimes it will revert to the XM radio station I was listening to before I stopped the car; other times it will not. It more often defaults to AM/FM radio (which could be static if I drove into a dead area while listening to XM or my iPhone) instead of what I had on because that is the first module that reboots when the system initiates. This can be a slow and deliberate process. XM can come on up to a half-minute after that, followed by Bluetooth, and then the USB phone connections. But it won't necessarily remember which of those you were listening to before you shut the car down. I often had to reselect the audio submenu on the touchscreen. Once there I'd choose 'Source,' then pick XM, my phone USB connection or Bluetooth all over again. Our test car does seem to be slightly better at this than an earlier press car I drove a few months back, but it's still not right." — Dan Edmunds

Utility

"I understand the purpose of this mini tailgate in the cargo area. It keeps your stuff from rolling out in case it falls over in transit. Some might find it pretty neat. So far I find it to be a bit of a hassle. But I learned something that softens my initial impression. According to the manual, the open tailgate can hold up to 440 pounds. That is far more than I expected." — Mike Schmidt

"We loaded and unloaded our suitcases and bags multiple times, and I came to love the mini tailgate that kept our stuff from spilling out whenever the hatch went up. Having the option to have what amounts to a fence when loading made it easier to pack it full, too. And when you leave after unloading, you don't have to fold it up separately because the overhead hatch-closing button also commands the tailgate to fold up at the same time." — Dan Edmunds

"Now that I've had several opportunities to install and remove child seats from the second row of the Discovery, my opinion has changed. I have a newfound respect for the auto-fold arrow buttons. Tap forward once to begin lowering the seatback. Tap again to stop. Install the upper LATCH tether and arrow-restore to its original position. I like it more, though I still tend to press it accidentally when tightening the upper tether." — Mike Schmidt

"I packed up the Discovery for a quick duck hunting trip, complete with two dogs and all the gear I thought necessary. The Discovery easily handled all of it and provided a comfortable ride. It was particularly good that we had the all-season floor and cargo mats to handle wet and dirty dogs and gear. Even though off-road capabilities weren't really needed, it was nice having something with those abilities on an uneven dirt road. Cleanup was super easy and nobody would know of this adventure otherwise." — Mark Takahashi

Monthly Update for December 2017

Where Did We Drive It?
Happy New Year, everyone! By the time you read this, the holidays will have come and gone, and we sincerely hope you had a great time with your loved ones. In our vehicle introduction, we promised to take our long-term 2017 Land Rover Discovery through a variety of circumstances that would test its reputation as both a tough and sophisticated SUV. What better time to test the Discovery than during the festive month of December?

Between family get-togethers, holiday shopping and excursions up north, we had a blast taking the Discovery through the paces. Yosemite is a popular destination and the tempting, powdery conditions at Mammoth Mountain in California called for a family outing for one of our editors. Let's see how the Discovery fared.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
In December, we traveled more than 1,500 miles in the Discovery. The tail end of the Yosemite trip resulted in 13.1 mpg, the worst of the month. But aside from that one fill-up early in the month, we hovered just under 16 mpg. The Discovery was a little more optimistic about its performance, the onboard meter claiming it had returned around 18 mpg. We've learned not to take these computers at face value.

Average lifetime mpg: 17.3
EPA mpg rating: 18 combined (16 city/21 highway)
Best fill mpg: 21.3
Best range: 449.9 miles
Current odometer: 7,957 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
Nothing yet, but oh so close.

Logbook Highlights

Comfort
"I've always viewed the Discovery to be this legendary off-road entity, almost mythical. I also know its reputation for being extremely comfortable. A lot of enthusiasts buy older Discoveries for overlanding these days. Having driven ours, I can see the appeal and can imagine going on an overlanding trip in ours. Camping in the lap of luxury? Sign me up. With a shower facility close by? Yeah." — Rex Tokeshi-Torres, vehicle testing technician

Performance
"Rain, sleet or snow, our Discovery trudges on undeterred." — Rex Tokeshi-Torres

Miscellaneous
"As the sky darkened and Highway 41 into Yosemite began winding, an oncoming motorist rounded the bend ahead of me. As if with malicious intent, the auto high beams illuminated, sending a blinding charge of light through his windshield midturn. Insert expletive here. I fumbled through steering wheel menus to disable the feature while the lights continued spraying the innocent.

"Our Pacifica had a toggle on the stalk to disable its auto-highs on the fly. While there is literature to suggest the Land Rover does, too, I've found no such option. Once neutralized, the highs did a fine job supplying the added light needed to get us into the park safely. Adaptive headlights would have helped even more." — Mike Schmidt, senior manager, vehicle testing operations

Cargo Space
"It's crazy how much stuff I was able to stick in the back: two rollaways, a huge duffle full of ski clothes, an ice chest and large box of food." — Kelly Hellwig, manager, content production

Monthly Update for January 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
Normal is the new normal. After lengthy road trip adventures in its first couple of months, our 2017 Land Rover Discovery settled into regular commuting duties in January. Not that normal is a bad thing. Now we get to see how it handles the cyclic, everyday routine of our editorial team.

The second or third month of ownership is typically when a new car's glitz and glamour starts to wear off and owners start nitpicking things. We're no different, and we began to notice little annoyances and quirks with our Discovery last month. A gremlin also reared its ugly head. Was it just a minor glitch? We intended to find out.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
The holidays are over and day-to-day normality has resumed, but we managed to log more than 1,300 miles in January. Most of those miles can be attributed to long commutes, and we averaged 15.3 mpg for the month. This didn't surprise us since city commuting often nets the worst mpg results. But because of this, our average lifetime mpg continues to drop. In December, it was 17.3 mpg.

