Land Rover Discovery D300 2021 UK first drive

Elsewhere, the transmission tunnel is decluttered and wrapped in the soft-but-tough rubberised plastic that Land Rover now favours, and the second-row seats have been resculpted for improved comfort.

Other tweaks extend to new wheel designs (ranging from 19in to 22in), a subtler front grille and seamless LED headlights – although the offset rear numberplate stubbornly remains. R-Dynamic variants also get some more aggressive styling tweaks than the car tested here, though whatever the specification, the Disco remains handsome from some angles but a little ungainly from others.

As for the engines, the petrols are represented by the four-pot P300 and the 3.0-litre mild-hybrid straight-six P360; on the diesel side, the V6 has been replaced by a new mild-hybrid straight six, which is available in D250 or D300 guises. In the D300, as tested here, power has fallen from 302bhp in the old V6 to 296bhp, and torque falls from 516lb ft to 479lb ft, but then so do CO2 emissions – handsomely – and official fuel economy is also up by around 10%.

A 48-volt electric supercharger (to work in conjunction with a conventional twin-scroll turbo) is the extent of the electrification, however. Almost every other Land Rover product is welcoming a plug-in hybrid to the line-up, but the Discovery will go without. Why? Because the large battery pack would raise the boot floor – prohibitively so for the full-size third-row seats, which Land Rover regards as one of the Discovery's USPs in this class.

Plug-in die-hards will miss out, though, because the updated Disco is as likeable as ever, if not more so. Noticeably improved is acoustic isolation, the big diesel now feeling smoother and more distant than the old V6 (this car wants for six cylinders for sure). And while the eight-speed gearbox isn't the most dexterous around, it's never flustered, and overall the driveline is decently deft on the road. You still have to think twice before overtaking, because the thing weighs more than 2300kg, but between the sensible gearbox calibration and the engine's easy-access torque, if probably wouldn't be too much of stretch to call the D300 'brisk'.

The P360 we also tried was quicker, slicker and more refined still, if quite a bit thirstier on paper.   

Particularly with its modernised and roomy interior, the unpretentious Discovery remains, in the true sense of the word, the most versatile car in its class.

In fact, if you're combining scores for off-road and on-road ability, nothing beats it. But even if you are only considering road-going prowess, the Land Rover is far from outclassed by its deliberately more car-like rivals. There's just something very appealing about the Disco's distinctive and unique lux-utility persona, and in many ways it makes its own brother, the new Defender, look like a try-hard. 

It's still not quite as polished as some of the Germans dynamically, and the smooth MHEV diesel still isn’t especially efficient, but those after something authentic and almost endleslly usable should probably start here.