Land Rover Discovery 3 V8 HSE Review

Land Rover Discovery 3 V8 HSE Review


Blessed with power and presence in equal amounts, the capable but thirsty Land Rover Discovery 3 V8 HSE is the undisputed king of the SUV segment, writes The Wheel Deal.

I’m not sure about you but whenever a police car pulls up next to me, I can never bring myself to make eye contact with its occupants. For even though I haven’t committed an offence, am stone cold sober and up-to-date with all my fines, there’s this biting feeling of inferiority that causes my neck to lock. Now of course there are two ways to overcome this strange, deep-seeded fear of authority. One involves a chemical-laced rendezvous with an over analytical psychologist and the other – although who knows how I’ll ever afford it – the keys to this gun-metal grey Land Rover Discovery 3 V8 HSE.

Because out on the open road, tipping the scales at nearly three-tons, this Godzilla of an SUV is to your ego what anabolic steroids are to your biceps. Perhaps it’s the commanding seating position or that bold architecture but there’s something about this Landy that makes you feel invincible; like some billionaire businessman with a bulletproof vest and ties to the Korean mafia. And this is not just down to shouty looks and VIP-levels of interior comfort, because the way this thing muscles along the asphalt is equally convincing. Riding atop a sophisticated air-suspension system stolen from the luxurious Range Rover, the Disco HSE drives with a degree of comfort and fluency that I’ve yet to experience in any other machine from the sports utility class. Firm when you need it to be, soft when you don’t, it does a superb job at supporting the Land Rover’s bulk and actually makes it surprisingly adept at charging around corners. Sure it’s no sports car but it’ll easily teach some its trimmer rivals a thing or two. Likewise, the Disco’s steering also impresses as it’s light enough for off-road maneuvering yet still manages to retain a certain degree of directness that’s all important when rolling across tarmac. In keeping with the rest of the package, this badass Landy is kitted out with a Jaguar-sourced V8 engine that twists out a savage amount of raw power and Newton. Mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, the mighty lump does take a little time to build momentum lower down the rev-range but once you get it above 4000rpm, speed starts building at a considerable rate.

Off the beaten track the Discovery 3 loses none of its surefootedness thanks to its inherent bundu bashing abilities. Armed with permanent 4×4, a low range transfer case and a diff-lock, this British Juggernaut easily bulldozed its way over the toughest obstacles at the Scorpion Off-Road College out in Midrand and, in doing so, left me with an impression that’ll it take a special kind of rough to stop this machine dead in its tracks. Also, wired up to Terrain Response – a mapping system that tweaks things like ride height, engine torque, differential and transmission settings for specific terrain – the Disco gives you the confidence to go almost anywhere on god’s green earth. Expensive to buy, fuel and ultimately maintain, the Land Rover Discovery 3 V8 HSE won’t fit everyone’s pocket but if you can shell out the moola you’d be crazy not to take one for a test drive. And who knows, perhaps you too will finally be able to lock eyeballs with Mr. Metro at the traffic lights.

Land Rover Discovery 3 V8 HSE Fast Facts:

Engine: 4394cc, V8 petrol
Power: 220kW at 5500rpm
Torque: 425Nm at 4000rpm
0-100km/h: 9.88 seconds (achieved)
Top Speed: 192km/h (claimed)
Fuel Consumption: 15l/100km (claimed combined)
Price: From R658 000