Land Rover Discovery History

The Land Rover Discovery is a mid-size luxury SUV, with off-road capabilities, from the British car maker Land Rover; now a division of Tata Motors. There have been four generations of the vehicle, which was first introduced in 1989. The current Discovery 4 is marketed in North America as the LR4.

The Discovery was introduced into the United Kingdom in 1989. The company code-named the vehicle "Project Jay". The new model was based on the chassis and drivetrain of the more upmarket Range Rover, but with a lower price aimed at a larger market segment and intended to compete with Japanese offerings. This was the only Discovery generation with four-cylinder engines.


The Discovery was initially available in a three door version. The five door became available the following year. Both were fitted with five seats, and an option was made available to have two further seats fitted in the "boot" area at the back of the car. Land Rover employed an external consultancy, Conran Design Group in London, to design the interior. The brief was to ignore current car interior design and position the vehicle as a 'lifestyle accessory'. The interior incorporated a number of original features, although some ideas shown on the original interior mock-ups constructed inside a Range Rover bodyshell at Conran's workshops were left on the shelf, such as a custom sunglasses holder built into the centre of the steering wheel. The design was unveiled to critical acclaim, and won a British Design Award in 1989. The features that were retained included the majority of the interior being constructed from 'Sonar Blue' plastic (with blue cloth trim), map/magazine holding slots above the windscreen, hand-holds for rear passengers being incorporated into the head restraints of the front seats, remote radio controls on the instrument cluster, twin removable sunroof panels (including a special zip-up storage bag behind the rear seats) and the inclusion of a Land Rover-branded cloth fabric holdall in the front centre console for oddments storage that could be removed from the vehicle and worn as a 'handbag' using a supplied shoulder strap (relatively few of these bags have survived, making them collectable items). Despite such features the interior's basic structure was the same as the Range Rover and virtually all the switchgear and instruments came from other Rover Group cars such as the Maestro and Montego. Similarly on the exterior, as well as the necessary Range Rover panels, the Discovery used headlights from the Freight Rover van and taillights from the Maestro van. The latter would continue to bear the Austin Rover 'chevron' logo on their lenses until production of the first generation Discovery ended in 1998, ten years after Austin Rover ceased to exist.

Pre-1994, the Discovery was available with either the 2.5 litre 200 Tdi engine or the 3.5 litre Rover V8. Early V8 engines used a twin SU carburettor system, moving over to Lucas fuel injection in 1990. In the North American market, the only engine available was the V8. A 2.0 litre petrol engine from the Rover stable was briefly available in a model known as the 2.0 L Mpi I4. This was intended to attract fleet managers, since UK (and also Italian) tax laws benefited vehicles under two litres. A combination of changes in taxation and the engine being underpowered for such a heavy vehicle led to the demise of this engine, despite the kudos of being the engine fitted to several Discoveries supplied to the British Royal family, most notably driven by Prince Philip around Windsor Great Park, in his position as Park Ranger of the park. In 1992 the Discovery received several additions and improvements. The interior was now offered in a more traditional beige as well as the distinctive (but controversial) light blue, an automatic transmission was made available on 200Tdi models, new colours were added to the range (and the large 'compass and mountain' side decals worn by early Discoveries were removed) and the 'SE' pack incorporating alloy wheels, front driving lights, roof bars and a special range of metallic paints was introduced as an option. A two-seater, three-door Discovery Commercial version, lacking rear side windows, was later offered by Land Rover Special Vehicles.

In 1994, many changes were made to the Discovery and reached some markets as "Discovery 2"; the 200Tdi and 3.5 L V8 engines were replaced with the 2.5 L 300TDi 4-cylinder and 3.9 L Rover V8 engines, the 300Tdi introducing a Bosch electronic emissions control for certain models and markets. At around this time a stronger R380 gearbox was fitted to all manual models combined with the flexible cardan coupling GAJ-1 from SGF for more comfort. The newer models featured larger headlamps and a second set of rear lights in the bumper. The new rear lights had the wiring changed several times to meet real or expected European safety legislation. Some vehicles are left with an arrangement where the vulnerable bumper contains the only working direction-indicator lights; other examples have these lights duplicated in the traditional rear pillar location.


