For a successful return, Land Rover New Discovery.
For a successful return, Land Rover New Discovery.
I met Land Rover New Discovery in mid-August when the heat was in full swing. Land Rover has shown rapid growth since 2017 with more than 10,000 units sold for two consecutive years. Of course, it has slowed down for a while due to complaints about customer service, but it is maintaining sales results through its flagship models. This year, Land Rover announced its 4P strategy aimed at the Korean market. And New Discovery plays a key role in the 4P strategy.
The change in appearance in New Discovery is not significant. Instead, the impression became strong. This is due to the use of black grills, extreme air intake and black glossy bumpers exclusively for R-dynamic. The low and long tail lamps carry a dynamic turn signal direction indicator. Your feet wear a new design of 21-inch wheels.
The interior of New Discovery has a nature-friendly color. Overall, soft and comfortable emotions are melted here and there. The thin but hand-wound steering wheel wrapped in chrome around the manipulator and the bottom spoke. There are even elaborate stitches added to the clocking section. The biggest change is the center fascia. The 11.4-inch HD touch display accounts for almost half of the total. This included a PIVI Pro infotainment system jointly developed by Land Rover with LG Electronics. This is an upgraded version of real-time update function by improving existing self-learning capabilities. Thanks to the built-in backup battery, pressing the start button will run within seconds.
Frequent functions can be placed on home screens like smartphones. Another big advantage is that pure navigation is T-map. It is convenient because it does not have to take care of connection lines. Below it is a secret storage space. It’s perfect for putting in simple cosmetics. It’s convenient to open it easily with a button, but it’s a bit too much to store valuables. The transmission is switched to a short lever.
The reality without a ventilation sheet was harsh. Every time jeans clung to my sweaty legs, I thought of them. Ventilation seats can only be found on the HSE top trim among diesel models. The back seat extended the length of the cushion. The legroom is also spacious, allowing adults 188 centimeters tall to ride comfortably. After sliding the sheet backwards and reclining, the optimal posture for a short break is completed. The air balloon, which was on the B pillar, sat in the center console along with the air conditioner and exhaled the cool wind to the center. The third row will be used mainly as a luggage space, but it is focused on the essence of family cars by packing heated seats and car seat fixtures.
The P360 R-Dynamic SE, a test drive model, combines a 48-V mild hybrid system with a 3.0-liter series six-cylinder gasoline turbo engine. It combines 8-speed automatic transmission with maximum output of 360 horsepower and maximum torque of 51.0kg.m. 0→ Acceleration time of 100 kilometers per hour is 6.5 seconds and maximum speed is 209 kilometers per hour. The driving posture that I feel as soon as I get on the seat is a little uncomfortable. If you put your foot on the pedal, it feels like it’s slightly floating in the air. The slope of the seat that touches the thighs cannot be adjusted, so the average female driver of height has a narrow foot area that touches the accelerator pedal. But I like the soft sheet. The interior is quiet as expected while driving. Among the six-cylinder engine models in series, noise and vibration are largely contained. It is good to run leisurely while listening to music flowing out. Early acceleration is not frustrating thanks to the tightening of the first gear ratio. However, the feeling of feeling emotional when the brakes are applied at low speed is something to endure.
The lower body sense is still smooth. Air suspension significantly reduces the impact delivered to the interior when crossing deep bumps or speed bumps on the road surface. In particular, thanks to Adaptive Dynamics technology that detects body movements 500 times per second, it controls excessive roll and leads stable cornering. However, maybe because of the high body and soft suspension, there was a little “roll phenomenon” in high-speed driving, and a reporter who test-drive together complained of motion sickness.
Off-road has a very different personality. With a solid lower body, it easily passes bumpy gravel roads and all rough roads. Even if the force is not evenly distributed to the four wheels, it is quickly balanced and the impact is not great. This is due to the fact that the terrain response system and traction control have played a great role. Even if it encounters a car that comes up, it can safely back up and move away if it uses a 3D surround camera. Although it slipped slightly on steep slopes, downhill control devices and all-terrain progress control provided stability by applying lower body.
Land Rover New Discovery has adopted gasoline turbo and mild hybrid systems to keep up with market trends even later. Of course, the price of the New Discovery P360 gasoline model is 113.4 million won, and there are no variety of options as it is only released as the top single trim in the domestic market. However, it is worth looking forward to the successful return of the star, as it has enhanced merchandise, refined design, and performance that encompasses on and off-road.
