Real Road Test: 1990 Land Rover Discovery 1 V8 

Saved like mad to get a second hand k reg diesel discovery, Even though my wife begged me not to get a bigger car than our cavalier. However she and I loved it, I will never forget driving it out of the dealers realising I actually owned it. We both agree it was the best car we have ever had, the wife liked the high up driving position and the inability of other road users to intimidate. Kids travel sickness disappeared too. Had it for over twelve years with the cylinder head gasket blowing after 100,000 miles the only serious problem after all those years, and before that it never dripped any oil. Superb.

Have to get a birthday card for mine now. 3 door 3.5 V8 registered November 1989.

Fun fact: for several years in the 1990s, the Discovery was sold in Japan as the Honda Crossroad :)

I have a 98 300 tdi 370k and do about 40k a year on dirt roads and tracks . No rust in mine . Comfort and reliability in remote areas is second to none . The looks you get when idling past lesser makes with all the fruit winching is priceless. My disco will be the last car i own it will see me out has to be good for another 400k at least . The only faults it had were age related, alternator, injection pump and radiator and a couple of rubber donuts ohhh and get between 25 and 35 mpg depending on the country i am in . My rear wiper is in the bin don't really need it to much extra weight lol . No sunroof so no water leaking even in tropical storms.

I was in high school when this model came out and I remember how popular they quickly became with the yuppie soccer mom scene here in the United States. These often have a metal cage installed between the rear seats and the storage area for carrying doggies to the countryside. This first generation was much more reliable than the latter generations. This video brings back some memories.

Don't forget it's nearly 40 years old !! I've had three and all brilliant ,drove through snow storms ,floods and around Sibbertoft off road course ! Standard car with mud tyres .superb motor and would love another.

Made my day seeing this! I owned a 1993 L plate MPi in metallic green with beige trim, between 2004 and 2007. Of the many cars I have owned, it was one of my very favourites. The MPi was cheap to buy secondhand because it was considered underpowered. I wouldn't argue with that, but mine managed fine with a family of 4 travelling with loads of kit between Worcestershire and Somerset every weekend, cruising very comfortably and quietly on the M5 at a decent motorway pace. It returned around 28 mpg too, which wasn't bad. I didn't do much off-roading, but one memorable journey was on Christmas Eve 2004 when 6 up, we travelled from Worcestershire to Bishops Castle on the Welsh border and back and encountered considerable snowfall. The Discovery treated it with utter disdain! Fantastic vehicle.

Makes me think of a Matra Rancho! Reviewing one would certainly be a HubNut classic!

I aspired to have one when I was at secondary school. V8 is the only way to go. Great sound. Thanks again Ian for improving my day.

Nothing quite like the sound of a Rover V8, very enjoyable video HubNut, thanks.

My friends dad had one of these in the same colour when I was a kid. I was so fascinated with the heightened roof and roof windows, plus the rear side facing seats and off-road adaptations vs a road-going car that I was so used to. When his dad finally took us out in it, I obviously had to sit in the back. It felt like a boat rocking going around corners. Thank you for the nostalgia trip and for making these kind of videos.

I used my 1996 300tdi for my tree surgery business. So it spent a lot of time off road and towing heavy trailers loaded with logs. Always seemed to return 25 mpg no mater what I was towing. Took it from 72,000 miles to 189,000 working hard everyday . The only repairs where a new clutch at 90,000 and small cheap items. Only time it let me down was straight after I bought it with the infamous spider immobiliser issue. Did a motorway trip in appalling weather of 580 miles to North Yorkshire and back in one evening. Supremely comfortable for me and front seat passenger, although kids felt sick in the back on twisty Welsh roads. So regretted it when I sold it and that was only because of advancing rust. Keep looking out for a good honest 300tdi I do think that was the best engine.

Nothing like the sound of a v8..Great video again Ian...As usual.👍

Ive had my 1997 Disco 300tdi since '98 in Woodcoate Green! She's still on the road and occassional off roading! Currently on her 3rd life, after all the corrossion was fixed Again last year. 3rd round of sills! lol Love her to bits, she also has a self built foldable double bed in the rear, a Mazda Bongo kitchen unit under the bed and Vw T2 curtains all round! Ps: Couldn't wait for you to open the window Ian, so I could hear that roar!

The sound of pure NA v8 power... love these old brutes. Good vid ian

I spent a year in the early 90's driving round mainly France on behalf of a salvage company finding and buying as many damaged disco's as possible. They just couldn't get enough of them. So thanks to the discovery i had a wonderful year of seeing some really out of the way places in France.

Never owned or have even driven one but was given a lift in a 'Disco' many years ago and was immediately impressed. Lovely vehicle.

Hi Ian,what a review on this Disco,nice to see one on the road still being driven.