Average lifetime mpg: 16.9
EPA mpg rating: 18 combined (16 city/21 highway)
Best fill mpg: 21.3
Best range: 449.9 miles
Current odometer: 9,011 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights

Technology-Audio
"The stereo volume on our Land Rover Discovery is far too adjustable for any reasonable human being. The lowest volume is, as you'd assume, zero. The highest volume setting, however, is 60. Yes, 60. From complete silence to maximum volume takes more than 20 full rotations of the Disco's tiny volume knob. In other words, it takes forever. My first thought was using the workaround of the volume controls on the steering wheel, but those take just as long. Simplifying this to a 10- or 20-adjustment system would make so much more sense." — Travis Langness, staff writer

"During a five-day stretch in the Discovery, the rearview camera failed at least three times. Mid-backup maneuver, the screen just quit. No camera, no outline text, nothing. Twice it cut out for a few seconds while I waited, then it came back. A third time, it cut out completely and wouldn't reappear until I shifted from Reverse to Drive then back to Reverse again. Apparently, I'm not the only person on the team who has experienced this, so we've put it on the list and we'll have the dealer take a look when we bring it in for service." — Travis Langness

"Fifty percent of the time when I use the automatic-folding rear seats in the Disco, they don't work. I press or pull a button, and nothing happens. This has occurred while the vehicle is running, while it's in accessory mode, and while everything is off. The other 50 percent of the time, I forget which direction is up or down when pressing the buttons. I'd prefer manual seats, thanks."
— Travis Langness

Miscellaneous
"Our Discovery's special laminated windshield layer (or 'solar attenuating glass windshield' or 'infrared reflective windshield,' as listed on the vehicle sticker) caused interference with my Metro ExpressLanes FasTrak transponder. I noticed that I didn't hear the beep when driving underneath the sensors, so I experimented by first moving the transponder around the cabin to see if it would make a difference at another location. It didn't. My final test was to open the sunroof and hold the transponder out — and it worked!

"This led me to further my investigation into Land Rover's owner info online and I found this handy tidbit: 'Electronic devices, such as toll road payment tags or Radio Frequency (RF) ID tags, can be attached at the indicated locations. The locations are on the inside of the windshield. If the tags are located at any other part of a solar attenuating windshield, the electronic scanners may not recognize them.'

"It shows you the optimal location for affixing devices but it's a small area. Here's the link.

I did a little more digging and found that it will cause issues with other devices as well." — Rex Tokeshi-Torres, vehicle testing technician

"With all this windshield talk, I wondered how much it would cost to replace it. So I called our local Land Rover service department. The windshield alone costs $1,199.55. That doesn't include tax or cost of installation. Good to know. And knowing is half the battle (cue the G.I. Joe theme song)." — Rex Tokeshi-Torres

"Man, I thought it was bad when our CR-V's door was stymied by ordinary, everyday grass. But it's even more egregious when it's a Disco, which is presumably burlier and more off-road-y. There's a reason why Land Rover designed the door this way. It allows for a shorter step-in distance and keeps the sill clean so you don't soil your pants/dress.

"That's great, but I still want to be able to load a passenger when it's parked next to a curb." — Jason Kavanagh, senior road test engineer

Monthly Update for February 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
Expectation: Land Rover's website grandly displays pictures of its Discovery charging across majestic rocky terrain in search of adventure and fun.

Reality: I can personally attest to doing little more in our 2017 Discovery this month than driving to work and taking my kids to school while listening to sports talk radio sipping a Starbucks flat white. Adventure is all about where you find it, I guess.

Still, as an urban adventure vehicle, the Discovery works out well. Here's the latest report on what we love and what we don't.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
We drove about 1,300 miles in February. Since we largely stuck to city driving, our fuel economy was a rather underwhelming 15.4 mpg. You're not buying a Discovery to help offset global warming, that's for sure.

Average lifetime mpg: 16.9
EPA mpg rating: 18 combined (16 city/21 highway)
Best fill mpg: 21.3
Best range: 449.9 miles
Current odometer: 10,309 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights

Interior
"It's not a straight apples-to-apples comparison, but I'm shocked at the number of features and the materials quality of the Discovery versus our long-term 2017 Jaguar F-Pace. Though it feels powerful, looks fantastic and has lovely seats, the F-Pace's interior is underwhelming. Cabin design is fine, but there are a lot of hard touch points in a car of that price. Even the soft-touch plastics don't really feel all that nice.

"The Discovery, on the other hand, looks every bit its price tag. You pay more for it — our Discovery First Edition rings in at $76,843 versus the F-Pace's $62,325 — but you get a lot more: a leather-trimmed dash, silver aluminum trim, a cooler up front (which works really well), nicer upholstery, a third row and real off-road ability. Even if you selected a model closer to the F-Pace's price, the Discovery would be a more inviting place to live. Bottom line: The Discovery's luxurious cabin justifies its high price tag." — Cameron Rogers

"The interior armrest and door grab panel for the driver's door don't have the solid feel I'd hope for in a luxury SUV. The armrest's padded of course, but the underlying structure is oddly flexible. You can kind of wiggle it around a bit by pulling or pushing on it. And if it's cold outside, it creaks when you pull on it to shut the door after getting inside. It just brings up memories of Land Rover's dubious reputation for quality and reliability, whether or not it's actually true." — Brent Romans, senior editor

"In an otherwise upscale interior, I don't understand why the center armrest hinge isn't damped in some way. Closing and opening it require deliberate effort to avoid it slamming shut. I'd even settle for some rubber bumpers." — Jonathan Elfalan, road test manager

Performance
"Our Discovery feels stable and solid when driving around turns. It's more stable than I would have thought given the Disco's reputation for axle-flexing, off-road ability. It doesn't hurt that our test car has the optional 22-inch wheels. Those skinny tire sidewalls no doubt sharpen on-road handling. It also has the air suspension, which could additionally be playing a positive role. Don't get me wrong: This isn't sporty like a Porsche Cayenne. It's still a big and heavy SUV. Still, if you need to make a quick swerve, the Discovery should respond responsibly." — Brent Romans, senior editor

"I like the Discovery's gas pedal calibration. In some cars, they make the gas pedal respond quickly as soon as you start to press on it, perhaps to give the impression that there's a lot of power when there might not be. Not so here. The Discovery's supercharged V6 is smooth and natural. It's easy to get just the right amount of acceleration. Maybe it's because Land Rover knows that having a smooth, responsive gas pedal is important when off-roading. Whatever the reason, I like it." — Cameron Rogers, staff writer

Comfort
"Our Land Rover Discovery has 22-inch wheels. Twenty-twos, optional from the factory! No need to pimp this ride. The upside: They look great! The downside: The ride quality is far from smooth. Drive over a pothole and the Disco's skinny tire sidewalls just can't absorb it all. The resulting clomps and shocks enter the cabin in a very unluxurious fashion. I can't imagine going off-road with these wheels either. The Discovery's 19- or 20-inch standard wheels seem like wholly better choices." — Brent Romans

Technology-Audio
"My favorite feature by far in our Discovery is the one that allows you to fold and unfold the second- and third-row seats electronically right from the infotainment touchscreen. I know some of my co-workers have complained about how it can be confusing trying to get the seats to work using the physical buttons mounted in back. I think it's better using the touchscreen. As someone who folds seats on a regular basis, it is one convenience that genuinely improves my quality of life." — Jonathan Elfalan

Miscellaneous
"The filaments in the heated windshield are annoying enough in the day, but only really in a 'once you see it you can't unsee it' way. At night, however, they create a flare effect around light sources that's downright unacceptable to me. It's a constant, inescapable intrusion and visual distraction. You can see in the picture: That's a freshly cleaned windscreen creating that effect." — Will Kaufman, associate staff writer

Monthly Update for March 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
March was a workaday month for our 2017 Land Rover Discovery. We used it mostly in local driving and commuting roles, so its mileage fell below our typical monthly target.

