Test Drive Land Rover Discovery LR4 since 2009 SUV
Fourth generator
Figure 4 flashes on a signboard, although in fact it is Discovery 3 with a very big plus. The interior changed, a new engine was added - the current shareholders of the British company did not become radically changing the most popular English SUV. And for this, they are declared gratitude from all connoisseurs of real automotive design. Beauty in English.
It is difficult to understand why the inhabitants of the country where the first industrial revolution occurred, such a number of SUVs. Asphalt roads, albeit narrow, in one and a half of the band usual to us, stroked the whole of the UK from London to the Northern Scottish Mountains. The former mayor of the capital of the kingdom even tried to declare war with these great and voracious cars, banning them entry into the city. Well, to take with a person, distributing an interview with gay editions of the whole world ...
However, Scotland is not England. There and the money look different, and the industrial revolution since the XVII century in these edges has not yet reached. Defender is the standard car of the local resident. Hundreds of kilometers of low, stones of the hedges, herd of sheep and the ghost of the Highlander Maclaude, wandering through purple from heather Hills, is the entire entourage for the European press premiere of the new Discovery. The idea of \u200b\u200bthe car for risky guys is implemented from the very beginning of the program: many journalists first took up the management of the right-hand drive car in the country with left-sided movement. However, the surroundings of Edinburgh, where the presentation was held, they do not suffer over surprise, there are practically no cars on the streets, and the good organization of the road was removed by the new Discovery - not a single incident with Aboriginal machines did not happen.
The need to update Discovery has long been long. In general, this car is out of any ideas about the marketing of automotive products. Dear (prices for the third version in Moscow begins from 1,600,000 rubles), which has unconditional abilities of an SUV, but practically deprived of signs of a luxury car, he did not fit into any of the traditional market niches. What is in principle characteristic of the British car industry living in his own, island, the concepts of the market.
The new shareholder of Land Rover is the Indian company TATA - I decided not to straighten this marketing blockage, but, on the contrary, make a bet on it. As a result, Discovery 4 became even more off-road and finally acquired the indisputable features of the car from the premium segment.
Presenting the car, director of design of Jerry McGovern, acknowledged that the appearance of the model only evolved, but the real revolution occurred in the interior design. The body rods really became more smooth - now no one will say that the car is cut with an ax, however, almost disappeared and the step on the roof is the branded trait of previous generations DISCO. Fashionable LED daylight sources are rather appropriate for the avid clubber car, but not for an off-Road travel lovedel. Nevertheless, the headlights are generously decorated with frivolous diodes. Other new details in the appearance are modified knitting needles, rear indicators of turns and other - can notice only the true connoisseur of the brand. But in the cabin really felt a revolution. Land Rover thrown into a dump a black monolithic panel of instruments, the design of which obviously claimed another queen mother. Its place was taken by the modern console with clearly distributed in the zones of intuitive management bodies. The switch mode switch shifted to the speed switch selector, there were more media and navigation systems control buttons on the steering wheel.
To joy to lovers to download on the Internet, the pirated music of the media system of the car was replenished with a connector under a USB carrier. For those who still spend money on the legal acquisition of music files, an iPod connector is also installed. On the central screen of the navigation system, if necessary, an image is displayed from five cameras located on all sides of the SUV. Why do you need the front and rear cameras, it is clear, but the need for side was experimentally proven when
journalists were offered to drive a slide of steel channels - to control the position of the wheels at the road to a narrow steel strip can only be using the side chambers, the signal from which simultaneously falls on the central monitor. The car will be equipped with two new engines - a three-liter turbodiesel with a capacity of 245 hp and atmospheric five-liter gasoline power 375 hp In the diesel engine, Land Rover specialists applied a double parallel-serial turbocharger. This technology, firstly, allows you to quickly, literally for a fraction of a second, develop the greatest torque (600 nm), but at the same time saves fuel (and accordingly reduces emissions) at low revs. In addition, two compressors allow you to smooth the turboyama - the slow response of the engine to press the accelerator pedal associated with the inertia of the turbine. The lack of such a system by and large is one - the presence of a large number of moving mechanical parts, which by definition increases the probability of breakage. Curious item: In order for the motor to be under the hood, the cylinder block is made of cast iron with a graphite skeleton. This design is stronger than the usual, and the unit can be made smaller. In this case, the graphite amplifier helped save the necessary 8 cm.
The gasoline motor - the dream of a real amateur of off-road. The torque of 510 nm is achieved at low revs, which makes a 3.5-ton car with a real passing. Four is equipped with motors from the previous generation Discovery - a 2.7-liter diesel engine and a 4-liter gasoline engine.
On the central display, you can display not only the map of the navigation system or information about the received radio station, but also graphic data on the operation of the transmission or the image from the side video cameras.
