It’s probably always sucked to be the Land Rover Discovery, getting sandwiched between two automotive icons in a celebrity lineup.

The outdoorsy British brand’s Defender and Range Rover lines have long had more cachet. The rebranding to LR3 didn’t help matters. And now the Land Rover LR4, as it’s known in many markets around the world, is about to set off into the SUV sunset without being remembered as the kind of 4x4s.

A shame, because the LR4 is just the throwback we need to a more honest time of SUVs. It walks a fine line between being an anachronism and modern classic, a line it walks pretty carefully. And among the lookalike crossovers made to be automotive all-in-ones, the LR4 is distinctive in some of the best ways possible.

It’s not for mid-week Whole Foods runs, but it does charm its way into your heart.
 

An old new world

Not enough SUVs look like SUVs, and that’s reason alone to be attracted to this Land Rover. Aside from the obnoxious package that mandates black wheels with this brownish-gray paint, this is what you’d expect a functional SUV to look like. Few, if any, concessions have been made to sanitize its appearance for seasoned crossover shoppers. Sure, it’s reflected in the rather dismal national sales figures for the LR4, but the monied enclaves of the U.S. realize it’s the look to have if you want to make your neighbors think you take a ski weekend every time there’s snow in the California mountains (about once a winter, lately).

It’s a similar story inside this old Rover. When you think of a big, tall SUV, you think of an interior that lets you tower over other cars, but the LR4 takes it to a new level. The chairs are just that – enormous thrones that wouldn’t look out of place if someone deciding on the “Brexit” were sitting in them.

While I still have some concern recent Jaguar Land Rover products are losing their interior chops, this highly equipped LR4 is covered in just the right amount of leather and wood inside to give it a traditional British feel inside without being behind the times. Sure, the radio/navigation interface is typically outdated and for $70,000 I’m starting to expect adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring. But you forget about those things when there’s a perfect place to rest your elbow as you look through enormous windows and feel like you’re on top of the world. It’s actually a special place to be.

Even more impressive, however, is the packaging. The LR4 is a true seven-seater, if so equipped. But thanks to the tall roof and actual chairs, all 5-foot-10 of me would be happy to sit in the rearmost seats for a medium-length trip. Which means kids will find them comically comfortable compared to something like a BMW X5 or, er… Range Rover Sport. Too bad any luggage that has to come along would be in my lap. Not that you really want to make the LR4 weigh much more than it already does.
 

Disco, lack of inferno

The charm of the Old World fades a bit when the process of driving is concerned.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not the Discovery of old that couldn’t make it above 75 mph in stiff winds and was like a high school carnival ride when you came up to a traffic circle. It’s not “carlike,” but the LR4 isn’t the least bit scary in normal city driving. Better still, it’s relatively svelte dimensions make it a snap compared to many other three-row SUVs when it comes to parallel parking and narrow stalls.

But the supercharged V6 that now lives under the enormous hood of the LR4 doesn’t evoke the old Rover/Buick V8, nor anything particularly energetic. That’s a shame, because it’s roughly the same engine that was quite exuberant when powering the Jaguar XJ I drove last year. The LR4 gets up to 50 or so just fine, and with confidence. But it requires a deliberate stab of the right pedal to pass and do highway-plus speeds.

Being a big box that weighs nearly three tons means you’re also burning fossils at an alarming rate. Think around 15 mpg, and a small tank means going 300 miles between gas stations is optimistic, even on flat highway trips. For that kind of mileage, I’d expect more fun from the engine.

Of course, that’s not the point of the LR4. It’s supposed to go everywhere in comfort and class, and that it does. As expected, the air suspension and Terrain Response work magic to take you just about anywhere. You also appreciate the Rover’s size out in the wilderness, too, as there are fewer clunking noises on lumpy surfaces than in, say, a Jeep Grand Cherokee with air suspension.

The Heavy Duty Package is an extra $1,350 worth of a twin-speed transfer case and rear locking diff that is probably necessary if you’re going to cross trails more than crossing parking lots. It should be standard, because they don’t make many SUVs like this anymore.



 Tall order

As transportation for a few kids and a dog, the LR4 is overkill, though. It isn’t exactly a bargain basement deal when a slightly higher lease payment nets something with the Range Rover name attached.

What the LR4 is, however, is a big luxury SUV that flies under the radar. It does just about everything asked of it, and has that invincible feeling few car-based models can pull off. And based on what Land Rover has been showing as the future Discovery, I think a trip to the dealer is in order if you want a Land Rover that looks like a Land Rover. Between the death of the Defender and the final LR4s rolling out of the factory soon, the end of an era is coming. I have little doubt the next LR4/Discovery/whatever will be just as capable off road, but it likely won’t have the same presence or occasion as this old, tall brute.

The LR4 makes me feel tall and important. Think about that and its value proposition improves considerably.

Photos: Carscoops.com/Keith Moore

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