Best All-Terrain 4WD

The new Land Rover Discovery 4 has followed the back-to-back winning ways of its series 3 predecessor, and in the process sets a record for Australia’s Best Cars.

It’s now five wins in a row for the ‘Disco’, with Subaru’s Forester the only other five-time winner (although not in consecutive years).

The Discovery 4 features a brilliant, 3.0-litre, sequential twin-turbo, V6 diesel jointly developed with Jaguar. Power is up 29 percent and torque 36 percent to a stump-pulling 600 Nm. On or off the road, this responsive engine impresses for its smooth, effortless performance.

The new diesel also brings significant improvement to fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions. It also gets special tweaks compared with the Jaguar version to better suit its duty as an off-roader. 

Discovery’s already enviable scores for handling, ride and braking all get a boost this year thanks to revised steering and suspension and larger brakes. Ride and handling precision are far ahead of what would usually be expected of a large, all-terrain vehicle.

Like the series 3, it includes standard seating for seven, with curtain/head airbag protection also for row-three passengers.

Land Rover’s Terrain Response system with programs to suit virtually any terrain has been refined in the new model, improving off-road prowess. Height-adjustable air suspension and an improved hill-descent-control system also aid off-road progress.