Test drive Land Rover Discovery LR3 2004 - 2009 SUV

The present and century past?

Do you remember who first divided the all -terrain vehicles into real and parquet? And who enriched the Russian language with the word jeep? Today, cars are changing too fast - language and terminology do not keep up with them.
A real alternate is now not Willis or UAZ, but, of course, a solid car with a frame, dependent pendants in front and back, a spacious body and, perhaps, a diesel engine. Such as Nissan Patrol Gr/›Nissan Patrol.
But now other solutions have become popular: a constant all -wheel drive, an independent suspension of all wheels, pneumatic racks for changing road clearance, carrying a body and a transformable interior. The Volkswagen Tuareg and the Lend Rover Discovery 3 went along this path, although the latter did not abandon a separate frame. Is the time of classic all -terrain vehicles expired?
 
Nissan Patrol - Historical Heritage
The car recently changed its appearance again, but its essence remained the same. The driver of the patrol will not have to turn to electronic devices - the front bridge and a reduced gear are included in an additional lever on the transmission tunnel. Even the automatic couplings of the front wheels have the position of forced blocking - any automation can freeze, break and do not work for a dozen reasons, and in any case you will not be left without all -wheel drive.
The rear bridge is also a mechanical blocking - no high -friction differentials capable of only road exploits. By definition, it is needed on long -busy all -terrain vehicles prone to diagonal hanging. However, it is not so simple to hang the Nissan Patrol Gr/›Patrol - the disconnected stabilizer of the peretial stability gives an additional degree of freedom to the rear bridge, but only up to 20 km/h - until it affects handling.
Winter Moscow streets are cleared, but in the yards there is snow and ice ruts are rolled. We exit to the street with a lively movement on the rear drive - with a rigidly connected front, a turn is poorly given at a right angle on a solid coating. The gap between the machines in the stream is large, but not enough to hesitate.
The rear wheels break into a slip, but instead of a brisk start, the Nissan Patrol Gr/›The patrol lazily crawls out onto the road. It’s too late to refuse the maneuver - I mentally apologize to those who were forced to slow down. Next time we will start on all -wheel drive. By the way, the dilemma is full or rear again on the highway, when between the rolled stripes of the asphalt you will have to overcome a high parapet of snow, going to overtaking.
Despite the solid size, the Nissan Patrol Gr/›Nissan Patrol is confident in the city streets: the radius of the turn is small, and the impressive rectangular hood gives the driver a clear idea of \u200b\u200bthe dimensions. The review back is worse - the wiper is only on one door leaf, and the sector cleared by it is small.
The impressive dimensions of the patrol do not guarantee the room at the workplace. A large and broad -shouldered driver will fit here without much comfort. The seat is not stopped, but the shoulder is rested on the body rack - this is what a person’s planting looks like 195 cm tall and weighing 130 kg. The driver 185/100 is better, although he complains of crowding. Only the standard 176/72 is placed without comments. No wonder - the body was developed almost ten years ago.
With a solid weight, the Nissan Patrol Gr/›Nissan Patrol is able to overly accelerate. But there is no point in promoting the engine above 4000 rpm, acceleration weakens long before this line. It is difficult to make a mistake with the choice of transmission - the lever has a large move and a clear inclusion, however, quickly switching is not so easy. On the icy road, Nissan in the rear -wheel drive version easily breaks down in the skid with a sharp supply of gas. But thanks to a long base and large mass, the process develops slowly, and it is easy to extinguish it at the very beginning. With the connected front -ends, the Nissan Patrol GR/›Patrol acquires the stability of the locomotive and its slowness - standard behavior for a car without a center differential.
A lot was said about the phenomenal energy intensity of Nissan's pendants. At the same time, the car does not seem tough, although for the most severe road waves there is enough share of its abilities. However, there is no getting away from the sensation of unsharged masses, and the concussion of bridges on gross potholes is felt literally in the body. Fortunately, these fluctuations do not reach the hands of the driver - they are extinguished by a hydraulic wrap and a damper in the steering.
The road covered with a 40-centimeter layer of snow, on which no one traveled since autumn, is waiting for us to evaluate the cross-country cross-country. It is not possible to overcome the virgin lands in the first reduced gear - we dig in. The second thing goes better if you maintain engine speed between 2500 and 3500. It is worth eliminating the momentum, like a diesel with a manual gearbox, forcing to retreat and break through the road again. More loose snow allows you to switch to the third gear and move noticeably faster. In the deepest places we block the rear differential and again we beat the track - to push the impressive shaft of snow in front of us to the car beyond the power. In such conditions, the bumper acts as a kind of indicator - if the snow lies above the license plate, it is impossible to overcome it in any mode.
An attempt to drive from acceleration - and ... the car firmly sits down, stubbornly leaking in three wheels (there is no lock in the front bridge). But there were no problems with pulling out - a beautiful towing eye, a powerful hook in front of the bumper in front of the bumper.
 