The designers of the original model had been forced to economise and use the "parts-bin" of the then parent-company, Rover. The 200 series used the basic bodyshell structure from the Range Rover, door handles from the Morris Marina, tail lights from the Austin Maestro van, and interior switchgear and instrumentation from the Rover "parts bin". The favour was returned when the facelifted Discovery dashboard was also fitted as part of the final facelift to the first-generation Range Rover, though with minor differences reflecting the vehicle's higher status, such as an analogue rather than digital clock.

The 1994 model year marked the first year that the Discovery was sold in the United States. Airbags were incorporated into the design of the 1995 model to meet the requirements of US motor vehicle regulations, though they were not fitted as standard in all markets. 1995 models sold in the US utilised the 3.9 L V8 from the Range Rover SE models, later models saw a displacement increase to 4.0 L.[2]

Technically speaking the 1996 to 1998 US models with 4.0 L engines had the same displacement as the 3.9 L engines fitted to the earlier 1994 to 1995 US models. In earlier 3.9 L US engines the fuel injection computer (14CUX) did not control the ignition, it was controlled by a traditional system with ignition coil and distributor made by Lucas. The 4.0 L engines had a few important differences: larger, cross-bolted main bearings, revised pistons, revised intake and a new distributorless engine management system. This system was called GEMS. It was developed jointly by Lucas and SAGEM and it controlled both spark and fuel injection. Unlike the earlier systems fitted to Rover V8 engines, GEMS was made OBD-II compliant. The improvements were made because Rover needed to meet tighter US and California emissions standards.

As with all Land Rover vehicles designed since the Series models, which had switchable two-wheel and four-wheel drive, the transmission is a permanent four wheel drive system, with a locking centre differential at the transfer box. In common with much of the rest of the Land Rover range, the handbrake acts on the transmission at the back of the transfer box. Therefore locking all wheels when applied.

In Japan, a badge-engineered version of the Series I was offered, called the Honda Crossroad. The Rover companies had cross-holding relationship with Honda U.K. since early-1980s. The relationship ended after Rover was taken over by BMW in 1994. (Honda revived the nameplate 'Crossroad' in another small sport utility vehicle in 2007.)

The Series II Discovery debuted in autumn 1998 and in the US in 1999. Land Rover promoted that the Discovery Series II had been modified with 720 'differences'. The interior and exterior was re-worked to be less utilitarian, but it was still similar to the Series I. Every body panel was new except the rear door outer skin. The rear body was extended to improve load space but at the expense of added rear overhang, which adversely impacted off-road ability. Changes to the diesel engined models saw the 2495 cc Td5 (in-line direct-injected 5 cylinder) engine introduced, in line with the updated Defender models. This electronically managed engine was smoother, producing more usable torque at lower revs than its 300 Tdi predecessor. The Td5 engine is often mistakenly attributed to BMW but the engine was derived from the Rover L-series passenger car engine and developed by Land Rover. The 3948 cc V8 petrol version was given a revised intake system, and rebadged as 4.0 litres at the same time, despite no actual increase in capacity over the previous 3.9 L engine. ACE (Active Cornering Enhancement, an electronically controlled hydraulic anti-roll bar system) was fitted to some versions, which reduced cornering roll. Self-levelling air springs were fitted to some models and European type-approval for 7-seat vehicles was only given for air-sprung cars.


The locking centre differential was still fitted until early 2001, although the linkage to operate it was not attached, as Land Rover believed that the traction control and newly-developed Hill Descent Control would render it redundant. The actual locking mechanism was removed in early 2001, before being fully reinstated (with linkage) with the face-lifted 2004 model. Whilst the traction control system worked very effectively, it did not offer the same level of control and smooth operation as the vehicles fitted with the diff lock. Customer demand saw the diff lock controls fully reinstated as a cost option only (standard on top of range HSE/ES vehicles) on UK/Irish models, and aftermarket kits are offered by several vendors for those vehicles which were produced with the lock, but not the linkage.

The "face-lift" models are easily identified by new "pocketed" headlamps which matched the Range Rover and face-lifted Freelander models as well as redesigned turn and brake lamps on the rear of the vehicle; the turn signals were moved from the bumper to the high side fixtures. The earlier Series II models could in turn be easily distinguished from the original Discovery by the position of those stop light fixtures above the window-line (earlier models had them below), and by the replacement of paddle door handles with the current sort. The Series II also differs in dimensions, but this can be difficult to discern unless one of each are sitting next to one another in a car park.

