| First Drive | Roxburghshire, Scotland | Land Rover Discovery 4 |

This is the new Land Rover Discovery. Well, it's more like a very pedantic facelift, but enough of the Discovery 3 has been changed to warrant giving this one a '4' at the end of its name. Wishful thinking? You might think so at first glance - it doesn't look that different from the outside - but reserve your cynicism: the Discovery hasn't just had its teeth whitened; it's been on an extreme makeover show and come back looking at least ten years younger.

In the Metal

The Land Rover Discovery's talents are rarely called into question, but the brash styling of the 3 often was - to the extent that even Land Rover's design boss calls it 'polarising'. Design people aren't usually that honest.

So, this time around Land Rover has moved the Disco well into Range Rover territory. If you followed the story when the first shots of the 2010 model Land Rovers were released, you'll already know that the maker has tried to install some visual coherence across the range. The Discovery probably gets the best deal out of that particular move, because it really does look like a Range Rover now. The shape of the 3 remains, but clever detailing like a softened grille, narrowed front lights and some swooping LED daytime running lights make the Disco far more, ahem, dazzling.

Inside, however, it's a revolution. Land Rover hasn't just changed the materials a bit and added some new seat cloth - it's changed the interior entirely. The upright, angular lines of the 3 are replaced by a softer, much more tactile, much more aesthetically agreeable interior that shares much with the Range Rover Sport. It's less cluttered, more intuitive and generally a very charming place to be.

What you get for your Money

There's more refinement, more kit, loads of space, and no less of the monolithic go-anywhere ability that Land Rover is justifiable famed for. The Disco 4 really does veer well into Range Rover territory this time around.

Despite being essentially third in Land Rover's five-model hierarchy (behind the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport), Land Rover doesn't want any doubt about the Disco's premium remit, so it's not cheap, but it can be stuffed with all kind of luxury kit if you're willing to pay for it. Of course, the launch-spec car we drove was in range-topping, option-tastic HSE trim, including heated leather powered chairs, dual-zone climate control and Land Rover's latest touch screen multi media interface. Ultimately, the model line-up and specification doesn't spring any surprises compared to the last car, but everything has been overhauled significantly, making the most of some shared tech with Jaguar (like the multimedia stuff), and some clever innovations found on the new Range Rover, like the surround view parking system that uses five cameras dotted around the body and displays external images onto the satnav screen. Driving through lakes, for example, you can use the 'kerb view' cameras to see how many fish you're squashing.

But over and above the old car you're also getting a comprehensively overhauled dynamic experience, which we'll get to, as well as a brand new engine, which we'll get to as well...

Driving it

...Now. The 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo diesel unit is basically the same as that found in the latest Jaguar XF, but in this application it's modified so that it can be wobbled around a lot more and get much wetter without grinding to a halt. Obviously the Disco's a big heavy lump of a thing, so it doesn't feel quick, but there's a massive torque and power improvement over the 2.7-litre diesel it replaces - about a third in both cases. You still get that slightly delayed throttle response synonymous with big SUVs with auto 'boxes, but it's hardly sluggish. In fact, combined with a ride that's been significantly improved to reduce roll while still dampening out pocked roads effectively, the diesel Disco is a properly refined thing in any situation - powerful, composed and comfortable, and it's even half-decent when it comes to turning the circular thing. Engine noise is almost non-existent too, although there's quite a lot of wind roar from the A-pillars at motorway speeds.

And off road... well, it's a Land Rover, isn't it? The engineers have spent a lot of time fettling both the suspension geometry and the Terrain Response system to make the Disco even more adept at tackling the type of off-roading that would make the average SUV cry all the way back to Knightsbridge. Oh, and it's more economical too, by about ten percent.

So, it's notably quicker, better on fuel, better on the road, better off the road and better looking. Lovely.

Worth Noting

A man from Land Rover told us that the company is enjoying a new lease of life under Tata ownership because there's far less interference from board level than there was when it was part of the Ford 'machine'. There'll be more crossover between it and Jaguar now, which Land Rover is lauding because it means it has access to, for example, Jaguar's newly-developed engine line-up, as well as sharing drivetrains and in-car technology like the new 'dual vision' satnav screen from the new XJ - already available in the 2010 Range Rover.

Summary

Land Rover claims that the Discovery is the 'most versatile vehicle in the world' and to be honest it's very difficult to argue with that. We can't think of anything else that matches seven-seat practicality with the same levels of both on-road refinement and off-road ability. By improving the interior ambience so dramatically and adding the hugely effective Jaguar 3.0-litre diesel, Land Rover has endowed the Discovery with the most brilliant facelift since Mickey Rourke's (but for different reasons, obviously).