Editor Brent Romans had it for a spell and formed several impressions of its real-world use, ranging from the usefulness of its air suspension, odd road-noise infiltration, and disappointing infotainment interface. On the other hand, passenger room and cargo space rated highly.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
We drove the Disco 1,305 miles in March, filling it up four times with 74 gallons of fuel. That averaged out to 17.6 mpg combined. That's better than last month's average of 15.4, but it wasn't enough to boost our lifetime mpg average. That actually took a further dive in March and now sits at 16.4 mpg. Yikes. That's a good bit off the EPA rating of 18 mpg.

Average lifetime mpg: 16.4
EPA mpg rating: 18 combined (16 city/21 highway)
Best fill mpg: 21.3
Best range: 449.9 miles
Current odometer: 11,513 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights

Performance
"Our Discovery has the optional air suspension that can be used to lower or raise the vehicle's ride height. Since I have yet to drive our Discovery on dirt, the only aspect to it that I've noticed is the lowering part. It automatically drops down when you're parked to facilitate easier entry and exit. Land Rover says it drops 1.6 inches compared to the normal ride height. It's pretty cool, and indeed makes getting in and out easy. You just slide in instead of climbing up, like you need to do on some other luxury SUVs." — Brent Romans, senior automotive editor

"The air suspension on our Discovery is pretty cool. I previously wrote a comment that it's useful because it lowers the body to make it easier to get in and out. That's something you can appreciate every day. But of course, the air suspension is really part of the Disco's off-road enhancements. Switch the drive selector knob to the little pictograph of the SUV with the upward-pointing arrow and the Discovery lifts its britches. According to the spec sheet, it provides a lofty 11.1 inches of ground clearance. If nothing else, that would give me added peace of mind about not banging anything underneath the vehicle if I was driving along a rutted trail." — Brent Romans

Interior
"I've noticed that there's an odd harmonic drone coming from our Discovery when you're driving it at highway speeds. It's definitely noticeable around 70 mph. I'm not sure if it's tire noise or something else. It's not terrible, but on long drives it gets annoying, increases noise and diminishes comfort. This drone seems like something we should mention to the dealer next time we take the Disco in for service." — Brent Romans

Technology-Audio
"The touchscreen infotainment system in the Discovery is disappointing. It's occasionally slow to respond when you press a menu button, or doesn't respond at all. I've had problems interfacing with my iPhone for music and podcasts, too. No Apple CarPlay or Android Auto either. It's a definite downside to what is otherwise an enjoyable SUV." — Brent Romans

Miscellaneous
"I used our Discovery for a recent two-day excursion with a few friends. We all really liked it. I think it excels for this kind of thing. Five points why:

1: It's roomy and comfortable (one of my friends commented we could all be wearing cowboy hats and still have enough headroom).

2: The cargo area was big enough to hold our luggage, with room to spare.

3: Rear climate controls and USB ports are useful for rear passengers.

4: Respectable power when you need it.

5: The prestige of driving a Land Rover (it's not your run-of-the-mill BMW X5 or Acura MDX)." — Brent Romans

Monthly Update for April 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
April was a workhorse month for our 2017 Land Rover Discovery. We used it for local running around as per usual, but we also got it out on the open highway for a Grand Canyon road trip where the Disco returned decent fuel economy while carrying a family of four and gear.

While the Discovery continues to impress with its capability and overall panache, the verdict is in: This navigation system has got to go.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
The Disco got a good workout in April. We added 3,090 miles to the odometer, filling 11 times with 194 gallons of gas. That averaged out to 17.6 mpg combined — exactly the same result as the month before. That's a bit of a head-scratcher. How does that happen when we put so many long-distance miles on the engine in April?

The answer lies with a terrible tankful right at the end of the month, our worst tank yet of the long-term test. We burned through 18 gallons to drive just 235 miles, averaging 13.1 mpg. Boo.

If we subtract that tank, which was nearly all city driving, and just look at most of the Grand Canyon road trip fill-ups (which accounted for about 1,300 of the month's miles), the Disco comes out looking much better at 19.7 mpg — close-ish to its EPA highway rating of 21 mpg.

Average lifetime mpg: 16.3
EPA mpg rating: 18 combined (16 city/21 highway)
Best fill mpg: 21.3
Best range: 449.9 miles
Current odometer: 15,210 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights

Interior
"I put about 1,200 miles on the Discovery in the past five days. It shuttled four of us, including two in car seats, to Grand Canyon National Park and back. This wasn't our first 1,000-plus-mile family road trip in the Land Rover, and it again proved its worth as a long hauler.

"Up front: We broke our trip into 4- to 5-hour legs, which was near-optimum for seat comfort. The center storage cooler kept the sandwiches fresh. Large cupholders and deep door pockets gave numerous snack-stashing options. But the nav system gave us trouble each time we entered an address, especially the city field. Start to type a name and it gave a confusing list of city and county options. Oddly, it worked best when you input the ZIP code instead.

