Reviewing the latest Land Rover Discovery

There are many reasons why you might want to sweep up to the imposing entrance of Gleneagles in a Land Rover Discovery. Fitting in beautifully with the rest of the hotel’s clientele is the very least of them. As my partner Jane, the children and I purred smoothly up the long drive, we found ourselves in something of a Land Rover jam. It seemed that our own rather beautiful ride was in perfect sympathy with its location.

That, as I say, was the least of the reasons to thoroughly enjoy being in possession of one of these distinctly upmarket cars for a week. From my perspective, it was simply a dream to drive. Effortlessly fast is teamed with super-quiet (which made keeping on or about the speed limit on the motorway a bit of a challenge). The already- comfortable driver’s seat offered a seemingly-infinite number of sitting positions which meant that I mercifully avoided my perennial problem of accelerator leg cramps even on the eight-hour long trip back from Scotland to our home in London. Everything from radio and Bluetooth to climate control and SatNav are intuitively controllable with a flick of one of a range of steering wheel paddles, and the high driving position makes you feel like a very laid-back king of the road. The height of the car also gave the kids a lovely view of the passing scenery, cutting down on boredom. But Scarlett claimed that sense of swaying movement on windy country lanes came close to kicking off her car sickness.

My only real criticism of the car is the high CO2 emissions which I have to admit would nag way too much at my eco-conscience. Nevertheless, the kids loved the aircraft-style entertainment systems on the back of the front seats, the oodles of leg room and the ‘squishy’ white leather seats.