Amazing though it seems, the Land Rover Discovery will soon celebrate its 35th anniversary. Those very first three-door models were launched in 1989 - good luck finding one of those today - and the fifth generation still ranks as one of the best family SUVs out there. Perhaps the Disco isn’t thought of as a Land Rover icon (or not to the same extent as the Defender or the Range Rover, at any rate) but it has established quite a legacy for itself regardless. Especially as its maker veers towards a more 'lifestyle' approach as electrification looms...
Like every long-standing nameplate out there, fans will have their favourite Discovery era. Except unlike those others, there’s sort of one clear favourite for everybody who cares about Discos: the 4. Improved in every regard compared to the 3, and more effortlessly stylish than the 5 which followed it, the 2009-2016 Discovery has carved out a nice little niche for itself as The One To Have.
This looks like being one of the very best. Because the Discovery was so well suited to pretty much any task it faced, from motorway mile munching to mud plugging and seven-up family trips to school runs, they were used - and used pretty hard. Yet here’s a 2016 SDV6, one of the last versions of the more powerful diesel made (on a 66-plate, no less), with just 22,000 miles. That really doesn’t happen very often. Adding miles to a Disco will never be a cheap endeavour, but such is its all-round aptitude that many deem it a price worth paying.
This particular Disco 4 is also a Landmark model, a run-out edition loaded up with equipment and offered at a discounted price. Perhaps hard to justify when these sorts of things are new (because it’s still a lot of money for an old car) it becomes more appealing a few years down the line for used buyers. To top-of-the-range HSE Luxury spec (and for £4,000 less), the Landmark added black accents, extended leather and shiny silver roof rails of all things. It wasn’t a ritzy special edition, which wouldn’t have been right anyway. Cool, classy and understated was always the Disco 4 way.
Still is today, this one gleaming in Waitomo Grey and looking every inch the cherished, low-mileage Land Rover. Bought as an approved used car earlier this year by just its second owner, the Discovery has had Land Rover servicing all its life and a factory warranty that runs until January 2024. A cambelt was done with the MOT just last month, with some Land Rover accessories added in 2023 also.
It’s hard to imagine many, if any, Disco 4s remaining like this one: last of the line, barely 3k a year, and presented just about flawlessly. Perhaps Discovery die-hards aren't clamouring for such a recent model just yet, but the reputation and enthusiasm for this era of Land Rover is only likely to head in one direction. It’s being sold to fund a commercial vehicle purchase, and is for sale at £37k. The most you’ll pay for a Disco 4 then, but with good reason.
SPECIFICATION | LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SDV6 LANDMARK
Engine: 2,993cc, V6 diesel
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 256@4,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 443@2,000rpm
MPG: 36.7
CO2: 203g/km
Recorded mileage: 21,600
Year registered: 2016
Price new: £55,995
Yours for: £37,000
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