"In back: The second-row tikes were thrilled that there was enough room to store their distractions. This isn't always the case considering the bulk of their car seats. Rear-zone climate controls alleviated some of the inevitable complaining, as did the massive sunroof. Despite the light-colored interior, size 1 footprints cleaned off the front seatbacks without much scrubbing. We dropped the third-row seat for additional storage. The space it gave us was plenty for our gear and didn't even obscure the rear view." — Mike Schmidt, senior manager, vehicle testing operations

"I've said it a million times before, and I'll say it a million times after: Damn you, Will Kaufman. While I've noticed the Discovery's windshield heating elements during the day, I've been able to Magic Eye my way past them at night. Then he makes a comment in February about how they obscure his vision at night. Now I can't unsee it either." — Cameron Rogers, staff writer

Technology-Audio
"We recently brought in a short-term Jaguar XF S Sportbrake for testing and rating. I started messing around with the voice controls, a feature that is admittedly somewhat in my blind spot. Even though the XF had onboard navigation, there were no voice controls that allowed me to set a destination or interact with the nav system in any way. Thinking I was missing something, I tried to do the same in our Land Rover Discovery, which uses the same infotainment system under a different name.

"Lo and behold, our Discovery also does not allow destination input through voice commands. I've had my experience with wonky voice recognition in the past, but these systems are absolutely necessary for getting to where you want without pulling over and entering a destination manually or, worse, attempting to do so while you're already driving. Every other modern car I've been in with navigation will let you input a destination through voice controls even if it's through a cumbersome state-city-street-street-number format." — Cameron Rogers

Miscellaneous
"One thing I really like about the Discovery is its undeniably cool styling. I can totally see how an image-conscious parent with cash to burn would pick this thing over, say, a Honda Pilot or Ford Explorer, let alone a minivan. How many three-row family haulers can moonlight as a valet-approved date-night ride? When it comes to family-oriented vehicles, that kind of versatility is a rare perk." — Josh Sadlier, senior manager, content strategy

Monthly Update for May 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
Did you know our 2017 Land Rover Discovery has a wading depth of 35.4 inches? Or that it can traverse a side slope with a 35-degree angle? And that we used neither of these capabilities all month? OK, that last one was kind of a given, but we did live a real life with the Disco in May and for the most part it was easy living. For the most part.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
Our Disco traversed nearly 1,000 miles in May, and none of it was very glamorous. But with respect to fuel economy, it was fairly average, with monthly fuel economy settling in at 17.8 mpg, just short of the EPA's combined rating of 18. Our lifetime average is hovering around 16 mpg.

Average lifetime mpg: 16.3
EPA mpg rating: 18 combined (16 city/21 highway)
Best fill mpg: 21.3
Best range: 449.9 miles
Current odometer: 16,218 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights

Comfort
"The Discovery's dual-zone climate control is on the fritz. I cranked both dials to the coldest setting possible, but the driver side only got hotter. These pictures were taken with the engine at normal operating temperature. Take my word for it, it blows even hotter after driving for a bit." — Mike Schmidt, senior manager, vehicle testing operations

Cargo Space
"Any SUV better be able to haul some drums, especially an SUV that costs north of $75,000. OK, so this is garden-variety SUV utility right here — a load of four drums, some cymbals and a hardware case — but I was a little surprised I needed to fold down one of the rear-seat splits to make it fit. From the outside, the Disco's rear cargo area looks like it could take it all.

"The big kick drum was the main space consumer, but if I'd had some kind of grille/cargo gate to separate cabin from cargo hold, I think I could've stacked everything to the ceiling and still had room for four passengers. The tailgate bench comes in handy here, actually. Not only does it prevent things at its height from possibly sliding or falling out when you open the liftgate, it's a handy floor extender for dragging and unloading some of that gear." — Dan Frio, staff writer

Interior
"There's a lot going on in the Disco's center console panel. Seems like a lot of real estate given over to dials and buttons that could have been relocated to the instrument panel, still within the driver's reach. Perhaps we've reached the point where traversing rugged terrain should require no more than a simple forearm pivot to engage a dial. Leaning forward to do the same seems very labor-intensive. Just one of the many things about the Disco that causes me to scratch my head.

"Also, the Disco's piano black trim is cool in theory, until you park under a stand of trees. First-world nitpicking aside, this trim does tend to reflect everything: trees and clouds overhead, passenger movement, direct sunlight. I'll keep the piano black for my black piano, thanks." — Dan Frio

"I really like the steering wheel on our Disco, although I have to admit that at first glance I wasn't sure what to make of it. The relatively thin rim is well forward of the hub and seems to almost float thanks to the short spokes that come off the hub at what might be a 75-degree angle. But it fits in my hands nicely, and although the structure is firm, the leather wrap is supple, and the wheel can spin through 360 degrees in my hands without catching a finger." — Kurt Niebuhr, road test editor

Monthly Update for June 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
For a good portion of June, our long-term 2017 Land Rover Discovery spent time with some of our Edmunds colleagues outside of the editorial team. But while we had the keys, we took it in for a regularly scheduled maintenance appointment. The most notable thing about that visit was the price; it set us back almost $600. Ouch.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
The Discovery logged about 1,031 miles in June and used 70.49 gallons of premium unleaded. That figures to 14.6 mpg, which is lower than our lifetime average as well as EPA estimates for combined and city driving. At the end of the month, that dropped our lifetime average by 0.2 mpg.

Average lifetime mpg: 16.1
EPA mpg rating: 18 combined (16 city/21 highway)
Best fill mpg: 21.3
Best range: 449.9 miles
Current odometer: 17,249 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
"We took the Discovery in to Hornburg Land Rover with a list of to-dos. Come to find out, the dealer had even more items on its list. First came our concerns. The driver-side A/C only blew hot air and the rear hatch was misaligned. The former was a broken temperature control sensor and the latter was sublet to a body shop for adjustment. Both fell under warranty.

"Then came the additional recalls. N135 required an update to the chassis control module. N151 reprogrammed the HVAC control module and, we're told, was unrelated to our failure. These too were warranty fixes.