A small number of Discovery II Commercial models were produced by Land Rover Special Vehicles, this time based on the five-door bodyshell but with the windows rendered opaque to give van-like appearance and security. Normal vehicles were exported to Republic of Ireland, where the rear side windows were smashed and rear seats were destroyed in the presence of a Revenue official, to offer a model that avoided the Vehicle Registration Tax (saving approximately 40%).

In the final production run of the Discovery II, only two models were offered for sale in the UK market, the 'base' Pursuit, which still retained a high level of equipment as standard, and the top specification Landmark, which offered all Leather interior, twin sunroofs, Active Cornering Enhancement six-disc CD player and Heated Windscreen. The final vehicles left the production lines in late May 2004 to make way for the all new Discovery 3 (LR3) models

The Commercials released by Special Vehicles came with rear self levelling suspension as standard, and on the facelifted vehicles the rendered windows are fixed in place so while a retrofit of seats is viable, it does not offer any significant comforts to the rear passengers unless the doors are almost completely rebuilt to facilitate windows that actually open - this also would require additional wiring. The last revision of this vehicle still had a high spec and came with climate control, roof bars, alloy wheels and marine ply boarding with full-length rubber mat in the loadspace as standard.

On 2 April 2004, Land Rover introduced the Discovery 3, or LR3 in North America. It was a new design, sharing no components with the outgoing model.[citation needed] It retains the key features of the Discovery, such as the stepped roofline and steeply-raked windscreen. The LR3 name was chosen for North American markets due to negative quality associations with the Discovery name and (according to Land Rover) a preference in the American market for alpha-numeric model designations – the second generation Freelander was also re-designated for the North American market as the LR2.


Land Rover developed an all-new method which they called Integrated Body Frame (IBF). The previous Discovery models had used a traditional, strong ladder-frame chassis. Whilst being specifically designed for off-road use, ladder-frame chassis are heavy and detract from the on-road handling of the vehicle. Monocoque vehicles are more rigid, giving improved high-speed handling, but can be damaged by the stresses involved in heavy off-road use. In the IBF the body, the engine bay and passenger compartment is built as a monocoque, which is mated to a basic ladder-chassis holding the gearbox and suspension. It claimed to combine the virtues of both systems, but does make the Discovery 3 uncommonly heavy for its size stunting on-road performance and off-road agility, especially in soft ground such as sand. This was one of the reasons that the new Discovery became the first Land Rover to be offered with a rear locking differential.

Another big change was the fitting of full independent suspension (FIS). Like the Series III Range Rover, this was an air suspension system, which allowed the ride-height of the vehicle to be altered by simply pumping up or deflating the air bags. The vehicle can be raised to provide ground clearance when off-road, but lowered at high speeds to improve handling. FIS had been seen as inferior to the older beam-axle when off-road due to its tendency to make the vehicle bottom out. Land Rover developed 'cross-linked' air suspension to solve this problem- when needed, the suspension mimics the action of a beam axle (as one wheel drops, the other rises). Further more, if the chassis of the vehicle contacts the ground when the suspension was at its 'off road' height, the system senses the reduction in load on the air springs and raises the vehicle an extra inch. In the UK and European markets, a coil-spring independent suspension system was offered on the base model. This model was unique in the range by having only five seats and only being available with the 2.7 litre diesel engine. This model lacked the Terrain Response system.

The engines used in the Discovery 3 were all taken from Land Rover's sister company, Jaguar. A Peugeot-developed 2.7 litre, 195 hp (145 kW), 440 Nm V6 diesel engine (the TdV6) was intended to be the biggest seller in Europe. For the US market and as the high-performance option elsewhere, a 4.4 litre petrol V8 of 300 hp (220 kW) was chosen. A 216 hp (161 kW) 4.0 litre SOHC Ford V6 petrol engine was available in North America and Australia.

The gearboxes on the Discovery 3 were also all-new. For the diesel engine, a 6-speed manual gearbox was standard. As an option, and as standard on the V8 engine, a 6-speed automatic transmission was available. Both came with a 2-speed transfer box and permanent 4-wheel-drive. A computer controlled progressively locking central differential ensured traction was retained in tough conditions. A similar differential was available on the rear axle to aid traction.

