A Journey of Discovery

Boxy brilliance; the Land Rover Discovery 3 blew me away.

Sometimes, just sometimes, cars surprise their driver so much with their natural talent that said enlightened person must go home and blog about it. So, here goes...

Contrary to earlier belief, the Land Rover Discovery ­and more specifically, the Land Rover Discovery 3, ­is a brilliant car.

I say this not because I've driven one through six feet of snow, weaved through crowds of brown bears hunting trout in rivers, nor pointed the Discovery's blocky nose skyward and pounded up a mountainside. But because I've steered one up the M40. The M25 and A5, too.

My steed was a base spec, 2.7 diesel with cloth seats, Costa coffees in the cup holders and claw like scratches on the black plastic trim in the boot. 
As you would expect given the Disco 3's two-box design, the interior follows a similar path with cube shaped air vent and door handle mounts, and prisms for door pockets, door trim and centre console. Protruding from the dashboard, the latter looks like Optimus Prime's chest post morph into a robot.

The six-speed manual has a lovely, chunky feel to its action.

Sprouting way up high from the floor and with a girth to make a pornstar proud, the lever linked to the six-speed manual 'box feels a little loose when not in gear, but the way it slots home is genuinely astounding. Not because it's particularly brilliant, but because you expect it to be so bad. It just isn't. Nor does the steering shuffle loosely around centre ­- yes it is a little light dead ahead, but weights up nicely on the move while turning. There is even a bit of feel, I kid you not.

Who'd have thought you could heel and toe in a Land Rover.

The fact the pedals are perfectly spaced for heel and toeing says it all; a designer or engineer, probably British, sat down and said, "Let's get the basics spot on and go from there". Whoever you are, I applaud you. Not only have you created a supposedly rugged 4x4 that looks half decent, is capable of climbing Everest ­- probably -­ and is mildly appealing inside, even in base spec, but you've actually managed to make it pleasurable to drive.

Large bumps made the front end of the Disco I drove buck slightly, signalling worn front shocks, yet it still cornered handily and pummelled road scuff without occupants feeling the violence going on beneath them. Of course it rolled, but then there is never a need to go baiting hot hatches in a Land Rover.

This marque now means so much more to me than before.

The Land Rover Discover 3 gave me one of those drives that made me curse the impressions others have handed out to me. Its brilliance lies in its undeniable refinement, more so since, unlike SUVs from Audi, BMW, Mercedes et al, the Disco is also genuinely capable of taking you to little inhabited corners of the Earth.