"Finally came the scheduled 16,000-mile service. It included nine quarts of oil ($143), an oil filter ($45), a cabin air filter ($78) and more labor and inspections than you can shake a stick at ($336). Add the oil disposal fee and taxes, subtract a mystery 'insurance' credit, and you get our grand total of $598.75. Our best guess is that they realized the car was OEM-owned and cut us a break on the taxes. But this was still incredibly expensive." — Mike Schmidt, vehicle testing manager

Logbook Highlights

Performance
"When the transmission is cold, the shifts can be harsh. I was leaving the office parking garage, accelerated gently up the ramp and took a left onto the street. Fewer than 50 meters away from the ramp, I needed to slow for a pedestrian in a crosswalk. I happened to do this (e.g., lift off the throttle) just as the Discovery wanted to upshift. Bam. Wow, that was a seriously hard shift. So hard in fact that I looked in the mirror to be doubly certain I didn't get a love tap from a car behind me. After that, the shifts were fine. I have noticed a sporadic hard shift when cold a few other times too, but this one was easily the most noticeable." — Jay Kavanagh, senior road test engineer

Cargo Space
"It seems like the fold-down inside tailgate — a little shelf that you could sit on or rest drinks on if you were tailgating — is kind of a cool trick, but I wonder ultimately how much anyone will use it. Seems like one of those complexities that doesn't add much value." — Kathleen Clonts, copy chief

Miscellaneous
"The interior of the Discovery is nicer than my apartment, and about as roomy. I also had the fastest phone pairing ever in a car. But as an urbanite, it's not a vehicle I'd want to drive every day. Its heft and size make it a challenge to maneuver down tight side streets, and it doesn't feel fast enough to make the quick moves you sometimes need to make in city driving.

"To top it off, I was paranoid about parking it in my tight apartment garage (next to a neighbor who can't keep his Camry inside the lines) and decided even with the Disco at its lowest ride height, it wasn't worth the stress of finding out if it would fit." — Kathleen Clonts

Maintenance
"I opened the rear hatch of the Discovery today and discovered that the door was rubbing on all four corners. We'll have the alignment checked at our next service appointment." — Mike Schmidt

Monthly Update for July 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
Our 2017 Land Rover Discovery has proven to be quite popular, but you wouldn't know it by examining July's weak-sauce accumulation of just 946 miles in isolation. The bigger picture is much brighter. Our trusty Disco has amassed a healthy 18,500 miles in the 9.5 months we've had it. July notwithstanding, it stands an excellent chance of clearing our target of 20,000 miles in 12 months at least a month ahead of schedule.

Curiously, summer travel may have got in the way. Numerous business trips and a few vacations put staffers on airplanes instead of in test vehicles, and that led to the Land Rover sitting idle for more than a week. Also, everyone has driven it a time or two by now, so it's not getting snapped up as quickly as it once did. Much of the mileage it acquired came courtesy of Brent Romans, an editor who works remotely more than 200 miles away from the mothership.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
Brent's there-and-back commute is mostly highway driving, but he mixes in numerous in-town miles while running errands and taking the kids to school. Standard family stuff. His overall driving mix is usually a pretty good approximation of EPA combined. This time, however, he took the family on a July Fourth road trip to see relatives, which led to a much greater percentage of highway miles than usual.

Some of his time in the Discovery bridged over into June, but the July fill-ups amounted to 18.5 mpg over 658 miles. In normal circumstances, we'd say this compares favorably to the Discovery's 18-mpg EPA combined rating, but the extra highway miles made us hope we'd see something closer to its 21-mpg EPA highway rating.

Other staffers drove it closer to home, with a higher percentage of city miles. July's final tank of 288 miles came in at 16.4 mpg. Taken together, July's 946 miles of driving averaged 17.8 mpg, which is a bit better than the Discovery's overall lifetime average to date. That average stood at 17.1 mpg when the month began, but July's meager mileage didn't exert enough upward influence to move the needle. The month ended at the same 17.1 mpg at which it started. The EPA combined rating of 18 mpg is not that far away, but it's hard to imagine getting there in the time we have left.

Average lifetime mpg: 17.1
EPA mpg rating: 18 combined (16 city/21 highway)
Best fill mpg: 21.3
Best range: 449.9 miles
Current odometer: 18,487 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
Nothing this month.

Logbook Highlights

Performance
"I wouldn't mind having a bit more power in our Discovery. Acceleration is merely adequate in most situations. This is reflected in our 0-60 mph acceleration test, which took the Disco 7.1 seconds. We've gotten better numbers from other three-row luxury SUVs such as the Acura MDX (6.8 seconds) and the Audi Q7 (5.9)." — Brent Romans, senior automotive editor

Comfort
"I'm still sensing a harmonic drone at highway speeds. That's too bad. It's annoying. Along with the somewhat clompy ride of the big wheels, I just don't find our Discovery to be all that relaxing on long drives." — Brent Romans

Interior
"I've found the Disco's center console bin to be useful for holding my wallet and keys. The divided upper tray is just the right size. You could probably put a phone here instead. For more space, lift up the tray to store items underneath. I usually keep my phone in one of the cupholders, though. When you close the bin's armrest lid, there's still a small gap underneath that allows you to thread USB cords through without smashing them." — Brent Romans

Utility
"No issues with loading luggage for my Fourth of July family road trip. It was a modest amount of stuff, so the Discovery handled it easily. The more I use the power tailgate cargo-keeper feature, the more I like it." — Brent Romans

"I like how Land Rover added this extra tailgate inside the cargo area. It's a nod to previous Discovery models that had a split tailgate since a lot of owners used the lower part as a bench. I also like how if you're parked uphill, your stuff won't come rolling out. I do wish there was an option/setting you could specify that would have the lower section deploy with the opening of the tailgate. When I had my hands full of big bulky items, I had to put them down, push the button on the inside, then slide the cargo in." — Mark Takahashi

Technology & Audio
"One of the biggest drawbacks for the Discovery is the infotainment system. The glitches persist, with numerous issues. I've given up on using a wired USB connection to my iPhone. It simply stops working most times. Instead, I just use the streaming Bluetooth source. For longer trips, that's a problem because I can't use the USB ports to charge the phone because the system will then default to USB as the media source.

"I also can't use the on-screen menus to select a track or playlist. At least Siri works pretty well for that. Then there is the response. It takes a few seconds for the system to process a touchscreen input. The entire system is also slow to start up. The rearview camera takes forever to boot up and by the time it does, I've probably already backed out of my parking spot." — Mark Takahashi

Miscellaneous
"One of the reasons people are drawn to SUVs is because they have a higher stance and give a more commanding view of the road. If that's you, you'll like the Discovery. This is a proper SUV, not a hatchback that a marketing team is trying to convince you about otherwise." — Brent Romans

Monthly Update for August 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
Our 2017 Land Rover Discovery had a lopsided August, with 85 percent of its total miles being driven by Mike Schmidt on one long weekend. He piled in the family and started north along the California coast to Big Sur and Monterey. He then circled back through one of the newer national parks, Pinnacles, and headed south past Morro Bay. Pinnacles was the fifth national park Mike visited in the Discovery, and he says the SUV was just as comfortable a companion on the trip as some of our other long-term cars had been.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
The Disco logged a total of 1,527 miles in August and used 85.61 gallons of premium unleaded, yielding combined mpg of 17.8. Yes, that's 0.2 mpg below the EPA estimate, but when you consider the Schmidt family had two adults, two kids and all their luggage to haul up the coast, it's not that bad of a result. It's still better than our lifetime average of 17.2 mpg.

