The only downside is that after leaving the car wash, the rear-view camera stops working. To be precise, after water procedures, the camera turns on for a second and then immediately dies. That is, it doesn't function at all, but by the end of the wash, it briefly comes back to life. Maybe this doesn't seem like a problem to you. Perhaps you even consider it a trifle not worth mentioning. But sometimes in place of the camera, there's the rear wiper, and sometimes the air suspension compressor. Or another not-so-important part.
Seating in the Discovery is higher and more upright both in the front and rear
In the Lexus, the central tunnel with climate control for passengers gets in the way more
However, there is another option. A car that will outlive its owner. Ugly on the outside, illogical on the inside. Doubtful off-road and useless on asphalt. At the same time, not cheap, but with a rather conditional relation to "premium."
I can easily imagine a person who would make such a choice. He doesn't distinguish a car from a phone. The phrase "stand out from the crowd" for him means buying a watch that costs more than the crowd itself. I'd want to be such a character the most. Dostoevsky noticed this too. He called this type the "seven-pood merchant's wife."
DRUM WITH FOAM RUBBER
The first time I got into the Discovery, I was wary. It's the "fourth" one, but... In the end, it turned out like with the latest Range Rover. All fears were in vain. Strangely enough, the British have learned to make cars. Now the owner has not just a PTS with the inscription "legend," but everything he could want.
A more sensible front panel, but the screen begs to be higher – at the level of the speedometer, and the climate control is also too low
During the first year of operation, the owner learns to set the climate, then moves on to the stereo
All that remains is to get rid of the taste of the past. What am I talking about? You drive in such a well-trained SUV, but the thought constantly flashes: "What if it's pretending, and around the next corner the charms of old models will return in the form of nasty rocking, and then it will tip over because you sharply turned the wheel?" Imagine you're talking to a guy who did time for drugs, murder, and arson. He says: "Yes, that was before. I won't deny it. I even had to kill someone and burn down his house. Now I'm clean. See for yourself. Want me to look after your kids?" If you answer "yes" to him, then your choice is the Discovery.
I couldn't. On the first day of the test, I didn't believe it. I gave the Discovery to Ivan Evdokimov, and I switched to the Lexus GX460. This is an honest car. It will never deceive you. It doesn't pretend to be a passenger car. It doesn't convince you of the omnipotence of the brakes. It doesn't perform tricks with the suspension. We know how comfortable SUVs behave. When accelerating, they squat on the rear axle, and so much so that they then struggle to get up. When braking, they lean onto the front with the same inertia. Passengers at this time are in complete ecstasy, much like inside a washing machine whose drum is lined with foam rubber. Very comfortable.
Both cars can be equipped with a third row of seats, but the test Discovery was a five-seater
The Lexus trunk is larger, and its door opens more conveniently – to the side, not upward
For the particularly delicate, the Lexus has three shock absorber modes. Sporty, simple, and soft. Without affecting the suspension's operation at all, they control body sway. If you want, it will move broadly, like on ocean waves, or more modestly, as if floating in a basin. And on speed bumps, the rear will bounce invariably.
PROBLEMS OF THE PRENATAL PERIOD
The front panel of the GX460 is without pretensions. There's a lot there, but the designers eased the driver's work by stretching out the learning process. You can't figure everything out at once. In the first year, you'll master the climate, then the stereo... Land Rover has a completely different approach to managing car functions. Style and charm are an order of magnitude higher. Pregnant women will appreciate this, as they are advised to look at beautiful things more (to give birth to prettier children). That doesn't threaten me, so I'd prefer more convenient algorithms.
When descending from such obstacles, the Lexus constantly scooped up earth with its exhaust pipe, but the Discovery didn't
But Land Rover Discovery really went all out on the prenatal period. For those who have undergone conception, a whole off-road electronic system, Terrain Response, has been made. It, by the way, is liked by everyone. A very beautiful switch. If you catch any pilot after a test drive, he will invariably say the following (I've checked): "Top class! When you go, set 'snow' instead of 'rocks,' and 'grass' instead of 'ruts.'"
Today it happened again. I'm standing in a field and see Ivan Evdokimov approaching on the Discovery from the hills on the horizon. He gets out and says: "It drives great in 'rocks' mode." Meanwhile, we're talking, standing on sandy loam. That's a clayey sand, and besides it, for several kilometers ahead and behind, there's not a single rock formation or glacial boulder.
The "Japanese" grunts, creaks with pads, and eventually takes the height. The "Englishman" simply drives silently
In general, if instead of the men's restroom you often go into the women's, wake up at night, and fall asleep in the morning, listen with your ears, and speak with your navel, and if you're also pregnant, then Terrain Response is ideal. But personally, I prefer not to touch this beautiful round thing with off-road modes. I engage low range and drive in the most ordinary way.
LIES DOWN ON ITS BELLY
The specialists at Lexus knew that it was impossible to create anything worthwhile in the field of electronic ranking of soils. The sand in the Moscow region is not the same as on the Côte d'Azur. But still, the Japanese did it. Fashion is fashion, it's indecent to lag behind. Without advertising it, they hid the list of off-road modes in the computer. It exists, but if you don't know where to look, you won't find it. And there's no need. Off-road cruise control – the proprietary "Toyota" system for maintaining a set speed off-road – works much more effectively, and its toggle switch is in plain sight.
The tow hooks on the Discovery will have to be searched for – they are tightly closed with plastic plugs
"}Comparing electronic off-road assistance systems of competitors is an unproductive exercise. Sherlock Holmes would have said that such a task is solved in one pipe. You smoke it and understand: you were looking in the wrong place, and the main difference between these two SUVs lies in geometry. Where the Land Rover Discovery passes effortlessly, the Lexus GX460 suddenly catches its belly on the ground. Greater ground clearance and a shorter wheelbase give the "Englishman" a tangible advantage. Everything else — power, torque, electronic assistants — fades into the background. On the second day of the test, I not only got used to the new look of the Discovery and stopped expecting surprises from it — I no longer wanted to switch to anything else. On asphalt, it behaves impeccably, not yielding to crossovers with a unibody construction, and off-road it feels at home. I have always been skeptical of British SUVs, but I must admit: they have raised the bar for the entire SUV class to an unprecedented height. Now other world manufacturers will have to catch up. P. S. True, the Lexus GX460 has a very pleasant-to-the-touch steering wheel. I wonder, is it sold separately or does it come only with the car?