Land Rover Discovery

The Discovery has considerable off-road prowess but on the highway this SUV has never lived up to its upmarket cachet. The steering is imprecise, and the ride is stiff and choppy. We found that with the ACE (Active Cornering Enhancement) suspension, the tail could swing out abruptly during emergency maneuvers. Many controls are awkward to use and cryptically labeled. The small door openings and high step-in make access difficult. A brace of tiny third-row seats, which fold up when not in use, is optional. For 2003, a 4.6-liter V8 from the old Range Rover replaced the lackluster and thirsty 4.0-liter.