Great news for the boys at Jaguar Land Rover this week as the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers (ASMW) named it as their “Scottish Car of the Year”. The announcement was made at the ASMW annual awards ceremony and will is a fitting tribute to a vehicle which has come on leaps and bounds since its introduction 20 years ago. The Disco 4 beat off fierce opposition from 60 other shortlisted vehicles to nab the award, although there were few complaints over final the decision.
Bill Caven, president of the ASMW, summarised their judgement: “4x4s remain a necessity for motoring north of the border. Being able to boldly go regardless of the weather conditions has ensured the Scots’ love affair with off-roaders remains as strong as ever. Despite its obvious role as a workhorse, the latest generation Land Rover Discovery 4 does not compromise on comfort, refinement or driving dynamics. The best just got better.”
A glowing endorsement indeed, but can it really be that a 4×4 that originally struggled to handle the golf club speed bumps, let alone serious off-road abuse, is now a world beater? It appears so, with nearly every independent (and some not so independent) reviewers tripping over themselves to praise the Discovery’s poise on the road and its performance off it. This has been achieved through a combination of high-tech gadgetry and more traditional mechanical tweaks to the chassis, but it is also worth mentioning the new 3.0 TDV6 HSE power plant that has shaved a whole two seconds off the previous model’s 0-60 time.
Of course this standard of performance and luxury does not come cheap, with 30 grand leaving you short of even the entry level model. Fortunately, by sourcing your Land Rover Discovery parts from a breakers yard like CWS it’s possible to save a significant amount of money during the vehicle’s lifetime. Ask the guys at the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers however, and they will tell you it’s worth every penny.