Average lifetime mpg: 17.2
EPA mpg rating: 18 combined (16 city/21 highway)
Best fill mpg: 21.3
Best range: 449.9 miles
Current odometer: 19,975 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
Nothing this month.

Logbook Highlights

Interior
"Floor mats are typically nothing notable for me, but the Discovery's all-season mats are worth calling out. First off, I think they look cool, with a chunky industrial design. They're also very functional, with deep channels to keep mud and gunk from spilling out. I also like how grippy they are. They're not made from hard plastic, but instead a softer rubber. And to top it off, there's a matching covering in the cargo area." — Mark Takahashi, senior writer

Utility
"There's a motorized partition at the back of the Discovery's cargo area that serves a few different purposes, but it doesn't always fold down when you open the rear hatch. For posterity, the partition lowers when you open the hatch with the remote, but stays up when you press the switch on the hatch itself.

"To lower the partition when the hatch is open, you press another small button on the left side of the opening, where the power seat folding/unfolding buttons are located. I personally think it's a weird choice to have the remote and hatch unlock buttons do different things, but there's a method to the madness."

"The partition helps keep items in the storage area from falling out when you open the hatch. It doesn't help much if you're on a flat or downhill road surface, but it's invaluable when the Discovery is stopped on a hill. According to the Discovery's press material, the lowered shelf doubles as a sitting area when tailgating or picnicking."— Cameron Rogers, staff writer

Comfort
"The only oddity was when I parked the car in Pinnacles. The car was off, but both the low-range and auto stop-start buttons were flashing without reason. This flashing continued for a minute or so before I tried starting the car again out of fear it might strand us in the triple-digit heat. But it turns out I was just being a ninny, and everything was fine." — Mike Schmidt, vehicle testing manager

"Took it home and back to the office in the morning. As an overall package, it made my soul-crushing commute easier and surprisingly enjoyable. After each leg, I arrived in a better mood than when I left." — John Adolph, supervising producer

Monthly Update for September 2018

Where Did We Drive It?
Our 2017 Land Rover Discovery had an easygoing month. Its only major trip was to Buttonwillow Raceway, about three hours north of Los Angeles. Dan Edmunds marshalled a round of the 24 Hours of Lemons race series where the luxury SUV was, in Dan's words, "worth more than a good chunk of the field."

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
The Disco logged 1,029.8 miles in September and took 66.6 gallons of premium unleaded for an average 15.5 mpg combined. Some tanks were better than others. While a few lead-footed drivers dropped our average, Dan's miserly highway habits brought it back up to a middle-of-the-road number.

Average lifetime mpg: 17.2
EPA mpg rating: 18 combined (16 city/21 highway)
Best fill mpg: 21.3
Best range: 449.9 miles
Current odometer: 21,006 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights
Technology-Audio
"This is the worst audio system ever! This touchscreen audio system irritates me more than I can begin to describe. But let me try.

"And it's not just because it doesn't have Apple CarPlay or Android Audio. That's bad enough these days, and I'd have a hard time buying a new car that doesn't have them. But that omission is small beer compared to this system's more maddening fundamental shortcoming.

"In a nutshell, the system boots up very slowly when you restart the car. And it comes back to life in a deliberate sequence: first there's silence and a welcome screen, AM/FM comes next, then SiriusXM, then your connected phone via USB, then your Bluetooth audio connection. This process can take anywhere from 15 seconds to more than a minute.

"This may not sound like much, but it means the first sound you hear will be whatever AM or FM station it was last set to. To hear anything else you must go through a finicky series of button presses: Home --> Audio --> Source --> and then you pick from the available choices. The last step could vary depending on what's booted up.

"Because it takes so long, you'll probably find yourself going through this process after you get the truck moving. And the amount of time you must wait is not even consistent. More than once I've gone through this process and drilled down to the place where you choose the source to find that SiriusXM and Dan's iPhone and Bluetooth were not yet available choices because the system still hadn't fully booted up.

"This is even worse than it sounds if you journey out of town, like I did. I left L.A. with a string of podcasts to listen to, then drove over a mountain to another part of the state. I stopped the vehicle at a restaurant to have dinner, and when I restarted the vehicle I was greeted with loud FM static. The L.A. station it'd been set to was out of range. I found it necessary to tune to a local Bakersfield station — any station — so that when I next restarted the vehicle, I'd at least get something other than static.

"I had to do this again when I got back in L.A., of course, because the distant Bakersfield station was now just a bunch of static. I don't even listen to radio very often, and yet I find I must tune to a clear station just so I won't get static during the slow boot-up phase of this horribly antiquated audio system." — Dan Edmunds, director, vehicle testing

Performance
"The more time I spend with this powertrain, the more I like it. It's not because it accelerates from 0 to 60 in lightning speed, because it isn't overtly quick. But it has no shortage of thrust and it builds speed in a steady, purposeful way that makes it feel like it'll go on forever. It's also very smooth in the way it accelerates through the gears and decelerates when you roll off the throttle. You get the feeling of power and capability without any jerkiness. If you drove Uber or Lyft in one of these, all of the above would help you get good driver ratings."— Dan Edmunds

Wrap-Up

What We Got
Luxury SUVs with enhanced off-road capabilities are nothing new to Los Angeles streets. As the Edmunds home office is based here, we see all manner of Range Rovers, Infiniti QX80s, Lexus GX 460s and Mercedes G-Class models. But the most challenging task most of these luxe-utes will encounter is facing off with our area's increasingly rutted and potholed streets.

Most people here just don't buy a luxury off-roader with plans to hoon around the off-highway recreation areas or Bureau of Land Management wildlands on the fringes of the Southland. Instead, they're just an alternative to the other "pretty" SUVs, with the bonus of being able to stroll through some snow when our local ski areas get a winter dump.

All of which makes Southern California a natural habitat for the Land Rover Discovery, even if it galls long-standing fans who pride themselves on driving their Rovers deep into the woods to hunt foxes and have picnics with Champagne and finger sandwiches.