Along with my series 3 stage one v8 this is my favourite model of landrover . Great stuff

Excellent, to see the old tub out enjoying the sunshine, was never that dirty or rough when my missus owned it. Still sounds fantastic, love it and a fitting tribute to the old bus! We bravely did a tour of Normandy in BYJ back in 2011 or 12 and it never missed a beat. it still had the original cyclone alloys, during our ownership and had a recon gearbox which will have only covered approx 20K, new heater control module fitted (common fault), new rad and the extra "grrr" air filter cone we fitted, cant beat extra Grr!

Yes, friday night and a new real road test. Finally something to look forward to today.

One of my all time favourite cars. Would have one in a heartbeat .

Another great video

Well driven review Ian. My former boss from London, Gorden drove a range rover. So I admire them also. Good vehicles he had a old land rover also ,as he seemed to enjoy british cars. He now drives a Bentley bought in the late 80s. When he was a youngster he had a Austin sports car, He loved speed. Well done Ian. Rich and carnivorous cats in LA.Calif USA

We were super lucky when we bought our Series 2 TD5. No sunroofs, no hideously unreliable and expensive to fix ACE and coil springs on the back. Judging by the amount of sweet papers and crayons rolling around in places that hadn't seen the light of day for a while it had been a brat transporter and never off roaded. She's a proper workhorse pulling trailers and moving all sorts in the back including full sized oxy acetylene cylinders and argon cylinders. She's on 180,000 miles and runs and drives very well. We want to put her on a galvanised chassis when the time comes because we love her so much. Only one recovery necessary breakdown in all the years we've owned her. The doggos love it too.

Love these. I smoked around in a 300tdi for a short while when my Defender was getting a new chassis.

Excellent test always liked the look of the Disco, and in my view it still looks a very fresh design after all these years.

I now like the Discovery Mk1 even more, thanks hub nut!

Hello Ian, Thanks again for this one, Gedney bank and the Dog in a Doublet pub with great Sunday lunches.. I see how much the skyline has changed, in the 80's there were brickyard chimneys everywhere, and huge power lines to feed them.. Now its wind turbines.. Cordialement,

I didn't know about all the Range Rover stuff inside it. Every day is a school day, thanks Hub Nut.

Love my 1993 200tdi,scruffy looking but very very sound mechanically. Such a practical and useful vehicle. 😊

Mine brings me joy everyday! I've never quite owned a vehicle quite like him.

I remember driving one, I was amazed how the admittedly modest power of the V8 was absorbed by the sheer weight of it. I haven't driven a diesel but imagine it to be quite leisurely.

Nice one. Love those Allegro - Marina door handles.🙂

Cool review. 👍👍

It seemed to take a decade for the competition to catch up. You could argue that has been the state of land rover for most of its history.

Great road test, very interesting. I'm impressed to the level that I think Land Rover really couldn't have done a better job on this one, specially considering that it was targeting an in-between of 2 already legendary but quite different cars for a type of buyer they never targeted before. I think the trademark of a good design is often that it ages well and you can certainly say that of this one. Also liking the TVR-like soundtrack!

Ian that 0-60 you did sounded epic!

Briliant video.👍👍👍

Mate of mine briefly had a Tdi. It was comfortable, had great visibility and didn't break down too much. It felt a bit special after what we'd previously been used to.

I had a 1995 3.9 V8 and how I miss it...... 😭 I truly did love my Disco.

When the disco was launched I had a part time job at the local dealers. The disco your in had the hi grade radio standard they didn't get the rear speakers. The rear bag on the seat was to store the sun roof and the additional bag was an option rather than.having the centre cubby box. The discos were amazing motors but I do remeber the G reg and early H regs suffered from back door handle failures. I only remember seeing 2 MPIs and they belonged to BAE as company cars.

Such an interesting review. Thank you so much.

14:21 Mockin' the Mocca's Love the Disco. Got to admire such an epic 80's design :D.

Pretty good nick for a Disco that early. The factory demonstrators were all G-WAC reggie numbers, so an H is not far behind. Headlamps were LDV Sherpa I believe!

I love it.. the 0-60 you did sounded like you were thrashing a 70's camero... 😄

I had the 1990 Range Rover 3.9 V8 Classic Vogue Auto. A beast of a vehicle for all weathers whilst I lived in the Scottish Highlands. Best car in 40 years of driving to own.

The Land rover is something special. It is the only , literally the only brand in the world that has remarkably combined the off - road capabilities of vehicles and luxury , many decades before other brands : Toyota Land Cruiser , Mercedes G class , BMW ................. . It is pleasure that today is unrivaled in the filed of terrain and driving abilities , even sports , as well as a huge and very high quality and functional interior. I have to admit it is my favorite car brand . I especially like the model Velar.

