2003 Land Rover Discovery SE Revisited
The Good
The Bad
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Love LostI have loved the Land Rover Discovery since our first test drive back in 2003. With my Audi lease inching closer to the end, I've had my eye on cars and no matter how many vehicles I look at, it always comes back to the Discovery.
Since replaced by the LR3, I can't purchase a new Discovery anymore, but buying a used one would take the sting out the price anyway which was the original reason I went for the Audi instead. So while my Audi was in Houston for its 30,000 mile service (which consists of – ready for this? – an oil change), I popped on over to Land Rover to drive one of their used Discoverys.
Unfortunately, used meant getting a used car salesman. Wait, I'm not being fair – he'd probably be just as bad selling new cars. He certainly didn't hold a candle to my first test drive, which included their awesome test track. Instead, he let me hop on the freeway. And off. And back on. And then off. Test drive over. Not one curb did I threaten, nor one tire did I break in. Very disappointing! The most I got out of the salesman was "all Land Rovers have four wheel drive."
Ah, but I rant – back to the test drive. I got the seat adjusted to my height easily enough, but getting the armrest where I wanted was another matter. The armrest has a knob that sticks out from underneath it, and a great amount of twisting will move the armrest just a little bit. Odd, but at least it's adjustable. I'm usually too short to use armrests, so the adjustable bit is nice.
The driver seat itself felt confining. I was too close to the door, the armrest was in my way, the steering wheel was close; I just felt cramped. The seat was also uncomfortable – it felt like it curved where the back hit the bottom, instead of being a sharp angle. The result was that I felt like my bum was being pushed forward a bit and I was slouching. Very uncomfortable! I didn't notice that the first time I drove the Disco, so maybe this one was just broken in by someone with an enhanced derriere.
On to the outside mirrors: The passenger mirror adjusted fine, but the driver's mirror didn't have enough range. With it adjusted out as far as it would go, I was still looking more at the side of the Disco than behind it. Odd, but maybe that comes with being a used vehicle.
It was warm outside so I went to adjust the temperature controls, which are digital, and was surprised to see them reading numbers in the 20s. Hmmm... Must be Celsius. Neither of us could figure out how to change them to Fahrenheit, but there must be a way. And if not, you'd get accustomed to it quickly enough (or heaven forbid, learn the conversion formula).
And now finally to the boring test drive (saleman's fault, not the Disco's). I headed down the feeder to merge on the freeway, but several times I completely lost the gas pedal. It was so light that I couldn't tell if I was on it or not, and a couple times I wasn't. Yuck – I like a little substance with my gas pedal.
Another odd thing was the windshield. It was covered in dust (probably pollen) but not too heavy to see through so I didn't clean it. But I noticed some weird lines. On closer inspection, I found the entire front windshield covered in very thin wavy vertical lines. The salesman informed me they were defrosters. Distracting is what they really were. I expect a clear windshield, not one covered with lines. Perhaps they aren't noticeable when the windshield is clean, but on my cars, that's not often.
The Land Rover is quieter than I'd expect on highways, given that it has the same aerodynamics as a brick. I did hear a high pitched whine, but it could be the tires. The steering takes some getting used to since the wheel doesn't correct itself, but it's only surprising for the first turn or two.
The low windowsills and large windows give a feeling of airiness and the view is incredible. No blind spots in this vehicle! I felt taller than other drivers but also a little exposed because of the large amounts of glass. I'd definitely tint the windows if I bought one.
The second row is slightly elevated so you have a better view of the road. It also is comfortable, but the access is a bit awkward because the back doors don't open wide enough. They feel like they should open wider, but don't.
Overall Impression
I was thinking the Land Rover would be my next car, but I came away disappointed. The interior is just too dated and awkward. There are buttons everywhere, controls are too complicated, and the cup holders look completely out-of-place, like someone stuck them there temporarily and forgot to move them later. I came away underwhelmed.