When we finally saw that Land Rover had redesigned the Discovery into something with rounded edges and graceful body sculpting — something that didn't resemble a kitchen appliance like its LR3 and LR4 predecessors — we felt it was time to get reacquainted with this luxury off-road icon.

The 2017 Discovery came in four trim levels: SE, HSE, HSE Luxury and First Edition. We opted for the First Edition to try all of what the new Discovery had to offer. That started with a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 engine, 21-inch wheels, a two-speed transfer case, an air suspension, tri-zone climate control, a handful of active driver safety aids, and a 14-speaker surround-sound audio system.

We added 22-inch wheels, bringing the sticker price of our test car to $76,145. No money changed hands, however, because Land Rover lent us the car for a year of testing.

Performance

"The supercharged 3.0-liter V6 always feels pretty eager, and its power delivery is smooth and effortless. Once it gets going, it feels like it'll pull forever." — Dan Edmunds, director of vehicle testing

"Our Discovery feels stable and solid when driving around turns, more stable than I would have thought given the Disco's reputation for axle-flexing, off-road ability. It doesn't hurt that our test car has the optional 22-inch wheels and air suspension. It isn't sporty like a Porsche Cayenne, but if you need to make a quick swerve, the Discovery should respond responsibly." — Brent Romans, senior editor, written content

"When the transmission is cold, the shifts can be harsh. I was leaving the office parking garage and needed to slow for a pedestrian in a crosswalk. I happened to lift off the throttle just as the Discovery wanted to upshift. Bam. Wow, that was a seriously hard shift. So hard in fact that I looked in the mirror to be doubly certain I didn't get a love tap from a car behind me." — Jason Kavanagh, senior vehicle test engineer

"The Discovery feels sure-footed and responsive on many undulating and winding mountain roads. The steering feels accurate, body roll is nicely constrained, and the Discovery generally goes right where you want it to. The trouble comes on long, straight highway cruises, where the same steering feels a bit too touchy and tends to stray too easily if there's a crosswind, or if the driver reaches across the cabin to adjust a control. Passengers can sense all of this, too, because the elevated SUV seating position amplifies the tiny body motions that result." — Dan Edmunds

"The air suspension is pretty cool. It lowers the body to make it easier to get in and out, and that's something you can appreciate every day. But the air suspension is really part of the Disco's off-road enhancements and provides a lofty 11.1 inches of ground clearance. That would give me added peace of mind about not banging anything underneath the vehicle if I was driving along a rutted trail." — Brent Romans

Comfort

"This driver's seat was built for long-distance comfort. Three days ago, I drove the Discovery six hours with a 15-minute stretch break midway. No complaints. Today I went another 5.5 hours straight, though I found myself squirming a bit at the 3.5-hour mark. My front passenger was equally comfortable." — Mike Schmidt, senior manager of vehicle testing operations

"Our Discovery has 22-inch wheels. Twenty-twos, optional from the factory! No need to pimp this ride. The upside: They look great! The downside: The ride quality is far from smooth. Drive over a pothole and the skinny tire sidewalls just can't absorb it all. The resulting shocks enter the cabin in a very unluxurious fashion. The Discovery's 19- or 20-inch standard wheels seem like better choices." — Brent Romans

"Took it home and back to the office in the morning. It made my soul-crushing commute easier and surprisingly enjoyable. After each leg, I arrived in a better mood than when I left." — John Adolph, supervising producer

Cargo Space

"I understand the purpose of this mini tailgate in the cargo area. It keeps your stuff from rolling out in case it falls over in transit. Some might find it pretty neat. So far I find it to be a bit of a hassle. But I learned something that softens my initial impression: The open tailgate can hold up to 440 pounds." — Mike Schmidt

"We loaded and unloaded our suitcases and bags multiple times, and I came to love the mini tailgate that kept our stuff from spilling out whenever the hatch went up. Having the option to have what amounts to a fence when loading made it easier to pack it full, too." — Dan Edmunds

"Any SUV better be able to haul some drums, especially one that costs north of $75,000. This is garden-variety SUV utility: a load of four drums, some cymbals and a hardware case. But I was surprised I needed to fold down one of the rear-seat splits to make it fit. From the outside, the Disco's rear cargo area looks like it could take it all. The tailgate bench comes in handy here, actually. Not only does it prevent things at its height from possibly sliding or falling out when you open the liftgate, but it's also a handy floor extender for dragging and unloading some of that gear." — Dan Frio, reviews editor

Interior

"Our Discovery's take on the traditional three-dial climate controls is great, especially accessing the seat heat or ventilation features. Just tap the driver or front passenger climate control dial and the display switches to the seat control, then dial clockwise for heat or the other direction for ventilation. It's a smart way to reduce button clutter in an intuitive manner." — Mark Takahashi, senior reviews editor

"It's not a straight apples-to-apples comparison, but I'm shocked at the number of features and the materials quality of the Discovery versus our long-term 2017 Jaguar F-Pace. The F-Pace's interior is underwhelming, there are a lot of hard touch points, and the soft-touch plastics don't really feel all that nice. The Discovery, on the other hand, looks every bit its price tag. You pay more for it, but you get a lot more: a leather-trimmed dash, silver aluminum trim, nicer upholstery, a third row and real off-road ability. Bottom line: The Discovery's luxurious cabin justifies its high price tag." — Cameron Rogers, reviews editor

"In an otherwise upscale interior, I don't understand why the center armrest hinge isn't damped in some way. Closing and opening require deliberate effort to avoid it slamming shut. I'd even settle for some rubber bumpers." — Jonathan Elfalan, manager, vehicle testing

"I really like the steering wheel on our Disco, although at first glance I wasn't sure what to make of it. The relatively thin rim is well forward of the hub and seems to almost float thanks to the short spokes that come off the hub at what might be a 75-degree angle. But it fits in my hands nicely, the leather wrap is supple, and the wheel can spin through 360 degrees in my hands without catching a finger." — Kurt Niebuhr, vehicle test editor

Audio and Technology

"Land Rover and Jaguar don't quite offer the level of infotainment features as other luxury brands, and that's really not a big deal to me. The problem for me is the consistency of the system. Sometimes the system will simply stop working and reboot. More often, it won't allow control over my iPhone, forcing me to either stop the car and restart it or skip songs by using the phone itself." — Mark Takahashi