The wife wanted one and we bought an automatyic 3.9 v8i with LPG fitted. By no means economical but the LPG took the sting out of the running costs. A beautiful thing to drive and we had it for some 12 years. It was so quiet; pedestrians would walk out in front of it without looking. Despite its appearance, it was a surprising smaller than you think. It was the last of the true Land Rovers; everything since is just a high tech badge and needs specialists to look after them

I thought I was watching your old discovery 200 diesel video hahaha, good one

There's no sound in the world quite so good as that of the Rover V8. Absolutely marvelous.

My friend s dad use to have a land rover 110 Station wagon it was older then this but all very good for off roading great video keep up with the good

Love these Land Rovers. ❤

I too have always loved the look of the 1st generation Disco. I've wanted one for years. They're still puttering around here, but not too common. We didn't get the earliest examples. The first ones we got were 1994 models. Shame, I like the pre-facelift look.

I had a 1994 300 TDI Auto, loved it. Also had a 2002 RR P38 with the 2.5 BMW diesel, manual, another great car despite the reliability reputation, never went wrong in 2.5 years. Air suspension was replaced with coils before i got it. 1969 series 2 with a 3.5 V8 in, good fun off road. V8 is worth it for the noise.

Great video, the V8 really suits the Discovery and all Land Rovers. I think I have Auto Express's first test somewhere in a box.

Good comprehensive review of the disco Ian, and after seeing the cossie transit in one of your previous videos this is surely a vehicle that would benefit from a more powerful v8 from say a lexus v8 or chevy v8 etc to spice things up a bit. Thanks Ian.

When these beauties first came out, my woodwork teacher brought a load of brochures in to school from the local Land Rover dealership ...i couldn't stop reading the disco brochure and ended up taking it home and lusting after this gorgeous new car ...my absolute favorite Landy and i wish i could have had the opportunity to own or drive one .

We did a "collection caper" a few years back with a 3.9 ES. 2 Trains and 2 buses. I was a great day out. I told my mate that he was taking a huge risk buying it but it hasn't put a foot wrong, and it's 25 years old.

I always noticed that rear light clusters were Maestro van. The entire rear pillars looked like it too.

We had a TD5 one as a (brand new) Office car back in the 2000s...it had air suspension and was fully loaded. Drove many happy miles in it - brushed off bad weather - shocking how much fuel it drank when you filled up !

I had a 1992 tdi 200, with the sonar blue interior and the blue paint, loved it so much, it had 222000 on the clock when I sold it and that was 12 years ago, and I saw it still going about 4 years ago. Wish I still had it 😍

Had a lovely white 3 door 200tdi from 1990 with the interior. The storage bag was for the sunroof's, which were removable. If you took the rear one out; the resonance threatened the rear door and windows. Good Times.

Great vid Ian always wanted the Gwac reg the pre production press vehicle with everything out of the lode lane parts bin happy memories thanks for making this 30th anniversary tribute 👍Alan still on the look out for my holy grail a gold in vogue the first of the first

I drive same year manual tdi great car but not winning any races . Solid cars . This brings memories back as do all your videos 😀

Beautiful car, I learned to drive in a red 300tdi Xs with rather nice graphics on bottom half and some half leather shenanigans. I drove that for many years, all over the hills of Shropshire until it finally caught fire and ended the dream, I had some fabulous times in it!I would probably buy another if I found a tidy one 😍

I sold that Disco to Kelsey Media in 2015. It was immaculate when I sold it. I did put the original Cyclone alloy wheels in the boot along with some replacement rear trim parts.

I too loved the discovery, (Never driven a V8 though). In 1989 when they first came out my Dad had a series 3 swb 2.25 petrol, his friend bought a new discovery and there after referred to my dads series 3 as a 'tin shed on wheels', fast forward to 2000 and the Discovery had such catastrophic tin worm that it was sent to be 'recycled' in the scrap yard, meanwhile the 'tin shed on wheels' continued to trundle on still in use as a daily driver.

Yes the little used Diff lock lever. When it was used, the fragile cast alloy actuator used to snap leaving it in transmission lock up mode! Unsuspecting mums on school runs would then fight the thing round corners for days until the transmission destroyed itself. The joys of LT77 owners.

That North bank road beside that river is currently flooded, no surprise lol. Love the V8 as ya know.

I had a car in front of me the other day with a Hubnut sticker, couldn’t believe it

That little tidbit about only post-90s models being Defenders finally made something make sense to me! My mum was always derisive of Range Rovers, and that only "proper Land Rovers, when it was just called Land Rover" were proper hardworking vehicles. I could never tell which type of Land Rover she was referring to! Being more into cars lately than I was at 5 years old (quelle surprise) I later recognised that Defenders had the shape and simplicity she was referring to.. but she always insisted "not Defender, just Land Rover". Now I know.

Kenlowe electric fans, De Carbon gas shocks, and silicone bushes transformed this vehicle. Reduced body roll impressive. Suspension travel a bit reduced by the mods, but still OK. And oh ... that lovely V8. What an engine! But Birmabright body panels bolted onto steel chassis struts meant super rapid corrosion points.

