To put this into perspective, I just tested Buick's new Rainier SUV, yet another derivative spawned off of Trailblazer/Envoy architecture. It offers less off-road performance, no where near the prestige, questionable styling, and less equipment overall, for about the same price. Even the Rainier's interior quality is substandard compared to the Discovery, not one of Land Rovers strong suits.
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| A fully loaded Discovery tops out at $65,160, still considerably cheaper than its big brother Range Rover. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
It's possible to opt for the even more expensive HSE model that offers a greater array features and refinements, upping the price to $56,900. Add on active cornering enhancement, a DVD entertainment system, rear air conditioning and the flip-down rear seat package to increase passenger capacity to seven, and the price climbs to a healthy $65,160. While that does sound high, it's about $40,000 cheaper than its elder brother Range Rover and right on par with others in this class.
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| After about three years the Discovery's electrical components can start to show signs of age. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
So where are its weak spots? According to Chris Youngson of Disco-Tech Industries (Disco-Tech.ca), one of Canada's foremost Land Rover parts suppliers (cute name Chris), after about three years the Discovery's electrical components can start to show signs of age. Common problems include faulty power window motors, HVAC controls and power seat switchgear. It's funny, even though German component manufacturer Bosch now supplies Land Rover with electrics, the 'ghost of Lucas' still reigns supreme in British cars (in case you're not up on Olde Country folklore, the ghost of Lucas, otherwise known as the Prince of Darkness, refers to the British electrical components manufacturer of the same name that was partially responsible for the poor reliability history of Jaguar, MG, Rover, Triumph, etal). The positive spin on all this is that the warranty runs for 4-years or 80,000 km, so as long as you don't traverse the continent on an annual basis, the Discovery is covered.