"The stereo volume is far too adjustable for any reasonable human being. The lowest volume is, as you'd assume, zero. The highest volume setting is 60. Yes, 60. From complete silence to maximum volume takes more than 20 full rotations of the Disco's tiny volume knob. Simplifying this to a 10- or 20-adjustment system would make so much more sense." — Travis Langness, reviews editor

"During a five-day stretch in the Discovery, the rearview camera failed at least three times. Twice it cut out for a few seconds while I waited, then it came back. A third time, it cut out completely and wouldn't reappear until I shifted from Reverse to Drive then back to Reverse again. We've put it on the list to have the dealer take a look" — Travis Langness

"My favorite feature is the one that allows you to fold and unfold the second- and third-row seats electronically right from the infotainment touchscreen. I think it's better using the touchscreen [than the physical buttons in back]. As someone who folds seats on a regular basis, it's one convenience that genuinely improves my quality of life." — Jonathan Elfalan

Maintenance

"We took the Discovery to Hornburg Land Rover with a list of to-dos. Come to find out that the dealer had even more items on its list. First came our concerns. The driver-side A/C only blew hot air, and the rear hatch was misaligned. The former was a broken temperature control sensor, and the latter was sublet to a body shop for adjustment. Both fell under warranty.

"Then came the additional recalls. N135 required an update to the chassis control module. N151 reprogrammed the HVAC control module and, we're told, was unrelated to our failure. These, too, were warranty fixes.

"Finally came the scheduled 16,000-mile service. It included nine quarts of oil ($143), an oil filter ($45), a cabin air filter ($78), and more labor and inspections than you can shake a stick at ($336). Add the oil disposal fee and taxes, subtract a mystery 'insurance' credit, and you get our grand total of $598.75.

"Our best guess is that they realized the car was OEM-owned and cut us a break on the taxes. But this was still incredibly expensive." — Mike Schmidt

Miscellaneous

"As the sky darkened and Highway 41 into Yosemite began winding, an oncoming motorist rounded the bend ahead of me. As if with malicious intent, the auto high beams illuminated, sending a blinding charge of light through his windshield midturn. I fumbled through steering wheel menus to disable the feature while the lights continued spraying the innocent. I found no such option to disable its auto-highs on the fly. Once neutralized, the highs did a fine job supplying the added light needed to get us into the park safely. Adaptive headlights would have helped even more." — Mike Schmidt

"I thought it was bad when our CR-V's door was stymied by ordinary, everyday grass. But it's even more egregious when it's a Disco, which is presumably burlier and more off-road-y. Land Rover designed the door this way since it allows a shorter step-in distance and keeps the sill clean so you don't soil your pants/dress. That's great, but I still want to be able to load a passenger when it's parked next to a curb." — Jason Kavanagh

"I used our Discovery for a recent two-day excursion with a few friends. We all really liked it. I think it excels for this kind of thing. Five points why:
1: It's roomy and comfortable (one of my friends commented we could all be wearing cowboy hats and still have enough headroom).
2: The cargo area was big enough to hold our luggage, with room to spare.
3: Rear climate controls and USB ports are useful for rear passengers.
4: Respectable power when you need it.
5: The prestige of driving a Land Rover (it's not your run-of-the-mill BMW X5 or Acura MDX)." — Brent Romans

"One thing I really like about the Discovery is its undeniably cool styling. I can totally see how an image-conscious parent with cash to burn would pick this thing over, say, a Honda Pilot or Ford Explorer, let alone a minivan. How many three-row family haulers can moonlight as a valet-approved date-night ride? When it comes to family-oriented vehicles, that kind of versatility is a rare perk." — Josh Sadlier, senior manager, content strategy

"The interior of the Discovery is nicer than my apartment, and about as roomy. But as an urbanite, it's not a vehicle I'd want to drive every day. Its heft and size make it a challenge to maneuver down tight side streets, and it doesn't feel fast enough to make the quick moves you sometimes need to make in city driving." — Kathleen Clonts, copy chief

Maintenance & Repairs

Regular Maintenance:
The Discovery has an adaptive service interval schedule, meaning the car will monitor driving habits and conditions and recommend a service based on driving history. We took the Discovery in for just one scheduled service at 16,000 miles and experienced sticker shock. Our routine service turned into a $600 job, for what amounted to an oil change, an air filter change and multiple inspections.

Service Campaigns:
While in for regular maintenance, the dealer addressed two of our concerns — malfunctioning climate control and misaligned hatch — and two recalls, one an update to the chassis control module and the other a reprogrammed HVAC module (unrelated to our A/C problem, we were told).

Fuel Economy and Resale Value

Observed Fuel Economy:
The EPA estimated 18 mpg combined (16 city/21 highway) for the Land Rover Discovery. After 21,700 miles, we averaged 17.1 mpg combined. That's a decent result given how many slow city and congested highway miles we put on the car. We even managed to eke out a pretty long tank once, at 450 miles. We cracked the 20 mpg barrier five times in the year we drove it. We breached 19 mpg several more times. But fill-ups with a lot of city driving often resulted in about 14 mpg.

Resale and Depreciation:
The MSRP on our 2017 Land Rover Discovery was $76,145. We rolled up 21,700 miles on the odometer in a year of driving. In this condition, Edmunds TMV Calculator valued the Discovery at $60,307 based on a private-party sale.

That's a depreciation of 21 percent, which beats our long-term fleet average (22 percent) and is significantly better than the distantly related Jaguar F-Pace we recently had (28.2 percent). Here's a case of Land Rover maintaining a measure of brand integrity and desirability.

Summing Up

Pros:
Sophisticated, stylish design makes it look more like a modern SUV than past Discoverys. Boasts tremendous off-road ability, even if most drivers never bother to put it to the test. Offers loads of useful, detailed features (touchscreen-activated power-seat folding, handy tailgate partition). Still carries an impressive amount of brand cachet and resale value.

Cons:
Middling fuel economy, but not terrible given the SUV's capable hardware. Several quirky infotainment, climate control and fit-and-finish gremlins popped up within 20,000 miles.

Bottom Line:
The redesigned Land Rover Discovery remains true to its rugged off-road heritage without sacrificing style, luxury or comfort. Streamlined looks and modern infotainment tech make the Discovery an easy car to live with every day, while a roomy and comfortable cabin make it just as capable on longer journeys. It serves as an excellent, and slightly sportier, alternative to the more upmarket Range Rover.

Disclaimer:
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.