I remember being terrified in the jump seats on an off camber bend in one of these when my dad test drove a new TDI xs in white in 1996. It looked awesome with the spotty graphics on the lower half but my dad hated the diesel and bought a year old P38 4.6 HSE instead, correct choice I think but still love the discovery.

Good car,I'm sure there are better examples,this one's definitely seen better days !!😀

Great vid as usual, thanks. I think it was Terence Conran (Conran Design) who did the interior. I think Jasper does T-Shirts for Debenhams.

Once again, i know that road very well! Trundling along the nene to whittlesey! I should get out more, or maybe i get out enough... Land Rover, my uncles favourite ride!

It’s quite common in Ireland for Discovery’s to be running on much older classic chassis and using the old registration number - to avail of much cheaper tax and insurance. There are also a lot that have had their identities swapped without the chassis being swapped

Had one loved it

A local car dealer (Cheshire countryside) didn't sell Discos. When asked why, he said "if I had a forecourt full of Discoveries, I could sell then all in a week. But I'd get them all back two weeks later".

That sounds sooooo Fffffoookin good man!!!... MORE V8S! lol..

That's a solid 10 on the dash t-tray rating scale. I think you should include that with the triangle of doom review

the blowing exhaust does have one advantage - when you give it some stick it sounds naughty.

Being a similar age, I remember too what a Big Thing the launch of the Disco was. They got it mostly right.

Wow, that dash came right out of an ldv convoy, or maybe the other way round 😂

Picked up a the same spec model but L reg today for £1500. It’s in great condition but has been sold to a scrapyard by a woman who’s husband had died recently, and she wanted a quick sale. The engine purrs beautifully and while it only manages about it 17-20 MPG it drives very well. A proper steal!

Sounds awesome still

I always felt car sick when travelling in the rear of these . Fine in the front . Never actually bought my breakfast up but a near run thing once or twice !

8:15 My mum and dad bought a brand new vitara on H and the rear seats in that sat higher than the front. 1990 just when I started high school, obviously I'm 21 now

Land Rover were really making some good advancements then and really strong contender for an SUV that could properly go off road and not be too bad as an every day car at the same time. Bit of refinement. Also churning out decent Diesels, there's many a 200tdi clattering about these days. Proper live axles. Proper transfer case and proper engines. It carried on well into the Disco II but I think became a bit too electronic, like everything round that time with the Disco 3.

Just about the best vehicle for the fens. Got to be some of the most lumpy roads in the UK. Do not travel there in the back of a new type Mini Cooper. It really hurts your head. Ask mme how I know. Another good one Ian. I really hope you can find the Ambassador files.

How about reviewing a Mk1 Freelander over 20 years old now and one of the first 4x4 s with electronic downhill descent control It amazing that both Land Rover and Jaguar managed to come out of the British Leyland days relatively unscathed and didn’t disappear like so many of the other marques they owned

My brother had two of those. One with Tonka-style wheels. Borderline dangerous on-road. I think the other one had more sensible wheels and an aftermarket propane tank that helped cut down the quite remarkable V8 fuel thirst. Cool, cool cool cars, but more a hobby than a really practical daily transport. Now, he’s got a 2008 Disco with a V6 diesel engine that in a spectacular way committed suicide this summer. Of course, on vacation abroad. "It's kind of hard to repair the engine", he said. "The whole body must be removed". And then he bought a beat-up, 750 pound Saab estate as a stop-gap. Oh dear!

I had a manual 200tdi, then got a 300tdi auto and the last one I had from new was a 2004 TD5 auto, which was my favourite at the same time I had a V8 D1 done up for off roading. Tempted to get another TD5 for fun.

My 200tdi D1 is in for MOT today, fingers crossed. It's a bobtailed off roader so not much original interior left, it still has the blue seats and blue dash though. Wouldn't mind getting my hands on an early carb-fed 3 door. It's my third Discovery, I had a 300tdi and still have a V8 D2 with low miles, great cars.

Original headlamps were Sherpa, original door handles Austin Allegro. Austin Montego indicator stalks, Austin Montego instrument cluster, Rear lamp clusters were from the Austin Maestro van. Parts bin special lol. I remember the Turbo T-series was used at one point but I think this might have been a proof of concept model.

Aw, lovely. Mm, twin sunroofs so you can get twice as much water in!

AHH takes me back morris marina door handles & montego switch gear, Had a 200 tdi auto purely as a tow car did a fantastic job did the same mpg towing as solo kept it 18 months & doubled my money on it , still got the dealer workshop manual for it somewhere

Another video around Peterborough wish I knew you were over this way I would come and met you.

I used to have a 94 Tdi and it too had a crunchy second gear, but I really liked it. Go figure !