On the ears in the water.
First, take place behind the wheel of a diesel disco. Electrical wheelchair drive, steering position electric drive. Comfortable. Only departure of the steering column is still insufficient for comfortable landing of my fair body weight. The side mirrors of the rear review can not even regulate - these big lops don't put it, everything is perfectly visible. The ignition key is stuck in the castle, but it can not get it out of his pocket - like most modern machines, the radio chip is built into it, and the engine starts the button. Road Sector Selector - Road and - Forward!
The first thing you pay attention is an amazing car turning. The new steering rail and changes in the chassis design allow you to deploy the car literally on the patch. Leaving on a flat section of the highway and finally learned not to cling to the left side of the bushes, you can press the accelerator to the floor. Turbians really practically does not occur, but also special power in the car is not felt. No, of course, she honestly accelerates to her 180 km / h, confidently overtakes trucks on the highway, but clearly does it, laid out at 100%. However, no one said that Discovery is suitable for racing on asphalt. He has another element. The first test is private hunting grounds. Let's go with the highway in the field. Stand down. Terrain Response surface recognition system switch is translated into the stones position - and the automation selectively slows down the wheels without giving the car to jump from the boulders. In total, this system has five modes. In addition to the ordinary road, there is a grass, snow, gravel - here the computer follows the slippage of the wheels; Sand - the electronic brain does not allow sharply scrolling the wheels and bury them along the axis, dirt / rolling - in this case there should be a permanent level of effort on wheels - and finally the stones already mentioned.
Successfully overcome the bug cinema, drive up to the next obstacle: a practically capable sliding clay slope. Yes, the entrance to it between the trees is at an angle. That is, hanging the right rear wheel can not be avoided. It is clear why this attraction is made. The Hill Descent Control company's branded Landrovier system slows down the wheels when descending from the sheer slope. The main thing is not to interfere in her work: aiming, a little pushed the car by an accelerator - and remove the leg with the pedals. Whithable suspension, an SUV with light shocks gently slides from the slide. Now the way is to top. In order not to go to sticking bows, I turn on the side review camera - it will also tell me when the rise will end and it will be possible to slow down. If there is no need for this instrument, you can display the cartoon - an animated suspension scheme. It shows that the front and rear differentials are blocked, it is worth a slightly set to the gas lift. However, manual, forced, the lock in this car is not.
Time to change the car. The queue of Discovery with a powerful gasoline engine. And from the very first seconds becomes a clear difference in the value of these cars. Prices for the car with a new diesel engine start from 2,300,000 rubles, and with gasoline V8 - from 2,600,000 rubles. This is a car with completely different dynamics. No, it will not compete with sports cars. But the smoothness of overclocking, comfort of overtaking, instant response to pressing the accelerator - all this speaks in favor of additional 130 horses compared to the diesel engine.
However, the highway of the route lasts long. Again the turn in the field - and a long straight plot of relatively even pasture, prudently purified from the ubiquitous sheep. Acceleration up to 60 km / h - and no knock in the cabin, the car does not swing and rattling the suspension. I do not even know whose merit, - the developers of the chassis or sound insulation. At the end of the field - river. Basis on the shore, we turn on the mode of reduced gears and carefully climb into the water. The water level gradually exceeds the door thresholds and stops 20 cm from the side air intakes, through which air flows into the motor. I understand that the car is designed for such obstacles, but somehow alone from one thought that the Zabuxe in the sandy day, because to go out, not the bay of the salon, is no longer possible. All belt drives from the car are sealed for such water trips. On the road to dry, I hear a strange noise that is clearly emanating from some belt. However, after a few minutes it disappears. A ten more kilometers on country scottish roads - a few sudden braking in an attempt to save the life of a hare or pheasant, walking along the road, and the route is completed.
I get things from the trunk and understand that it is necessary to close it with your hands. As in the usual universal. Electric drive, which is put almost all manufacturers of luxury cars, is not provided here.
Shipment of the new Discovery dealers have already begun. Prices in Russia were known in July. It is clear that in our market he will have to join tough competition mainly with German companies that have firmly engaged in a niche of expensive SUVs. Yes, Discovery is not a car for racing around the city, it has a calm driving. But, if we talk about off-road qualities, it is obvious to the head of the parketnikov-overgrowts, albeit with him in the same price category.
Engine LR-TDV6 Diesel 5.0 V8 Petrol
Power, hp 244.7 375.
Wheel base, mm 2885 2885
Transmission Automatic 6-speed
Volume of fuel tank, l 82.3 86.3
Maximum speed, km / h 180 195
Overclocking time up to 100 km / h, from 9.6 7.9
Text: Alexey Harnas
Photo: Land Rover
A source: "Autopilot"