The Discovery 3 was fitted with multiple electronic traction control systems. Hill Descent Control (HDC) prevented vehicle 'runaways' when descending steep gradients and 4-wheel Electronic Traction Control (4ETC) prevented wheel spin in low-traction conditions. An on-road system, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) prevented skidding when steering and braking at speed. The vehicle also featured the 'Terrain Response' system, which won a Popular Science award in 2005.[citation needed] Previously, off-road driving had been a skill that many drivers found daunting. A wide-ranging knowledge of the vehicle was needed to be able to select the correct gear, transfer ratio, various differential systems and master various techniques required for tackling steep hills, deep water and other tough terrain. Terrain Response attempted to take away as many of the difficulties as possible. The driver selected a terrain type on a dial in the cab of the vehicle. The options are "Sand", "Grass, Gravel & Snow", "Mud & Ruts" and "Rock Crawl". The on-board computer systems then select the correct gearbox settings, adjust the suspension height, adjust the differential lock settings and even alter the throttle response of the engine suitable for the terrain. For example, in "Rock Crawl", the suspension is raised to its maximum height and set to allow maximum wheel articulation, the differentials are locked, the driver is prompted to switch to Low Range, and the throttle response is altered to provide low-speed control. In "Sand" mode, the traction control system is 'primed' to be more sensitive to any wheelspin, the differential locks are partly locked up and the throttle response is re-mapped to produce high power outputs with short pedal movement. The driver retained some manual control over the off-road systems, being able to select the Transfer Box ratio and the suspension height manually, although use of the Terrain Response system is needed to allow full use of the vehicles' capabilities.

As well as new mechanical and electronic systems, the Discovery 3 introduced a new design to the interior and exterior of the vehicle. The original 1989 Discovery's looks had been determined by limited funds and the consequent use of first-generation Range Rover components. These continued to influence the Series II. The Discovery 3 was able to have a fresh, minimalist style. The interior was much improved, with a flexible seven seat layout. Unlike the older models, adults could comfortably use all seven seats. Passengers in the rearmost row now entered through the rear side doors, instead of the tailgate as in previous versions. The driver benefited from a modern DVD navigation system, including some optional features like Bluetooth telephony in later models. Like its big brother the Range Rover, this audio, information & entertainment ("infotainment") system in the Discovery 3 adopted an electronics architecture whereby the system's distributed control units pass information and audio amongst one another and throughout the vehicle via optical links based on the MOST (or, Media Oriented Systems Transport) fiber-optic automotive networking standard (informally called the "MOST-bus")[3]. The system's navigation functions were unique to Land Rover because, in addition to the typical road map navigation, benefits included an off-road navigation and four-wheel drive information mode. When in four-wheel drive information mode, the screen showed a schematic of the vehicle, displaying the amount of suspension movement, angle the front wheels were steering, the status of the locking differentials and icons showing which mode the Terrain Response was in, and what gear was selected on automatic versions.

The vehicle was very well received by the press on its launch, with the Terrain Response system, vastly improved on-road dynamics and clever interior design being selected for wide praise. The new look was disliked by some[who?] (descriptions such as 'van-like' were used), and the large, blank rear panel, now devoid of the spare wheel, was a controversial point. Others[who?] pointed out that the diesel engine still lagged behind the competition in power (especially given the weight of the vehicle), but overall the vehicle scored highly. A high-point in the new Discovery's launch season came when Jeremy Clarkson of the BBC's Top Gear motoring show drove one to the top of Cnoc an Fhreiceadain, a 307 m (1,007 ft) mountain near Tongue in northern Scotland, where no vehicle had previously reached. Richard Hammond, presenter of Top Gear, praised it as the "Best 4X4 of all time".

In Australia, the vehicle was awarded "4WD of the Year" by virtually all of the 4WD press, impressing often conservative journalists of "hard-core" magazines after it effortlessly ambled where the traditionally highly-rated Toyota Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol had to scramble. It was widely hailed as the first time that electronics actually out-performed trusted mechanical systems, although most sounded a note of caution about long-term reliability and serviceability. Despite these reviews, and a price tag very similar to the Land Cruiser, it did not set the market alight.

In 2006, Land Rover used the Discovery 3 in its G4 Challenge, alongside the Range Rover Sport. The vehicles used are all in standard mechanical form, and are fitted with equipment from the standard Land Rover brochures.

The first all-new model placement since the Freelander, the Range Rover Sport is based on the Discovery 3 platform, rather than on the larger Range Rover.