Volkswagen Touareg - Technology Cheal
First of all, the body is in the upper position - and under the car. Really 300 mm road clearance? What did Stanislavsky say (though on a different reason) there? The result is interesting - in the center of the car under a concave shield that protects the motor compartment from dirt, is really 300 mm, but under the spaces of 275. The secret is simple - according to German standards, the road clearance is measured on the arc connecting the wheels and the lower part of the machine. We count any detail located from the wheel further than 100 mm, so we will consider 275 mm officials. However, it's great! The corners of the entrance and the congress are also considerable.
Strictly speaking, Volkswagen Tuareg with ordinary and air suspension - two completely different cars. The latter knows how to regulate the road clearance, maintain the body level, regardless of the load, and also change the damping of shock absorbers (sport/comfort/auto position). The differences in the settings are easily noticeable: in a comfortable car does not pay attention to small irregularities, but with noticeable delay reacts to the steering wheel. Sports - make Tuareg copy the profile of the road, but add responsiveness. However, the most important thing is the possibility of adjusting the road clearance within 140 mm (+85 mm/ -55 mm). This gives a good increase in cross -country ability and even a maximum winning - a car with a pneumatic suspension faster than its spring counterpart with the same engine at 5 km/h - due to squat at high speed.
For this test, we wanted to get a 2.5-liter diesel machine with air suspension, but we could not get one. When choosing an air suspension or diesel? The suspension appeared more interesting. Formally diesel tuareg is the most affordable, but the cost of additional equipment for such a machine is higher than for gasoline. So, the most expensive position - a pneumatic suspension with regulation of a road clearance - for a diesel car costs $ 3530 versus $ 3240 for gasoline. It is no coincidence that the gasoline V6 became a favorite with customers.
The interior of Tuareg in German is strict and impeccably functional. The range of seats adjusting the owners of the most impressive figures, and at the same time the designers did not sacrifice the expanse in the back seat. True, unlike its competitors, Volkswagen does not offer a seven -seater option.
Transferring the wheel of a Tuareg from a low -profile, you feel its solidity in every movement, but against the background of rivals, it seems quite passenger, despite 2.3 tons of equipped mass. After all, rivals exceeded 2.5 tons!
Volkswagen did not upset on a slippery highway. With exercises for controllability, the built -in ESP did not allow the development of drift, successfully tucked us into the turn with selective hinging of the wheels. However, with the electronics disconnected, it is quite possible to frolic. It is only worth remembering that lateral sliding is not at all alien to a solid car.
Time to raise the virgin lands came for the Tuareg - we select a reduced gear with the locking of the center differential, the suspension - to the Off Road position. Now under the protection of a motor compartment 255 mm.
In the same conditions with rivals, Tuareg is very moving forward well, only occasionally demanding to return in order to overcome the area of \u200b\u200bdeeper snow from acceleration. We act carefully - there are no problems, but if you accelerate more, then Tuareg cannot return in its own turn. But grab the cable and the shovel is still early - we transfer the suspension to the upper position and are released without outside help.
A machine gun with manual mode in the snow for the benefit - you can accurately choose the movement mode depending on the resistance. Forced to move in a pre -selected program, Nissan Patrol Gr/›The patrol does not keep up with.
 
