Land Rover Discovery 2.0 Si4 SE 2018 first drive

The Land Rover Discovery Si4, a four-cylinder petrol variant of the seven-seat luxury SUV, has been added to the range at a useful time to capitalise on the continuing slump in popularity of diesel engines. 

The question is: can this turbocharged 2.0-litre inline four with 296bhp and 295lb ft really be a match for the kind of oil-burning unit that is traditionally found under the bonnet of practical-but-posh workhorses such as the Solihull-built Discovery?

The engine, part of Jaguar Land Rover’s Ingenium ‘AJ200’ family constructed at the engine manufacturing centre in Wolverhampton, has previously been added to the line-ups of the Land Rover Discovery Sport, Range Rover Velar and Evoque.

On the Discovery Si4, it is mated to the eight-speed ZF automatic transmission and four-wheel drive system that are ubiquitous across the fifth-generation Discovery’s range, which you can read more about in our full road test here.

Our test car came in SE trim, one up from the entry-level S specification, but it was still as well appointed as you’d hope a £50,000 SUV might be. Kit highlights include a 10.0in touchscreen infotainment system, air suspension, heated front seats, LED headlights, a 250W, 10-speaker sound system and leather front seats. 

Options on our test car were limited to privacy glass (£400), a rear-view camera (£375) and 360deg parking assist (£280). The latter two proved useful for backing the Discovery into dauntingly tight multi-storey parking bays.

More accomplished than it might appear on paper. The petrol unit does a fairly spirited job of pulling this two-tonne 4x4 on motorways, A-roads, B-roads and around town. At cruising speeds, engine noise is muted and, allied with the general hush present within the  cabin, there’s a veneer of refinement you don’t get from diesel derivatives. In that respect, this new engine complements the 4x4’s laidback vibe rather well. 

Land Rover claims 7.3sec for the 0-60mph sprint and there’s certainly decent enough urge from low in the rev range, although under load the unit seems to work harder to maintain your momentum than a more flexible diesel might. If you call on additional power, the eight-speed automatic transmission is kept quite busy shuffling up and down through its ratios.

Read about the Land Rover Discovery TD6 HSE on our test fleet