Discovery

I assume you know of the Land Rover Discovery? One of the best selling 4X4s, bought by everyone from farmers to inner-city dwellers who don't want a Range Rover. It has gone through several bodystyles, the most recent ones being very minor changes, and a brand-new one has just been announced. I saw it in TopGear magazine earlier today, and I was surprised to say the least.

First of all, the radical new design. It is taller than it is wide, with a (quite obvious) step at the windowline, the sweeping C-pillars (I think they're the C-pillars) and the fact that it gets skinnier at the boot. These all contribute to a horrid looking car, in my opinion. Whilst it looks meh alright from the 3/4 view, seeing it from any other angle just makes it look weird. The rear wheelarches stick out wider than the rest of the body at the back, and it's obvious how LR have tried, unsuccessfully, to subtly copy some of the RRs features (Lights, crease along the side and massive wheels (22in!)) There is also the pointless step up to the LR badge where the number plate goes, which makes the car look uneven (I have OCD, can you tell?) and I don't like the features that make the car look taller, like the vertical air intakes, Tailpipes and skininess. 

New Disco. Ugly car, good tech.

Although the new Disco is utterly terrible, it does have some redeeming features. Take the clever windows and glass roof: They can tint on demand, and the roof can show a pretty pattern. The seat-mounted screens are a cool feature too, along with the HUD (Head-Up-Display). JLR have recently previewed some new tech to do with the HUDs in their SUVs. It has cameras under the engine and bumper, which allow the car to see what is going on underneath it, and it can project these images up to the HUD, which then makes the driver able to look through the bonnet and engine block, to see exactly what's under his(or her) car: the wheel position, where rocks and ruts are, the lot. 

Overall then, a terrible SUV, with some good features that I would like to see on a lot of other cars in the near future. As I read in TG magazine, someone at JLR said that these next 15 years will see cars advance like we've never seen them do before. Personally, I sincerely hope this is true, as I think some of thee new innovations are amazing. It leaves me sitting here, at 5 to 10 wondering what cars will be like in 20 years time, when I think this tech will be available in the mass market. Anyways, leave me a comment saying what you think, and what I should look at next time.