Land Rover Discovery 3 - Down with the tradition!
The design for a long time was built on the same chassis as the first -generation ranger - a massive frame, the V8 engine leading the genealogy from the Buik, a dependent suspension and a wheelbase of 100 inches. The English school of all -terrain vehicles had its own canons - blocking only an intended differential and huge drives of wheels. It will not be a big exaggeration to say that the first discovers could cross the axes at almost 45 degrees. True, on the highway they demonstrated by no means brilliant manners.
Today, the owner of the Lend Rover - Ford, and the current discovery was likened by the design of the large all -terrain vehicles Explorer and forwarding - he has a separate frame with an independent wheel suspension. More than $ 1 billion was spent on the development of the third discovery. The task was set not only to transfer the Landrupe style to the new platform, but also to prepare the base for new developments of the company.
The appearance of discovery 3 is strikingly contrasting with most classmates: large flat surfaces, strict lines and faces - the style of techno in their best manifestation. Its advantage is durability: even in a dozen years, the car will remain original and memorable. At the same time, all the branded elements of the land-rover, including the step line of the roof, are saved.
There was more logic inside, but the Lend Rover is also recognizable. Commander landing, chubby (even excessively) bagel, many shelves and pockets on the front panel. The driver's seat does not have the largest adjustment in length, but huge in height - even with modest growth, you can support the ceiling with your head. The seat pillow is too horizontal - you slide from it with a high landing. But the review is magnificent.
On the go, the discovery attracts not only good, despite the mass, dynamics, but also an unexpectedly quiet engine. You can guess that under the hood, you can only when it is launched or outside the car (on the nameplate). The motor, combined with a six -speed automatic, perfectly copes with both a lively urban movement, and with overtaking on the highway. The electronic DSC stabilization system helps to maintain exchange rate stability. To pass the turns in the drift, it can be turned off, but this does not give full control over the traction.
In general, comfort is a keyword in the characteristic of a disc. The car was not built on the fun of driver's vanity, but to move from one point to another. What if we lay this path not along the asphalt?
In high mood, the road clearance of disc 30 mm under the exhaust system near the rear wheels is limited. A full -sized spare wheel hangs low, but under the front axle an impressive 270 mm. In the middle position of the suspension, the road clearance of a land -rover is only 185 mm - not densely!
Snow virgin lands are given to discovery with difficulty - he is quite capable of moving along the river laid by rivals, but to lay his own - an overwhelming task. An attempt to break into the leading leaders is also doomed to failure. Back into the rut - only on the cable. By the way, attaching it is not easy - towing eyelets are hidden under plastic lids with rotating latches. You can unscrew them with a screwdriver or coin, but in the cold two latches we broke
The highlight of the full -wheel drive transmission of the discount is in the Terrene -Rapon system: it automatically adjusts the work of the transmission for different conditions: asphalt, snow/ice, dirt, sand, crossed terrain. By the way, what to include in Snezhnoye virgin lands on the knee, will you guess? Sandy regime! It is he who better than others allows you to move with a controlled slip. At the same time, a warning and a wish will appear on the dashboard to use the corresponding level of suspension, straight or lowered (2.93!) Transmission. Do you still think that this is easier than two levers and a pair of buttons?
Saturation with electronics is welcome, but so far glitches are clearly found in the software of the machine. In our copy, the automatic wiper brushes did not want to turn off until the car is completely stopped, and the skidding in the snow lit a malfunctioning of the engine, which, however, went out after an hour
A separate story requires a discharge salon - the transformation capabilities are so diverse that even a simple transfer will take up too much space. In short - seats not only of the third, but also the second row are fully or individually folded, forming a flat floor. The complaints are more likely to be associated with the circus of the seats and the small height of the pillows. They are difficult to explain, since the size of the salon and doorways do not impose restrictions. There is even a place for a luggage shelf twisting into a roll.
 
BOTTOM UP
So, the Lend Rover finally became an aristocrat, the Nissan Patrol Gr/›Nissan patrol in deep snow lost to the Volkswagen-Twege What to do a real jeeper-to shoot? Buy UAZ Patriot? No, life is not finished until iron bumpers with winches, spacers, high springs, long shock absorbers and toothy thirty -third wheels disappeared. Guess who this outfit is suitable from the trinity?
 
Nissan Patrol
The sixth generation of the car has been produced since 1999. The last modernization is in 2004.
Engines: gasoline 4.8 l (245 hp), turbodiesel 3.0 l (160 hp)
Gearboxes:
5-speed automatic for a gasoline engine, 4-speed automatic and 5-speed mechanical for diesel.
Complete: Luxury and Elegance.
Price: $ 50 300-63 500.

SUMMARY
Nissan Patrol is an unsurpassed car for heavy roads and not the worst trucker. But still look at the car with an automaton
+ Proven design, spacious interior, large trunk, high cross -country ability, protected units, large energy intensity and suspension moves, rich standard equipment.
- limited smoothness, connected all -wheel drive, non -optimal characteristic of the engine, poor review back, lack of working configuration in the Russian market.
 
Volkswagen Touareg
It has been produced since 2002.
Engines: gasoline 3.2-6.0 liters (241-450 hp), turbodieseli 2.5-5.0 l (174-313 hp).
Gearboxes: 6-speed mechanical (for 3.2 l and 2.5D), in other cases, 6-speed automatic.
Set of configuration: individual choice.
Price: from $ 47,000.

SUMMARY
Volkswagen Touareg - all hands master. Good in the city, on the highway and does not graze on the off -road. I wonder how reliable it is?
+ Excellent behavior on the road, adjustable smoothness and clearance, individual equipment, excellent work of a six -speed machine, high cross -country ability in snow and rut.
- extremely expensive additional equipment, there is no full -sized spare wheel, limited possibilities for transformation of the salon, modest basic equipment.

Land Rover Discovery 3
The Discovery model appeared in 1989, since 1998 they released the second generation, the third debuted in the spring of 2004 in New York.
Engines: gasoline 4.4 liters (295 hp), turbodiesel 2.7 liters (190 hp).
Gearboxes: 6-speed mechanical (only with diesel) or 6-speed automatic.
Set options: S (only for diesel), SE and HSE.
Price: $ 52 900- $ 71 900.

SUMMARY
Land Rover Discovery 3 - Legends are handed over to the library. But the style will definitely live up until all -terrain vehicles in Europe are completely banned
+ High smoothness, spacious transformable interior, low noise, memorable appearance, powerful, painful diesel, good visibility.
- weak reactive effect on the steering wheel, uninformative pedals, insufficient road clearance, significant rolls in the bend, swing on irregularities, complex transmission control.
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Anatoly Fomin
Photo: Konstantin Yakubov
 

Source: The magazine "Driving"