By Ken Fletcher

FARMERS have been waiting with proverbial bated breath for the arrival of Land Rover's latest Discovery – and now it's here!

At a cost of at least £43,495 – but who buys base models these days – the latest series, known as the New Disco (as we have all become accustomed to calling them since they first arrived 27 years ago) will come with better and more efficient engines and class-leading 'functionality' through loads of 'apps'.

However good it is, though, the one thing that you won't be able to get is a 'commercial' version with which to claim the VAT off of. That which has become a mainstay of many farming and connected businesses because of this reason, and because of its functionality with regard to towing trailers, is now a more debatable purchase.

For the record, it remains licenced to pull 3.5 tonnes – but then again, most of the opposition and pick-ups have attained that too.

So, why should you buy this latest Discovery?

Well, actually, there are quite a few reasons, not the least of which is that this looks less like a 'van' than the outgoing model, functional as it was.

If you see the current Discovery Sport lurking around your area, then you get the general idea as far as styling is concerned. The corners have been curved and angularity tamed.

Quite unusually for a Land Rover product, there's a wholly flexible interior which can provide seven full-sized adult seats. And, it is instantly configurable from your smartphone using the world-first remote seat fold technology – and that's a game changer for the Disco. How cool is this going to be?

Catching up with others in the LR/RR stable, a switch to lightweight aluminium construction shaves 480kg off the kerb weight. That's a big factor in making this the most efficient and clean product out of Solihull ever and has the ability to make the most of the innovative Ingenium engine family.

Summing it all up, Gerry McGovern, Land Rover’s chief design officer, said: “New Discovery redefines the large SUV. Land Rover’s design and engineering teams have revolutionised the Discovery DNA to create a highly desirable, extremely versatile and hugely capable premium SUV.

"We truly believe the result is a radical departure in design that will introduce the Discovery family to a new, wider customer base.”

The use of the word 'family' there is not incidental. There is no doubt that farmers and rural users come way down the priority list in the latest incarnation of the Disco. Quite a lot of the ethos is 'family-based' rather than 'functionally-based.'

One thing that does remain, however, is the original stepped roofline, which has always optimised headroom for passengers travelling in the 'back'.

Even a dunderheid, though, could operate the the unique intelligent seat fold technology. This lets you alter the configuration of the second and third-row seats with minimal effort using controls at the rear of the vehicle, or the central touchscreen, or even remotely via a smartphone app. And, all three rows are available with the heated option.

Alongside the flexible seating, another key feature is the InControl Touch Pro infotainment system. This has a large 10-inch touchscreen on the centre console and has reduced the number of switches on the centre console by a third. It's all done on the 'telly' screen.

The blurb says that 'up to four 12V charging points ... can cope with the demands of the most connected families' – for that, read 'lots of farming related bits can be plugged in'! And, there's as many as nine USB sockets.

Farmers will also like the 'Activity Key' wristband, which allows you to 'enjoy sports and active hobbies' – for that read 'wrestling with a machinery part/and or animal' – without carrying the standard key fob.

For instance, holding the waterproof key up to the ‘D’ in the Discovery badge on the tailgate locks the vehicle and disables the ordinary key, which can be left safely inside. This leaves customers free to 'run, swim, ride or play sports' – ie, 'chase coos, fix fences and grease a machine' – without worrying about the security of their vehicle.

Apart from the tecchie bits, the Disco can provide up to 2406 litres of load capacity, or up to 1137 litres behind row two, with loading via the new single panel powered tailgate which provides all the versatility expected from a vehicle wearing the Discovery badge. Plus, there's a powered secondary, inner tailgate for those who miss the split rear door set-up to allow shooters and fishers to rest their weary bottoms between pools/drives.

One nod to 'old' rural users is that the ground clearance has been raised up 283mm, which is 43mm more, while the maximum wading depth of 900mm is improved by 200mm.

There's also the excellent multi-mode Terrain Response 2 system for optimising off-road performance, which has now the ability to be pre-programmed to autonomously maintain a suitable crawl speed chosen by the driver. This allows you to concentrate on steering the vehicle, without the distraction of operating the throttle or brake pedals – which can also be used from a standstill to help when pulling away on slippery surfaces.

But, for many rural people, the daddy of all the gizmos will be the 'Advanced Tow Assist' – which allows drivers to complete difficult reversing manoeuvres when towing by taking care of the counter-steering required to position trailers accurately.

Drivers can simply guide the trailer into the desired space using the rotary controller for the Terrain Response 2 system, with responsive guidance lines overlaid on the feed from the rear-facing camera displayed on the central touchscreen taking the stress out of an otherwise tricky task.

New Discovery is powered by Jaguar Land Rover’s efficient range of four and six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, all paired with a smooth and responsive ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Top of the pops here is the Sd4 Ingenium four-cylinder diesel, rated at 238bhp with an impressive 500Nm of torque. Even at that, it will give 43.5mpg.

Six-cylinder diesel power comes from a 255bhp Td6, which delivers 600Nm of torque which would probably be the choice when towing a lot.

For those who prefer a petrol engine with a bit of poke, there is the 336bhp supercharged three-litre petrol, which has 450Nm – which means you'd be daft not to buy the six-cylinder diesel!

You'll be hard pushed to push through the pram-filled corridors of your local dealer, however, to secure yourself one of the limited-run ‘First Edition’ models. Only 600 will be available in the UK, with their exclusive features such as unique etched map detailing on the aluminium trim for the doors and fascia, badges, colour choices and a comprehensive list of standard equipment.

Everything starts with the entry-level S trim, which is available with the SD4 engine only, at £43,495. The SE adds leather seats, heated front seats, auto headlights, satellite navigation, front and rear parking sensors, etc, and costs from £49,495.

Up the food chain lies the two higher-end trims, the HSE and HSE Luxury, with the former being traditionally the big seller. HSE costs from £56,995 and gets 20-inch alloys, higher-grade leather, InControl Touch Pro, a panoramic roof, heated rear seats and a gesture-controlled tailgate.

The 'Luxury' gets more leather in the cabin, 21-inch alloys, electric sunroof and rear panoramic roof, and rear-seat entertainment – it costs from £62,695.

Also on the plus side is the fact that independent scrutiny expects New Discovery to retain 59% of its initial purchase price after three years and 36,000 miles. That's better than the previous model and also rivals like the Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90.