The Land Rover Discovery 4 has been around for a couple of years, dominating the luxury SUV space, offering plenty for the adventurer, school run or as a VIP limousine.
It combines the offroad skill to go anywhere, the muscle to keep up on the roads, and a high level of spec to do both in comfort and style.
The Pocket-lint team is currently training for the Three Peaks Challenge so we jumped into the Land Rover Discovery HSE Luxury and took a trip to the mountains. Here are some of the reasons we chose the Discovery for our adventures.
The fridge
Yes, there is an actual fridge in this model of the Disco 4. Forget cooler boxes, a built-in car fridge is the way forward.
The fridge sits between the two front seats and although it's pretty small - you won't get a six-pack in there - it is big enough for four cans of coke or a couple of sandwiches, or a huge stash of chocolate buttons.
It was without a doubt one of our favourite features and one we are now very upset we don't have in our normal cars.
So many charging ports
Most new cars these days have a couple of charging ports, whether that be a 12V or a USB charging socket. The Disco 4 takes charging ports to an entirely different level though - with the means to charge six devices at the same time.
There are two 12V sockets in the front, one behind the front seats for those in the middle and one in the boot for the very back seat passengers. There is also a USB in the front storage bin in the dash and one for those in the middle seats too.
Granted, not everyone is bothered about having a fully charged phone when climbing a mountain, but we are and having 100 per cent battery on all devices before ascending was a winner in our book.Â
It holds seven adults
This might seem like an obvious thing to like about a vehicle that sells itself as a seven seater, but sometimes when car companies say seven seats, they mean five small adults and two tiny people.
The Disco 4 holds seven actual full-sized adults comfortably and although won't be a great deal of space left for luggage, you won't feel squashed. The very back seats are a lot more comfortable than you would think, and we'd even go as far as to say, each passenger has the same amount of room as an economy plane seat, if not a little more.Â
Best of all, when loaded up, the Disco doesn't feel sluggish. It rides well and yes, you'll feel the weight, but it still has no problem powering up those mountain roads, or racing back home on the motorways.
Smart lighting
Lights are boring right? Wrong. The Discovery has some nice interior lighting, highlighting the handles so you're not scrabbling around in the dark when you want to get out, but it's really the exterior lighting we were impressed with.
Not only do you get auto headlights, so you don't have to worry about switching them on and off, but there's high beam assist too, so when you're on dark empty roads, you get full beam, which dips when other vehicles or streetlights are detected.Â
Best of all, there are cornering lights too. When you indicate and steer, additional LED lights widen the spread of what you can see. That means better visibility when changing direction in the dark - great for lane corners.
Great visibility, inside and out
The biggest advantage of an SUV or offroader is the ride height. It's not only essential for ground clearance, but it gives you great visibility on the road. The big windows, combined with three sunroofs means the driver can see all around and the passengers also enjoy plenty of headroom and light.
Big wing mirrors, as well as the auto-dimming rear view mirror, mean you can see what's happening behind you, and the addition of the blind-spot indicators, mean you know when someone is over or undertaking.Â
Then there's the camera systems. One that tech-fans will enjoy, you have plenty of cameras to help you reverse, but also giving a junction view to look round corners, or obstacles you might not be able to see, as well as side view cameras, which are really useful for centring on a tight parking space.Â
Back and front control
The Disco 4 can be controlled by the passengers in the front, but also by those in the back so parents can control kids, or VIPs can control the settings they want to have.
From the front, you can lock the windows, doors and control anything else you need to from the navigation system to the volume control. But those in the back have their own entertainment systems too, along with control over their air conditioning and branded headphones and a remote.
The remote gives the rear passengers control over their entertainment including DVD and video, but it also allows them to fiddle with the audio and pull up the navigation screens. It could be carnage in the hands of the wrong person, but it will solve the constant "are we there yet?" questions given that the passengers, no matter how big or small, can find out exactly where you are at any point.
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