Land Rover Discovery 4
Land Rover Discovery 4
The Land Rover Discovery 4 was first introduced in the summer of 2009 and came to market in the UK in September of the same year. Available as a 5 door estate, the new design was created by Gerry McGovern and made in the image of the three preceding vehicles of the Discovery series.
Similar to the Discovery 3, the Discovery 4 was called the LR4 in North America and the Middle East for marketing purposes. The majority of changes in this new vehicle were most definitely mechanical, with some changes to appearance and exterior design.
Exterior & Chassis
The body construction of the Discovery 4 was exactly the same as its predecessor and used the Integrated Body Frame structure. In terms of the exterior, the newest addition to the Discovery family featured a restyled bumper and front grille, both of which were later used in the design of the 2010 Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. LED lights were also incorporated into the new vehicle, featuring in both front and rear lamp unity.
Mechanics & Engineering
Previous concerns to the reliability of the Discovery saw the newest iteration undergo a number of mechanical changes. This included improvements to the engine, gearbox, brakes and suspension.
Two of the engines available for the Discovery 4 were received from the Jaguar Land Rover Gen III range. The 3.0-litre TDV6 Gen III was an evolution of the same 2.7-litre engine that was used in the previous Discovery 3. For the diesel engines, fuel economy was improved along with better power and torque. Outside of the UK, a 5-litre unit of the Gen III version of the V8 petrol engine was also available. Further to this, the new engines featured an alternator designed to only charge the battery when the engine load was low. The result of this technology was reduced fuel consumption during periods where the engine is under more stress.
Initially, an upgraded version of the ZF six-speed automatic/sequential gearbox was used in the Discovery 4. However 3 years after its first unveiling, in 2012, further improvements were made to it, including a shift to 8 speeds.
More powerful brakes were also used in the Discovery 4, as well as thicker anti-roll bars. A Stability Control System was also incorporated, which was designed to automatically apply the brakes upon detecting the onset of under steer.
As well as this, the Terrain Response system from the Discovery 3 remained in operation, but with more features. This included traction control in ‘Sand’ mode and a mechanism in ‘Rock Crawl’ mode which applied gentle brake pressure while the vehicle was moving at low speeds to improve grip and stability. A new system also known as Trailer Stability Assist was also introduced for this new model, which had the capacity to adjust the throttle and brakes to prevent a dangerously swaying trailer.
Interior & Technology
The interior of the Discovery 4 also received more than a few upgrades to make it more luxurious and contemporary. These design changes were very much in line with new styles across the Land Rover range, and included key upgrades to the instrument cluster as well as the upholstery and colour options.
Updates to the interior included a redesign of both the analogue speedometer and tachometer gauge and the introduction of a single TFT screen which displayed a range of information including temperature and fuel gauges.
As well as this, the Discovery 4 also boasted a plush new seat design, with the interior being available in a larger range of materials. Overall, the intention in the redesign was to elevate the vehicle to a more upmarket position to better target both the luxury and executive markets.
The Discovery 4 also featured a few new electronic systems lent from the Range Rover lineup. This included a Surround Camera System which transmitted images from cameras located on the front bumper, door, mirrors and rear tailgate handle to the centre console screen.
Evolution Of The Discovery 4
The Discovery 4 enjoyed one of the longest runs of the Discovery series vehicles. During this time, a number of changes and improvements were made to the vehicle. As well as this, commercial van variants were also released in both the UK and the Republic of Ireland between 2009 and 2010.
The 2011 Discovery 4 model was announced in late 2010. For this, the 2.7-litre engine was replaced with the TDV6 and the SDV6. For 2012 diesel models in Europe, an 8-speed automatic gearbox was included, with the vehicle also featuring steering wheel paddle controls and a circular dial selector.
In 2012, a special edition Discovery 4 was developed named the HSE Luxury. This vehicle was available in Europe and North America and featured enhanced trim levels.
The 2013 models gained a fresh new look with new badging and improvements to technology and safety features. Om 2-14, to celebrate 25 years of the Discovery series, a special edition of the Discovery 4 was released on a limited production run. These new XXV vehicles featured unique details to make them distinguishable from other models, these included Cirrus Windsor leather seats embossed with ‘XXV’, special grill sets and pretty much all of the extras and expansion packs available.
