Land Rover Reviews

Though it's generally used only as a suburban runabout, the Land Rover Freelander is capable of tackling bush, beaches and desert conditions that would strand, or even break, others in its class.

The new Mercedes S-Class has some very big shoes to fill because the old one was just so good. It's also got to beat it's traditional rivals like the Audi A8 and Range Rover.

Recycling clothes may be an inexpensive way to dress, but putting a new, more attractive body on an older frame rarely means a discount. Just ask Land Rover.

Land Rover Discovery and Jeep Grand Cherokee go head-to-head in this comparative review. .star {width:135px;}#article-corpus {width:100%; padding-right: 0;}

History will probably judge the new Range Rover Sport as a pivotal vehicle in Land Rover's 65 year career.

There’s barn-storming and then there’s barn-flattening. The supercharged V8 in the Range Rover Sport could achieve both.

Like a hawaiian pizza, the Discovery 4 is the 4WD that is on every potential buyer's menu. The mainstay Disco is as competent as its rugged looks imply yet is perfectly suited to commuting duties and with seven seats, is as tempting as the pizza. Upgrades for 2014 only enhance the flavour and though there's temptation elsewhere, few rivals embrace the versatility and driveway cache of the Disco.VALUEPricing hits the mark with competitors all around the $100,000 point, though a diesel Mercedes sends it north of $120,000. In relative terms, the $95,900 for the upmarket HSE version of the Disco 4 is good value. It offers a spacious seven seats, good fuel economy, lots of features, strong 3500kg tow rating plus awesome off-road ability.Its cousin, the Range Rover, is available with the same engine for $72,000 more. Disco 4 HSE gets a Meridian 11-speaker audio, sat-nav, selectable driving mode, leather upholstery and air suspension. The test car cost $105,520, adding the Black Design Pack with 20-inch wheels, premium black paint and a digital audio. Resale is a very strong 63 per cent and though there's no capped-price service program, servicing is once a year.DESIGNIt's always been a box and that's one of its strongest features - this is a Tardis when it comes to maximising cabin room. There's a new dash for 2014 with a smaller panel for the five-mode terrain control which is now moved up the console stack, making more room for personal item storage. The fat window ledge begs for the driver's elbow - don't with the window down, it's illegal - but window switch placement up here is handy.Horizontal split tailgate is brilliant - a picnic seat when the bottom half is lowered, a tailgate upper for loading shopping and open everything for a spacious 1192 litres of load room. But third-row seats, though comfortable and roomy enough for adults, are decidedly complex and fiddly to erect and retract compared with other seven-seat wagons.TECHNOLOGYThe eight-speed automatic helps the 183kW/600Nm 3-litre bi-turbo V6 diesel to move the bulky 2.5-tonne body. The engine is a clean-up version on the longstanding V6 that is also used in the Range Rover and Jaguar. Bonus bits include the five-mode terrain assist mode that alters engine, transmission and braking to suit driver-selected road conditions. Electronic air suspension allows for ground clearance from 185mm to 310mm and flattens body roll when on the bitumen.SAFETYThere's no crash rating for this car. The previous Disco 3 rated four stars. New model gets eight airbags, rear camera, front and rear park sensors, heated mirrors, bi-xenon headlights and electronic assistance including anti-trailer away, rollover stability, hill descent and hill holder, traction and stability control. The spare is full size.DRIVINGAfter earlier testing the Range Rover equivalent, I was a bit let down by the engine's tendency to hesitate on acceleration and its indecision to quickly find a gear. It's all to do with turbo lag but is annoying, especially given there's two turbochargers.Ride comfort and handling is, however, first rate. The electronic air suspension is complex and not as durable as steel springs, but thee are over-ridden by advantages such as the flat cornering stance, the ability to raise the vehicle for off-road travel, the disregard it has for speed bumps and the cloud-like glide it gives to the ride.The steering ratio is high so needs more turns of the wheel - typical of 4WDs - but the weighting is close to perfect. It's a surprisingly easy car to park. In the dirt it prefers tyre pressures down to about 18psi and the suspension jacked up. Then, together with the low-range transfer case and the ability to select terrain conditions in the Terrain Response program, it is almost unstoppable.VERDICTLove it. Great allrounder with similar ability as the Range Rover but at a huge discount.Land Rover Discovery 4 SDV6 HSEPrice: $95,900 ($105,520 as tested)Warranty: 3 years/100,000km, 3yr roadside assistCapped servicing: NoneService interval: 12mths/26,000kmResale: 63%Safety: 8 airbags, ABS, ESC, EBD, TCCrash rating: noneEngine: 3.0-litre, V6 bi-turbo diesel; 183kW/600NmTransmission: 8-spd auto, 2-spd transfer; constant 4WDThirst: 8.8L/100km; 230g/km CO2Dimensions: 4.8m (L), 2.2m (W), 1.9m (H)Weight: 2495kgSpare: full size

We Aussies love our V8s. The history books say it, the Bathurst fans say it, and now there are more than 500 cash-paid deposits for the GTS from Holden Special Vehicles that prove it.The overwhelming support for the supercharged 6.2-litre Big Dog, and the rest of the HSV pack that's romping to a sellout V8 success of more than 3000 cars in 2013, shows there is still a place for old-school muscle in the modern world.But not at Nissan, where the all-new, petrol V8-powered Patrol is a disaster. Things are so bad that the geriatric superseded model is continuing alongside the newcomer and still finding plenty of friends.Nissan dealers have a backlog of unsold 5.6-litre V8 heavyweights and there is a growing backlash from long-term Patrol fans who cannot see the point in the company's new off-road flagship. It's nicely cushy, but it costs anywhere from $82,690 to $114,490 - a sharp jump from $53,890 to $57,390 for the old one - and there is no diesel engine.It's not just that, as the new Patrol also arrived in Australia more than 18 months late and - because development was focussed on wealthy Middle East buyers with no petrol paranoia - carrying the sort of specification that only works for a very limited number of people who are probably more interested in a Porsche Cayenne or Benz GL.Nissan has only sold 1600 of the new Y62-series Patrols this year and, to put that into perspective, more than 6000 people have driven away smiling in a new Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series in the same period.Nissan even resorted to a $1500 petrol voucher for a while to try and get things moving, but that's only 1000 litres - give or take, mostly take - in today's world, and the hulking Patrol can easily guzzle at 25 litres of unleaded for every 100 kilometres under the treads if you're towing something big or crawling off the blacktop.So it seems V8 engines have become a case of horsepower for courses. They are still fine for HSV fans who want something fun and fast, and also for Mercedes-AMG buyers who want flashy and fast, but not for family-focussed suburban work, or towing and off-roading.Even the latest Range Rover, the current Carsguide champion in the top-end SUV stakes, is most popular with a turbodiesel V8 despite prices that can balloon to $250,000. So, what makes the difference in the world of V8s? "I think there is a performance market still in Australia, and people want great cars," the head of HSV, Phil Harding, tells Carsguide. "I think there is still a passion in Australia for V8 performance, and sporting saloons that deliver excitement. We're fulfilling a need and a demand."

The 2014 Range Rover Sport range is:

You may find this difficult to believe but the Land Rover Defender has quite a bit in common with the Porsche 911. Land Rover and the Porsche 356 each started life in 1948. Fast forward to 2013 and the latest Land Rover Defender and the Porsche 911 are immediately identifiable from the shapes of those 65 year-old