Land Rover Discovery Car Auto Review

Land Rover Discovery Car Auto Review

Land Rover X Auto

Unknown 10:47:00 AM Add Comment

The Land Rover Discovery is a modern day icon, with 1.1m sales under its belt since it first went on sale in 1989. The basic shape you see behind me was introduced in 2004, but underwent significant changes in 2009 to become the Discovery 4. Now just called Discovery, this rugged seven-seat off-roader rivals models like the Audi Q7 and Jeep Grand Cherokee and costs from just over £40,000. Inside the Discovery you’ll find a real blend of luxury and utility, with premium materials and stereo systems, but some hard plastics designed to take whatever mud and abuse is thrown at them.

All the main controls have a chunky feel as they’re designed to be easy to use when wearing gloves for those jaunts to the Arctic Circle. Trim levels for the 2015 Discovery have been changed to SE, SE Tech and HSE, with the entry-level model now getting cruise control and automatic lights and wipers as standard. Also new are Land Rover’s InControl Apps offering sat-nav, media streaming and internet radio, helping bring the infotainment system up-to-date. As you may have noticed, this is hardly a small car and there’s a huge amount of space inside. 

You sit high up, with a great view over the bonnet and cameras are even available to give you a view all around the car. The rearmost seats are great for kids and can just about be used by adults, but probably not for long journeys. The Discovery tends to be bought by active families, and this 1,124-litre boot is one of the biggest business. Fold all the rear seats down and there’s around 2,000 litres of space, giving it more furniture carrying potential than some vans while it is able to tow a trailer of up to 3,500kgs. The Discovery is anything but a light car, so we’re glad its 3-litre diesel engine’s 252bhp is powerful enough to still feel brisk, even if its 8.8-second 0-60mph sprint can’t match sportier rivals like the BMW X5.

It’s helped by an excellent eight-speed automatic, smoothing progress and keeping the engine in its power band. There’s also far less body roll than you’d expect, because the Discovery’s air suspension is able to both lower and stiffen up for road driving. Off road this Land Rover lives up to its reputation, with huge ground clearance and a Terrain Response system which automatically adjusts the car to suit the conditions. This off road ability does come at a cost, with fuel economy of 35.3mpg lower than many of its more road-biased rivals, even though this Discovery does improve on its predecessor. If you want a proper 4x4 it’s hard to ignore the Discovery. Its design, seven seat practicality and off-roading abilities all make it a highly desirable model.

On the downsides, its size and weight do mean smaller and lighter rivals offer lower running costs. Still, the popularity of the Discovery shows plenty of customers are prepared to pay a bit more to get behind the wheel of Land Rover’s luxurious workhorse. But, what do you think of the Land Rover Discovery? 

Kia Sorento 2015 Car Auto Review

Kia Sorento 2015 Car Auto Review

Kia Motor X Auto

Unknown 3:51:00 AM Add Comment

Kia is one of the finest examples of how a brand can reinvent itself and up its game dramatically in a very short period of time. Just take a look at the new third-generation Sorento 4x4. As it now sits longer and wider than before, it offers more practicality, but its improvements in build quality and driving dynamics are what stand out the most. And in terms of looks, its design may not be overly adventurous, but you can’t deny that its tiger-nose front-grille is eye-catching. So what’s it up against, well as it’s a large 4x4 it is looking to challenge anything from brand’s such as Land Rover and Volkswagen. The first thing you will probably notice in the cabin is this new dashboard topper which shouts premium saloon. 

And this up-market feel is met with loads of soft-touch materials scattered around. The infotainment set-up has been injected with some 21st century zest as well, with this silver trim neatly packing the touchscreen and buttons together. As with Kia’s other current infotainment systems this is brilliantly responsive and ridiculously easy to use. The only thing we are not of fan of though, is the way the climate control buttons below seem to bulge outwards. Speaking of climate control, there is only one trim you are ever really going to want and need for that matter, the second trim-up, KX-2, which is what we have here. You get dual air-con, heated seats, a reversing camera and of course, this seven-inch touchscreen system, which comes with sat-nav. Increased dimensions means more passenger and storage space, not that it was a problem in the last model. 

