Test drive Land Rover Discovery LR3 2004 - 2009 SUV

Pluralism OFF-ROD

As a rule, in a comparative test they try to reduce cars that are closest in class, technical characteristics and price. It is not always possible to observe complete identity. Sometimes you have to compare the automatic/mechanics or compare the full version with the base. This time we took the completely new Land Rover Discovery of the 3rd generation and well-known Mitsubishi Pajero and Jeep Grand Cherokee. All three diesel ones with automatic transmission.
 

Who is what
Jeep Grand Cherokee
The price of a tested car is $ 53 750
Max. Power 163 l. With. at 4000 rpm/min
Max. speed 190 km/h
Acceleration 0100 km/h 11.2 s
Mitsubishi Pajero
The price of a tested car is $ 52,750
Max. Power 160 liters. With. at 3800 vol./min
Max. speed 170 km/h
Acceleration 0100 km/h 13.8 s
Land Rover Discovery
The price of a tested car is $ 58,000
Max. Power 190 l. With. at 4000 rpm/min
Max. speed 180 km/h
Acceleration 0100 km/h 12.8 s
 
It is interesting that in comparison with most large SUVs, our trinity is distinguished by the lack of a supporting staircase frame. True, if the Grand Cherokee and Pajero bodies are completely bearing, then Discovery, although it has a separate frame, but the suspension elements are partially fixed on the body, which confirms its semi -mocking functions.
 
As for the all-wheel drive, so significant for SUVs, all participants in the test are arranged differently. Paj has a well-established Super Select 4WD transmission, which displays all functions in the 2N-4H-4L-4LOCK sequence. They correspond to the visual, even a younger student, looming before the eyes on the instrument panel. Grand, like his first generation, in the performance that comes to Europe and Russia, is equipped with a similar scheme of off -road switches, but with a start immediately from a 4x4 position. Therefore, he, like disco 3, has a constant all -wheel drive. But the latest generation English car, except for the aforementioned excellent schools, seems to include children with disabilities with disabilities, as well as American housewives, who have no time to understand all sorts of different differentials with locks between Bigmak, supermarket and television. . But in Discovery there is a magic trolley pen with five mysterious iconograms corresponding to the entire range of road surfaces, where fate can catch the driver of a miracle car. The system is called Terran Response (TR). What is really happening in the dischard bowels to us unknown, but smart electronics timely involves this or that algorithm of work, so that you only have to stupidly tighten for gas. Well, 90% of drivers will say thanks for that. And at the same time a convenient lever between the seats will allow you to immediately choose the desired level over the road. Competitors have an invariable suspension of a spring, and not pneumatic clearance.
DYNAMICS
The most unhurried Mitsubishi. But the tongue will not turn to call him slow. The gas increase quite quickly gives it a passing dynamics. At the same time, he growls, however, quite loudly, but peacefully. And you don’t feel the joints between the programs at all. Yes, and at cruising speeds, a hundred light pressure on the pedal causes an almost instant response. But attempts to terminate the Pajero with the opening of a full hole do not lead to tangible results. Still, the car is heavy, stable, one might even say, long-range. And in fact, cruiser! The speed is hopped 120, and you feel a maximum of 90! At first, I even sinned for the accuracy of the speedometer, but the traffic police quickly dispelled my doubts. A considerable mileage for the test allowed to check the fuel consumption. So, on the Pajero highway it easily fits in those 8.8 l/100 km, which is in its technical characteristics. Rare case!
Jeep, of course, a fighter. You gasp and doubt it: is it a diesel car? A little crouching at the start, even leaking on a slippery road, Grand widely shoots from under the driver. The first thoughts: how many liters and strength? It seems not so much. He rinses quietly, the responsiveness is high. Obviously driver option. And you feel the wheels literally as a continuation of your own body. And each of the four contact stains as if with glue is smeared: under the traction, the car simply sticks to the road, regardless of the type of coating. And with the dynamics everything is at the highest level. You go and understand every hour that faster, sort of, is not required. You even think: did the manufacturers with acceleration numbers up to a hundred are helpful? Or just from the diesel engine you expect less. Grand Cherokee is an obvious leader in the accelerated dynamics test.
 
And the same obvious outsider for the dynamics of the brake. Moreover, the range of assessments here is not so great. Grand is not too far behind his wonderful competitors, a hard four. But there are still clicks. Pajero slows down completely adequately, but Discovery even surpasses expectations. A light pressure on the pedal, and invisible, but powerful forces seem to besiege a heavy car, pressing it to the road. But nor nor discomfort in passengers does not have neither nodding. Just an ideal.
 
