78: Land Rover Discovery – Rugged mountain climber

Top 100 cars for 2020: Arguably losing sales to the smaller Discovery Sport

You could find another car with similar levels of on-road refinement, but none of them could climb mountains and ford rivers like the Discovery
You could find another car with similar levels of on-road refinement, but none of them could climb mountains and ford rivers like the Discovery

The current Discovery has not been the sales success that Land Rover had hoped for, possibly because buyers are migrating towards the smaller, more affordable, Discovery Sport.

As with previous versions, you could find another car with similar levels of on-road refinement, comfort, and general deportment, but none of them could climb mountains and ford rivers like the Discovery.

There is hardly any other car with its mixture of talents, and thanks to a relatively lower price tag, that moves it above of its in-house Range Rover rivals. 240hp twin-turbo diesel engine is the pick of the range, but there will shortly be a plugin-hybrid version which could be an interesting choice.

The only thing holding us back from outright Discovery-love is the spectre of unreliability that hovers, constantly, over Land Rover’s products.

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Best model: Discovery Landmark Edition 2.0 SD4 230hp for €74,295

Price range: €61,470 to €95,685 Finance from €680 per month.

Co2 emissions: 217 to 244g/km

Sum up: One of the most versatile cars you can buy.

* A note on Co2 figures: For almost all the cars in the Top 100, we’ve quoted the stricter WLTP figures for Co2 emissions. A few are still quoted on their older NEDC2 figure, and that’s the number they’ll be taxed on. If you’re confused at all, just consult your local dealer for specific data for the make and model in which you’re interested.