As you can see there is plenty of space for passengers in the first row, and the second row is pretty good as well and average-sized adults should be happy enough. To be honest, with the ability to slide this middle row back and forth, you will find a combination that works for all passengers. If you have all seven seats in place then boot space is minimal at 140 liters. However, fold this back row away and there is a massive 605 liters. Fold the other row of seats away and there is 1,662 liters. It’s not class leading, but it is impressive. The Sorento is definitely a milestone for Kia when it comes to driving dynamics and refinement. The steering for example feels much more connected to the front wheels than any other Kia, getting rid of that sometimes elastic feel and replacing it with better feedback. This reassurance is particularly important when you consider the size of the Sorento and how narrow British roads are. As well as it being more engaging to drive, comfort is also top notch as its insulation from the likes of wind and road noise is excellent, visibility is good all-round and the cushioned suspension can easily handle unpredictably bumpy British roads. As with most cars this size, you will get body roll if you swerve it into corners at speed, but if that’s the kind of driving you are looking to do… then you shouldn’t be looking at a Sorento. 

The engine line-up couldn’t be simpler. There is just one on offer, a 2.2-liter turbo-diesel with 197bhp. Sometimes cars of this size can feel a little lethargic regardless of how much horsepower is under the bonnet, but the Sorento certainly has a bit of personality and oomph about it, and it feels much nippier than its 0-62 sprint time of 9 seconds suggest. The only choice when it comes to power-train se-up is whether you go for manual or automatic, with fuel economy being the key variables here. In real-world driving, the manual will return around 40mpg, with the auto slightly lower at around 30 to 35mpg. Par for the course really. Its lowest CO2 figure of 149g/km is impressive though, compared to its 4x4 competition anyway. You hear the term game-changing quite a lot in the car industry, but it certainly applies to the Sorento. Whereas some of Kia’s models merely meet the threshold of the competition, the Sorento stands out as genuinely impressive and has carved itself a solid spot as an upmarket 4x4. And I haven’t even mentioned its price yet.

It starts from just under £30,000, which is a couple of grand cheaper than the Land Rover Discovery Sport and almost 15 grand cheaper than a Volkswagen Touraeg. But do you think the Sorento is worthy of Land Rover and VW competition? 

The Volkswagen Touareg 2015 Car Auto Review

The Volkswagen Touareg 2015 Car Auto Review

Volkswagen X Auto

Unknown 1:10:00 PM 2 Comments

Today we’ve got our hands on the Touareg, the latest version of Volkswagen’s large SUV. First unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show in 2014, bi-xenon headlights are now standard, and there’s a new four-bar grille along with reprofiled bumpers front and rear. Overall the Touareg now looks just that bit wider and meaner. Under the skin, the biggest changes include a coasting function for the eight-speed gearbox and tweaks to the diesel engine, all geared towards making the Touareg more affordable to run. 

Starting at just over £40,000 there’s no doubting the Touareg is a premium model. Even the entry-level SE we’re driving gets leather upholstery as standard, along with dual zone climate control and this vast and easy-to-use 8-inch touch-screen. The wooden trim might not be to everyone’s taste, but there’s no doubting the quality of everything in here and all the controls are well laid-out. Space is ample, particularly shoulder room, and there’s lots of room in the back seats for children or adults. They can also slide back and forth and recline for extra comfort on long trips. But, this brings us on to our main criticism, which is the lack of a seven-seat version, as offered by most rivals. There’s 580-litres of luggage volume behind the rear seats, extending to 1,642 litres, which is less than the 650-litres found in the BMW X5 and the vast boot in the Land Rover Discovery.

The Touareg shares its basic underpinnings with the Porsche Cayenne, but the two feel very different to drive. The Volkswagen has relaxed driving manners and feels much softer in its responses than the Porsche. Its meaty controls, flexible V6 diesel and smooth automatic remind us more of a luxury saloon than an off-roader, but the Touareg can get you over rough terrain. Along a twisty road the Touareg has little body roll and plenty of grip, even if there’s still a sense you are driving a large, heavy vehicle. One benefit of its size is the Touareg’s ability to haul large trailers and caravans with ease, thanks to its 3.5 tonne towing capacity. Just one engine is available, a 3.0-litre V6 diesel in either the 204bhp version we’re testing or with 262bhp. To be honest, either feels brisk enough, with the sprint to 62mph shrinking from the 8.7 seconds of this model to just over 7 seconds. 

The automatic gearbox changes gear swiftly and smoothly, and the coasting function allows the car to freewheel when you back off the throttle, saving fuel. Both can return 43mpg. The Touareg is a smart looking and solid contender amongst SUVs, undercutting some of its more premium rivals on price. Our main niggles are its five-seat-only layout and smallish boot, but if these don’t concern you, the Touareg is more economical than the likes of the Discovery and a little more car-like to drive. But, what do you think of the Volkswagen Touareg?