Want a 2022 Land Rover Discovery? Look at these rival SUVs, too

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So, you want a Land Rover Discovery: Me, oh my, I love me an inline six engine. All perfect balance with absolutely no vibration or harshness, they also, when allowed, sing the sweetest exhaust music this side of a V12. It doesn’t matter if it’s BMW — which has stuck with the I6 through thick and thin — a Mercedes (which abandoned the format and only recently rediscovered its inherent perfection) or the new 2021 Discovery which just inherited Land Rover’s latest Ingenium engine, a turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six.

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Making the P360R even more powerful is a 48 volt mild hybrid system, which adds a little torque through the belt-alternator-starter system for a total of 355-hp and 369 pound-feet of torque. Considering that the Disco weighs in at a fairly significant 2,341 kilograms, the P360 does a pretty good job of hustling things along. Officially, Land Rover quotes a 6.5 second zero to 100 kilometres an hour acceleration time, but that doesn’t really do the sensation of effortlessness justice. Perhaps it’s because the engine is so smooth you don’t notice the revs or maybe the mild hybrid’s electric low rpm torque really does help things along. Either way, the Discovery feels powerful beyond its officially sanctioned acceleration specifications.

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Want a 2022 Land Rover Discovery? Look at these rival SUVs, too Back to video

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That same illusion of sportiness applies throughout the Land Rover including its road-holding. Oh, like the engine, if you push the hunky beast, it’ll soon reveal that it’s a two and a half ton SUV with a higher centre of gravity than most. But, until you do, one is cocooned in the chimera that the Landie might handle as well as a Beemer.

That understated elegance is present inside the Discovery as well. Land Rovers tend to be subdued if not downright Spartan in their interior décor and the 2021 Disco is no different. The materials are excellent, but the presentation is whatever is the polar opposite of garish. One thing for certain, despite its reputation for less than stellar reliability, the company really does know how to bolt together an interior.

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Noticeable in that décor is the determined lack of buttonry, more controls than ever ensconced in the 11.4-inch infotainment touchscreen. There’s still a round knob for the Terrain response system, for instance, but the indicator that tells you what mode you’re in — ECO, Road, Gravel, Mud & Snow, etc. — is built into the touchscreen. This latest generation of Pivi Pro — I’ve stopped counting exactly how many times JLR has revised its infotainment system — is not nearly as colourful or avatar heavy as its predecessors. In fact, the main screen is pretty much black and white with very few graphics. Less pleasing to the eye it may be, it’s far more useful.

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If that sounds like a back-handed way of saying “not pleasing,” you’ve missed my intent. It’s actually quite a bit more useful than Land Rover infotainment systems past and, even if I think they’re still trying to crowd too many pixels into one interface, it’s not as difficult to meander through its submenus as past systems.

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One thing I don’t like is that, like Discoverys of late, the 2021 is a three row. And, like I’ve said in my reviews of Discos past, I still don’t get it. The third row of seats is for pygmies, requires almost impossible contortions to access and, when that third row of seats is up, so compromises trunk space that you’d be lucky to fit two Costco-sized boxes of Post Cranberry Almond Crunch back there. Considering how little use the last row of seats is likely to see, it just doesn’t seem worth the effort, but customers must be demanding it; otherwise why would Land Rover go to the trouble.

That said, the 2021 Discovery, especially with this sweet inline six engine, is one fine driving SUV. If you like your SUVs boxy but luxurious, then the P360R Dynamic S is $76,100 well spent.

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You’re in the mood for a German luxury SUV.  The answer for you may be Audi’s Q7 . It’s quite spacious inside — the third row seats are roomier but still best left for limber pre-teens — and the interior, as with all Audis, exquisitely tailored and crafted. The infotainment system is probably higher-tech than Land Rover’s but a tad clunkier to use. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard, as they should be in the price range.

The Q7 is also a bit of a looker, albeit in a completely different vein than the Discovery. Where the latter is always meant to remind you that the deep woods beckons, the Q7 looks very much like a swoopy shooting brake on steroids, all aerodynamically slippery and hunched down on its 20-inch wheels.

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For $69,750, you get a 3.0-litre V6 that delivers 335 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. While only 20-hp down on the Discovery, the Audi’s V6 is not nearly as smooth as Land Rover’s inline version nor as sweet sounding. If that kind of thing matters to you, you always could, if you had $104,750 burning a hole in your pocket, opt for the SQ7 and its 500-hp, 4.0-litre twin turbocharged V8. Pity the poor buggers in that third row of seats!

You want a real plug-in hybrid rather than one of those milquetoast mild jobbies.   Volvo’s XC90 has been Sweden’s flagship for so long that we sometimes forget what a revelation it was way back in 2002. More importantly, XC90 is available as a full plug-in hybrid (for $77,600). And not just a regular PHEV, but one powered by one of the highest tech engines in the biz, a 2.0-litre inline four that is both supercharged and turbocharged. Combine it with two electric motors and the whole shootin’ match is good for 400 horsepower, not only all but equaling the best of the Land Rover turbocharged sixes but offering some 29 kilometres of electric autonomy.

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The Volvo’s third row is a little roomier than the Disco with more legroom and, just as importantly, has slightly better access.  There’s also more cargo space behind the third row of seats. The Volvo is also more obviously opulent inside and is well laid out. That said, the infotainment system can be a trial. For audiophiles, there’s an upgraded Bowers & Wilkins audio system that will really burst your eardrums. All told, the Volvo is an excellent choice for anyone looking for safety and comfort, less so if you’re looking for personality and/or off-road bona fides.

You want a little more character in your Land Rover.  May I suggest you look at JLR’s Defender 110 . Featuring even greater off-road nous, the Defender has a more serious bearing, a more vivid personality if you will. Visually, it’s obviously a throwback to the utilitarian Defenders of yore and you can outfit it with gear — an exterior, side-mounted gear carrier, front and rear scuff plates and my favourite, an intake snorkel, to name but a few of the add-ons — even if you’re not planning on going anywhere more challenging than the yearly time-share in the Kootenays.

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One also gets more power — this version of the 3.0-litre turbocharged and hybridized inline six also gains an electric supercharger — the Defender boasting 395-hp which scoots it to 100 kilometres an hour in just 6.1 seconds. It’s off-road specifications — ground clearance of 291-mm along with a 38-degree approach, 29-degree break-over and 40-degree departure angles — read like a billy goat’s resume. And its interior, though more Spartan again than the Discovery’s is more attractive in its rugged-outdoorsman-shops-at-Saks elegance. Indeed, in my road test, I gave the Defender’s décor the first 10/10 I’ve ever issued for cabin decoration. It’s only flaw is that, like the Disco, it offers a third row of seats in back. And, despite Land Rover’s attempts to accommodate third row passengers — the seats are heated — it’s still best left for toddlers or Brutus, the pet Chihuahua. The Defender’s base price is even a cheaper than the Discovery — the least expensive Disco starts at $68,600 while the Defender 110’s base MSRP is $65,500 — but when you add the higher-spec engine and all its doo-dads (there’s even a V8 model to be had), it can get pretty pricey. Regardless of price, though, the Defender’s main attraction is this: Where the Discovery is competitive with the Volvo and the Q7, the Defender actually gives you a very specific reason to buy a Land Rover.