Acceleration of the Land of Rover is somewhat downs. The first moment after pressing the right pedal, he even wonders what kind of order he gave him a miserable little man who, with a cunning and deceit, made his back behind the control panel of such a modern mechanism. Is the access code introduced? Password? Login? Fingerprints, scanning of the rainbow shell of the eye, request for the central server? .. The check is passed, I allow the start. Go! So, after a few tenths of a second, the reusable discovery goes to the start. The main emotions of the crew is a feeling of remoteness from the outside world and their own security. Everything floating behind the illumin ..., excuse me, outside the window, seems far and insignificant.
 
But in order to find out the true speed of movement in space, you have to bend your head. The seats are installed very highly here, and even at the lowest level of the driver's seat and the middle position of the steering column is thick, the rim pleasant to the touch completely blocks the readings of the devices. The only way to fight this is to lift the column in the corner up. But driving is so inconvenient. It remains to be comforted that honey still a whole barrel remains.
CONTROLLABILITY
I will immediately say claims to all three participants. Similar, but different. And all moderate. The easiest to the English SUV. Around zero on the steering wheel, information content is reduced to zero. And when moving in a straight line, it is difficult to hold the steering wheel in a fixed position. Every now and then it is necessary to catch a straightforward trajectory with small strokes of plus or minus five centimeters. But constantly. It remains to be comforted that this family flaw, like everything English, will turn into dignity over the years. At large corners of rotation, the steering wheel is filled and at least remains light, it very accurately passes on the driver where the car goes. The passage of irregularities once again proves the advantages of pneumatics. Compared to competitors who nervously shaking on hard winter ice, the driver of Land Rover will say: no pits. They are swallowed! And the sounds almost do not fly into the salon either from the street or from under the hood.
 
Mitsubishi has a long and empty steering wheel.
Of course, it is not disgusting to trash in the hands of a leather-dererial bagel. And she is not too play on the straight line. But in sharp turns, you have to often, often sort out with your hands, at randomly tracking the trajectory. The high car itself is clearly falling through the outer front wheel. Okay, it is still empty, but with full load, Pajero, even when the wheels at a small angle is deviated, loses its relationship with the road menacingly. The inclusion of 4x4 positions helps to avoid these undesirable manifestations. But still, you can’t fulfill the rearrangement quickly. But for the rehabilitation of Mitsa, I’ll say that a large SUV is extremely easy to move in close city conditions, fitting into the most incredible cracks and turns. The paradox is explained by the stunning angle of rotation of the front wheels.
 
The Grand of Cheroki compensates for his commendable dynamic agility, alas, with an unstable position in the straight line. No, on a perfectly flat road you can throw a steering wheel and relax. But the unstable balance is insidious. It is worthwhile to appear small irregularities or a small transverse slope, as the jeep easily loses the given direction and asks for immediate adjustment. You can compare sensations, for example, with a movement along a convex pipe of large diameter. A little distracted and fell to one side. The same unstable foreboding is further intensified due to uncomfortable seats. They are almost flat. But when dumping into a turn, they are perceived even as convex. You fidget them, accordingly. On the other hand, Jeep behaves completely in the light. This means quick reactions to the rotation of the steering wheel, the clear performance of the commands, the passage of turns of different steepness strictly according to a given radius. That is, the situation is exactly the opposite of Pajorovskaya in a straight line uncertainly, and in the maneuver is accurate.
Off-Road
Here, practice has fully confirmed the theory. High -speed, half -light Grand does not climb too much in the jungle too. Even in reduced gear, he strives to smile thanks to the good torque and evil pattern of tires. And the smallest mass, coupled with large wheels, does not allow tires to find a solid base under a layer of clay or snow. In the rocky area, the car climbs with wild pleasure, demonstrating magnificent geometric cross -country ability.
 
But Pajero has Troyak geometry. The rear overhang on the five -door is great by nature. And the short front is seriously weighted with a voluminous kangaroenet. So the bulldozer raking of the soil at the bend is provided to you. But if the surface is more or less even, then on Mitsubishi you can safely turn off the asphalt almost anywhere in space. The tracted diesel quietly rumbles, and the car rushes a tank on almost any ground. It does not get stuck and almost does not think. And the light steering wheel does not hit the fingers at all on the most hard bumps. Again, the Japanese and the American turned out to be antipodes.
 