There is a facelift model of the Discovery 3 (2009 Model Year) which will be made in the UK from August 2008 onwards. It will offer an upgrade to the stereo system (Harman Kardon) as standard with integrated steering wheel controls and a six CD stacker, clear indicator side lights, and colour coded bumpers. In North America, the vehicle was renamed LR4, and the LR4 debuted at the 2009 New York International Auto Show.

The Discovery 4 (called the LR4 in North America) is a heavily updated version of the Discovery 3. Using the same Integrated Body Frame structure, the new Discovery has altered front and rear light units and a restyled front grille and bumper to adopt the same smoother, rounder style as also adapted for the 2010 Range Rover and Range Rover Sport[8]. The Discovery 4 also retains the body-coloured wheel arches and bumpers as the late D3s (early D3s had black plastic trim). The D4 is the first Discovery model to incorporate Daytime Running Lights, these being a row of white LEDs added to the main front lamp unit.


The majority of the changes are mechanical. The D4 receives two engines from Jaguar Land Rover's 'Gen III' range. The TDV6 Gen III is a 3-litre development of the 2.7-litre engine used in the D3. The new version features advanced twin-sequential turbochargers where a Variable geometry turbocharger is used at low engine speeds, with a second standard turbo is brought online at higher engine speeds[9]. This system provides greater output than the older engine (now 241 bhp (180 kW) and 600 N·m (440 lb·ft) whilst reducing CO2 emissions by 10%. The Gen III version of the V8 petrol engine (available in markets outside the UK and Europe such as North America, Russia and Australia) is now a 5-litre unit with Direct Petrol Injection developing 385 bhp (287 kW) and 520 N·m (380 lb·ft)[10]. .

The D3s 6-speed manual transmission is no longer available (except on the basic GS model, see below). An improved version of the ZF 6-speed automatic/sequential gearbox is now fitted which includes taller gearing to take advantage of the new engines' greater torque output and an updated lock-up system to further reduce fuel consumption. Other technical changes include the fitting of the more powerful brakes from the Range Rover Sport and thicker anti-roll bars to improve on-road handling. The electronic handling system have been updated- the Stability Control System now includes a programme that detects the onset of understeer and applies the brakes. The D4 retains its predecessor's fully independent air suspension with cross-linking when off-road and the twin-range transfer gearbox with an electronic infinitely-variable locking centre differential[11]. As before a similar locking rear differential is available. The Terrain Response system remains but with two new features- the 'Sand' mode incorporates a new traction control mode to prevent loss of traction when starting off and stopping in soft sand, and the 'Rock Crawl' mode gains a feature that applies gentle brake pressure at low (less than walking pace) speeds to improve grip and stability on slick rock. The system is also 'retuned' to account for the new engines and gearboxes with their different torque characteristics. Other new electronic systems include Trailer Stability Assist which can adjust the throttle and brakes to prevent a dangerously swaying trailer[12].

The 2.7-litre TDV6 engine is still available in Europe on the basic 2.7 GS variant. Unlike the D3 base model this is equipped with air suspension and the Terrain Response system. The automatic transmission is an option on this model.

The Discovery 4 also features a redesigned interior (again in keeping with the new styles introduced elsewhere in the LR range for 2010). The instrument cluster is updated with the speedometer and tachometer analogue gauges being redesigned to improve clarity. The analogue temperature and fuel gauges of the D3, and the electronic information display are replaced by a single TFT screen capable of displaying information in a variety of modes and formats. The D4's interior also has a new centre console, which includes redesigned and simplified switches and controls[13]. The D4 also has a new seat design and a wider range of available interior materials-some (such as the highly polished 'Piano Black' and wood veneer) are materials previously only seen in Range Rover models. The stated aim of the interior redesign was to lift the vehicle upmarket, especially the higher-spec models which are now aimed at the luxury and executive markets[13].

The D4 gains some electronic systems from the Range Rover lineup such as the optional 'Venture Camera'- a series of cameras located in the front and rear bumpers which can display their images on the centre console screen to improve visibility when off-road, when hitching up to a trailer or when parking. Other electronic systems are intended to improve efficiency- for example the engines feature a 'Smart' alternator that only charges the battery when engine load is low, thus helping to reduce fuel consumption when the engine is working harder [14]. .

The Discovery 4 was unveiled in the summer of 2009 and went on sale in the United Kingdom on the 1st September that year.

See the Full Range of Discoveries at Dunsford Landrovers!

Discovery at Dunsford Landrovers

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