Land Rover Discovery 2

Land Rover Discovery 2

Following the success of its predecessor, the Discovery 2 made its first appearance in the autumn of 1998, 8 years after the Discovery 1.

It was marketed as having 720 differences to the first vehicle in the Discovery series. While the first of its kind had been designed for function over style, it’s sibling was reworked by Mike Sampson to be slightly less so, although it very much retained the distinctive silhouette of the flagship Discovery.

The US version of the Discovery 2, which debuted in 1999, came in three different trim levels with seven-seat options available.

Chassis & Exterior

In the Discovery 2, The Range Rover body panels that were used in the original design had all been replaced, bar the outer skin on the rear doors. The rear body had also been extended for more load space and, on the SE7 model, all 7 of the seats were now made to be forward facing and big enough for full-size adults.

Pocketed headlamps were used in the new design, as well as new iterations of the turn and brake lamps. The paddle door handles of the Discovery 1 had also received a face-lift, making it clearly distinguishable from the original design.

That being said, the Discovery 2 was still, by and large, built in the image of the 1970 Range Rover. It was very much marketed as a middle-class family car with the capability to off-road when required.

Engineering & Mechanics

For the Discovery 2, the electronically managed 2,495 cc Td5 engine was used in diesel models – the same as the Defender at the time. For petrol models, the Range Rover P38 Thor 4.0-litre V8 was introduced. Later, the 4.6L Rover V8 engine was also used, although not in the UK. In terms of transmission, similarly to the original Discovery, the Discovery 2 was available as either a 4-speed automatic transmission or 5-speed manual transmission.

Some versions of the Discovery 2 also featured ACE – an electronically controlled hydraulic anti-roll bar system. The aim of this system, which uses a pair of accelerometers to detect the angle of body lean and counteract it through applying pressure to the vehicle’s torsion bars with hydraulically controlled actuators, was to reduce cornering roll. This ensured the vehicle was more stable during hard cornering.

Production Run

The Discovery 2 was in production from 1998 until 2004. Throughout that time it underwent some evolution with the introduction of higher performing engines and adaptations to the chassis and exterior.

In the UK, for the final production run, only two models were available to buy. These were the Pursuit and the Landmark. The Landmark being the premium vehicle of the two as it featured all-leather interiors, twin sunroofs, CD player and heated windscreens.

Production ceased at the end of May 2004, prior to the introduction of the newest addition to the Discovery family: the Discovery 3.