inside. Once seated, however, occupants will find the Discovery comfortable, user-friendly and lavishly equipped.

Both models come with firm seats swathed in leather. The high seating position gives drivers a commanding view of

the road and the driver can easily see the front fenders, an important feature when off-roading along the edge of

a bottomless crevasse.

Dual-zone climate controls and separate sunroofs for front and rear seat passengers are standard. Everything

appears to be long-wearing and carefully installed. The window switches are lighted for nighttime convenience, a

feature missing on many sport-utilities, but they are mounted in an angled panel on the center console and sorting

out which switch operates which window takes some practice.

Official seating capacity is for five, though the rear seat is best suited to two riders. There is plenty of

headroom front and rear. The raised roof really contributes to rear-seat comfort. Rear legroom is not a strong

point, however. A large cargo door swings open to provide easy access to the back and a roll-up cover is provided

to hide valuables. The spare tire is mounted outside the door on back to maximize cargo space. Optional side-facing

jump seats are available, but they are best left to small children-or left off the options list, as headroom is

severely limited and climbing into them is a chore.

Both models come standard with a long list of luxury features, such as power windows, mirrors, seats and door

locks. But they also come with heaters for the front seats and outside mirrors, an auto-dimming interior mirror,

a rear window washer and wiper, headlamp washers, electronic cruise control, and remote keyless entry. Heavy duty rubber floor mats do a good job of handling water, snow, mud and dirt.

The Discovery LSE comes with a wood-trimmed center console and a premium Harman-Kardon stereo. A six-disc CD changer is mounted under the passenger seat; it's too bad an in-dash CD player isn't available because loading the changer is fussy.