Overview

The Land Rover Discovery is a mid-size SUV built by the British car manufacturer Land Rover, a division of Tata Motors. The Land Rover Discovery is built from 1989 and in 2009 it had reached its fourth generation.

Second generation of the Land Rover Discovery, also called Discovery Series II, was manufactured from 1998 until 2004; on the U.S. market Land Rover introduced the Discovery Series II in 2000 model year. Compared to its predecessor, the Series I Discovery, the Discovery Series II had been modified with 720 'differences'. The interior was restyled to a less utilitarian, but it was still similar to the Series I. On the outside every body panel, except for the rear door panel, were redesigned. The rear part of the car was extended to improve load space; the increase had a negative impact in vehichle;s off-road capabilities.

Variants

Land Rover offered the Discovery Series II with three engines, a 2.5 liter straight five diesel, a 4.0 liter V8 petrol and a 4.6 liter V8 petrol. On the U.S. market only the petrol engines were offered.

From 1998 to 2002, the 4.0 liter V8 offered in both Europe and North America, developed some 188 hp @ 4750 rpm and a maximum torque of 250 lb/ft @ 2600 rpm. The engine was mated to a five speed manual as standard or a four speed automatic as optional (the 4AT was the only option for the U.S. sold models). In terms of performances the Discovery II 4.0 could get from zero to 60 mph in 11.2 sec / 12.3 sec (5MT / 4AT), cover a quarter of a mile in 17.7 sec / 17.6 sec (5MT / 4AT) and get to a top speed of 108 mph (5MT & 4AT). As for the fuel consumption, on average the Discovery II 4.0 returned 14.2 mpg / 13.7 mpg (5MT / 4AT).

From 2002 to 2004 the 4.6 liter V8 was offered only for U.S. market, replacing the 4.0 liter V8. The larger engine developed 217 hp @ 4750 rpm and maximum of 300 lb/ft @ 2600 rpm. The engine was offered only with a four speed automatic. Land Rover Discovery Series II 4.6 could do a not to 60 mph time of 9.6 seconds, a standing quarter mile time of 16.6 seconds and a top speed of 114 mph. The larger engine increased the fuel consumption to an average of 12.6 mpg.

The only diesel engine, the 2.5 liter inline five, was offered only on the European market. The engine made 137 hp @ 4200 rpm and maximum torque of 221 lb/ft @ 1950 rpm. Te diesel Land Rover Discovery Series II was offered with a standard five speed manual or with a four speed automatic as an option. In terms of performance, the Discovery diesel was capable of getting to 60 mph in 14.7 sec / 16.4 sec (5MT / 4AT), covering a quarter of a mile in 19.3 sec / 19.6 sec (5MT / 4AT) and getting to a top speed 98 mph (5MT & 4AT). The fuel economy of the Land Rover Discovery Series II 2.5 Td5 diesel was reasonable, returning a average of 23.1 mpg / 24 mpg (5MT / 4AT).

The dimensions of the Discovery Series II were 185.2 inch (4,704 mm) in length, 74.4 in (1,890 mm) in width and 76.4 in (1,941 mm) in height. The wheelbase of the car measured 100.0 inch (2,540 mm), front track was a bit narrower than the rear track, measuring 60.6 inch (1,539 mm), and 61.4 inch (1,559 mm) respectively, the ground clearance was 8.2 inch (208 mm); the angle of approach was 31 degrees and the angle of departure was 25 degrees. On the inside the Discovery Series II offered 40.4 inch of front head room, 42.3 inch of front leg room, 58.3 inch of front shoulder room, 40.1 inch of rear head room, 37.3 inch of rear leg room, 57.3 inch of rear shoulder room.

Land Rover offered the second generation of the Discovery on the U.S. market with features like: 8 -way power driver seat, 6 -way power passenger seat, height adjustable driver seat, cruise control, universal remote transmitter (for garage door, security system, etc.), cruise controls on steering wheel, dual zone climate controls - driver and passenger, leather steering wheel, electrochromatic inside rearview mirror, compass, and 6 total speakers AM/FM stereo

Secong generation of the Land Rover Discovery was crash tested by the NHTSA and received four out of a maximum of five stars for protecting the front passenger and driver in case of a frontal collision, and only two stars in the rollover test. The car was also crash tested by the IIHS and received their second best score of "Acceptable" in the frontal offset test. The safety features on the Discovery were: dual frontal airbags, 4-wheel abs, rear center 3-point belt, front seatbelt pretensioners, traction control, and electronic brakeforce distribution.

Additional Information

A small number of Discovery II Commercial models were produced by Land Rover Special Vehicles, this time based on the five-door bodyshell but with the windows rendered opaque to give van-like appearance and security.