We drove the Discovery Series II on what Land Rover called "the world's longest new car test drive." To celebrate its 50th anniversary and to show off its capabilities, Land Rover organized a 20,000-mile trek around the globe. Automotive writers were organized into tag teams. My section was from London to Turkey, a journey of nearly 3,000 miles that us through 11 countries.We drove down smooth highways, over busted pavement, through challenging off-road sections. We whisked down Germany's high-speed Autobahn, traversed Romania's high-altitude Carpathian Mountains and traveled along Bulgaria's single-lane dirt tracks on the first leg of this planet circumnavigation. Because this was an expedition, our Discovery was heavily loaded with cargo and gear and pulled a trailer loaded with even more equipment. Our Discovery was a stock model right off the assembly line. It performed flawlessly -- not just on our leg, but throughout the event. The most obvious improvements to the Series II have to do with its on-road performance. Ride quality is much closer to Land Rover's higher-priced, luxurious Range Rover models. Part of the reason for this is that some of the Discovery's new parts are based on Range Rover designs. The new Discovery handles so well; it's a night-and-day improvement over the previous generation. Steering is more responsive with greater driver feel. We were very impressed with the optional Active Cornering Enhancement system. With the reduced body lean, driving down winding roads was pleasant with crisp response -- in spite of our heavily laden condition. (Ordered without ACE, the Discovery still offers vastly improved handling over the previous version.) The revised engine delivers more torque than last year (251 foot-pounds at 2,600 rpm -- an 18-pound increase). There's also a noticeable improvement in braking performance, a benefit of the 4-channel ABS with Electronic Brake Distribution. A leader in off-road prowess, the Discovery Series II offers exceptional wheel travel with excellent articulation. So when the left front wheel drops into a big hole, the right rear wheel is less likely to lift off the ground. Discovery features a high ground clearance (8.2 inches under the front axle), generous angles of approach and departure, and is capable of wading through 20 inches of water. It can tow a 5,500-pound trailer and comes with an integral Class III tow hitch receiver. With the Self Leveling Suspension, a hand-held control gave us the ability to lower the rear of the Series II up to 4 inches, which made loading gear into the cargo area and connecting the trailer much easier. We used the SLS switch on the instrument panel to raise the rear of the Series II by 1.6 inches for off-road forays. Hill Descent Control was a Godsend on treacherous downhill sections.
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