Winner: 4x4 Light CVs Land Rover Discovery
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OTHER CONTENDERS Daihatsu Fourtrak Fieldman Mitsubishi 1200 pickup VW LT 45 4X4
The Japanese might be quick to learn but Land Rover's expertise in building light 4x4 vehicles is still unrivalled. The original Discovery was launched at the 1988 Birmingham motor show to much critical acclaim. It rapidly proved to be the competent, class-leading blend of on/off-road vehicle pioneered by the Range Rover nearly 20 years before. At first glance, the Disco Commercial appears to cover the same market as the Defender. Although the Land Rover original may be unrivalled off-road, on tarmac its heavy controls, vague steering and cramped accommodation are much more difficult to live with. The growing
water/electricity/gas market has demonstrated a need for off-road vehicles with reasonable on-road performance and behaviour.
This really is the Discovery's forte. It simply knocks the socks off the opposition in the handling stakes. With excellent axle articulation thanks to its suspension set-up, plus a centre cliff lock, the Discovery has the ability to keep going off-road when most of its competitors will have given up. Its allround coil springs also ensure class leading handling and ride on-road.
Despite a much vaunted chassis/ suspension re-vamp, the Daihatsu Fourtrak Fieldman proved to be little better than its predecessor with its on/off road manners. It has independent front suspension now, but alarming roll angles are still part of its repertoire.
The Discovery also has it licked on payload, despite a comparatively small advantage on paper. In practice the Daihatsu cannot be loaded to its full GVW, because of its inadequate axle loading tolerances.
We would like to have pitched the Discovery against the Isuzu Trooper Commercial. With its greater payload and more powerful diesel engine, Trooper offers strong competition to the Discovery Isuzu was building diesel engines before Land Rover existed. Unfortunately, we were unable to obtain a Commercial for road test and had to make do with the short-wheelbase passenger model for driving impressions. It showed much promise, but the wrangle over the future of Trooper imports might see the Commercial sidelined anyway.
Despite payload limitations, both Discovery and Fourtrak have formidable towing capacities; 4,000kg and 3,500kg for braked trailers. If you want to carry more on a 4x4, the one-tonne pickups are a better bet. The Mitsubishi L200 will shift nearly a tonne and with its new turbo-diesel engine, can do so with ease.
It can't match the go-anywhere-ability of the Land Rover and its suspension lacks the finesse. Like all pickups it loses out on security. Expensive tools and machinery are all too accessible to the light-fingered.
The market for these vehicles is small, reflected in Land Rover's decision to farm the Discovery Commercial out to its Special Vehicles division. Special qualities are demanded of these vehicles, they have to be good load carriers and cope with a wide variety of terrain. There's no doubt in our minds that the Discovery achieved the best compromise.