And Discovery is a real king of off -road. He fully justifies the hopes assigned to him. And without that highly standing body can be raised even higher. And having selected the mode with the desired icon, set the car to overcome off -road. Want a wet/slippery road? Please! Switching passes smoother, differentials are free, the suspension is clamped from unnecessary buildup. Put the sand. Let's give it gaska! Does not exceed. It objects to electronics against slipping. But even on the shade of the soil, the locks are not turned on immediately, but only when you begin to truly get stuck. The bridges become tough, alas, only when the speed so necessary for passing the most difficult site drops noticeably. And on Pajero I would have blocked the differentials ahead of time and have passed here at a constant pace. No, not for me, a smart car, secretly making decisions, are more wise than an experienced driver. But, despite the skepticism in relation to the TR system, Land Rover grinds off -road almost without reasoning. Isn't that the main thing for the jeep?
SUMMARY
In this case, talking about winners and losers is not too correct. If only because each of the three has its own bright character, serious advantages and image, developed by years and past generations of the same models. But there are tangible miscalculations in the design, again differently distributed in models. I’ll take a chance to build such a chain: Discovery Pajero Grand Cherokee. But in steps not in a whole score, but half a bell. And it is worth recognizing that Land Rover put up the latest model here, and the model of competitors in the market for more than five years, and soon they were threatened to update.
1. Land Rover Discovery
Leader. Not everything is indisputable, but very worthy. Car of the XXI century
2. Mitsubishi Pajero
The old horse will not spoil the furrow. Even if it goes across.
3.JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE
Yes, the car is frisky. But in terms of the set of qualities it is slightly behind
HOW DO THEY LOOK
Nikita Rozanov

Jeep Grand Cherokee. The first screening of 1992. The new version of 1998. Design Director Trevor M. Creed

Mitsubishi Pajero. The first show of 1981. The new version of 1999. Olivier Boulay Design

Land Rover Discovery. The first show of 1989. The new version of 2004, the design director of Jeoff Upex
OUTSIDE:
Six -year age in modern automotive design is critical. As a rule, neither cosmetics, nor all sorts of suspenders and Face Lifting are saved after. It is for so many years to the American SUV, and his style clearly loses: in dry Discovery and with a slight advantage in the Pajero account. Moreover, the style and architecture of the American in comparison with two other participants in the lightweight test is infantile. Take at least a Japanese with pumped muscles or a square-to-cell style of a British, exuding a mighty male force. The recognition of the whole three from the face to five stars, and it is simply impossible to confuse someone with someone. The exclusion of Rover, which, due to the pronounced corporate content of the design, can be mistaken for the older brother of Range Rover, but only at night and in the fog. Due to the original hunchbacked roof, Discovery silhouette can no longer be confused even with relatives, and the other two participants in the dough are expressive, but in their own way. Grand Passenia, emphasized by dominant horizontals along the bottom of the body and impractically large for the station wagon with a tilt of the posterior wall of the body. Pajero is a kind of defect of the window sill line, which only emphasizes the brutality of the relief of the wheeled arches and the utility of the suspensions. But if you look closely, an off -road specialization is not only in this. There are a powerful relief of the arches of the wheels and the plastic protection of the body sidewalls. But all these details are painted in the color of the body, and this is a good warning for hot heads from extremely: attention decoration (though well made). The most characteristic view of the English SUV. The asymmetric glass of the fifth door enhances the utilitarianism of both the style and the car as a whole. The rest of the participants in this nomination can only sigh and recall the year of their birth.
INSIDE:
Show me what you have outside, and I will say that inside you are said directly about this three. Very organic design. Naturally, in this situation, the most passenger style and the corresponding image of the interior of an American SUV. Even at a detailed examination, it begins to seem quite faceless, but this manifests itself only in comparison, for example, with such a bright car as Discovery. Here, every detail declares its originality, but within the framework of the stylistic key, which is not even nearby, but far from outside. As a result, it begins to seem that the door upholstery and expressive face was drawn by one hand. Perhaps this is so. All this can not be said about Pajero, where the central console flockes and suppresses all its surroundings like an elaborate modern monument in the middle of the historical city center. But this is fashionable and even stylish. The rudders are heavy, as well as the cars themselves, but if the steering wheel from Pajero (with a previously removed emblem) can be represented installed on any car, then the Discovery steering wheel can only be in Discovery.
SUMMARY:
The fact that the style of these cars is created for those who live outside the city, I hope, is understandable, and even with us begin to get used to it. True, Grand fits well in the city lifestyle. The view of the Pajero and Discovery grass and discovery shreds that are unwilling with fat mud causes me a simple human bewilderment. Although, if you set the goal, then the dirt at this time of the year can be found in the city ...
DID NOT LIKE
Jeep

The problem is that after each locking of the machine, mirrors and chairs are returned to the position specified by memory. An imposed service!
Mitsubishi

I scold the option of the protective pipes brought to the bumper significantly reduce the angle of the congress
Land Rover

The upper part of the steering rim completely overlaps the tidy even with the lowest location of the driver's chair. And to lift the column to the top is uncomfortable
 
LIKED
 
Jeep

Still, great invented! On American machines, the trunk lid glass is separately rises up. Clothes can be raised without aiming
Mitsubishi

On the display, according to the old Mitsubishev tradition, they display indicators of the altimeter and compass. Along with air temperature and radio station frequency
Land Rover

The wonderful idea of \u200b\u200bthe swing upper and rear wings cut along the curve! Come close and stand under the roof
 
Text Vladimir Smirnov photo Alexander Nozdrin
 

A source: Cars