Discover a Great Workhorse

Did you know that a quarter of all the (new) Land Rover Discoverys, sold here in the UK, are the ‘Commercial’ version?

No, me neither, but it's true.

The Discovery Commercial has been with us for a quite a while, and for 2021, Land Rover have seen fit to give it their 3 litre six-cylinder diesel engine, attached the silky smooth eight-speed automatic gearbox with high and low-range gearing and, of course, Terrain Response.

Enhanced by mild-hybrid (MHEV) technology, it delivers 300bhp and 650Nm of torque, meaning that you will be propelled from 0-60mph in just 6.5secs, and whilst driving a little less frantic, you can achieve up to 31.9mpg.

All that umph sounds great, until you realise that you’re driving a commercially registered vehicle, and therefore you’re legally restricted to van speed limits - but then how often do you see vans keeping to the speed limit?

The driving experience is refined and comfortable, and so it should be as it’s a ‘normal’ Discovery with an added bulkhead and the rear seats replaced by a hard-wearing load space.

Not only does it retain a high quality interior, but you still get vast amounts of standard equipment to play with, including the very latest Land Rover Pivi Pro infotainment system.

From Preston Wynne back to Gaydon, the unladen Commercial handled like a dream, the air suspension soaked up all the bumps and road imperfections (as it should), and the cabin, well, it’s a Discovery, so it was roomy, quiet and classy.

There’s no doubt the Discovery Commercial is a premium ‘van’, but who is it for?

If you’re after a posh, light commercial vehicle with a world class 4x4 system, that doesn’t resemble anything like a delivery van, then it's you I guess.

With a starting price at £48,771.67 (ex-VAT), it obviously isn’t the cheapest way to haul your clobber around, but it does have a huge and practical rear opening, a cargo space of 2,024 litres, which isn’t that far off Defender 110, and a 784kg payload with a 3.5t towing capacity.

Also, because it doesn't look like van, it's far less likely to be targeted by tool thieves and their ilk.

Being a commercial model means that it meets van tax requirements, which equates to you paying less in tax. However, as I mentioned previously, before you start thinking about whether you can get away with it as a company car, remember that you can only legally do 60mph on a dual carriageway. That said, because the commercial looks identical to any other Discovery on the road, it’ll take an APNR camera to spot the difference!

Of course there are other commercial 4x4s out there, like the Dacia Duster, Toyota Land Cruiser and the 'soon to go the way of the Dodo' duo, the Mitsubishi Outlander and Shogun Sport, but for the sheer quality of interior finish and on-road driving experience, none of them can match the Discovery.

more at » www.landrover.co.uk/fleet-and-business/ land-rover-commercial/discovery-commercial.html