August 10, 2013 by carcoutureblog

Saturday – No Clown

Jeremy Apparently, when I was five-years-old, I wanted to run away to the circus. I became a journalist instead, so I got there in the end…

Tonight we drove the low-slung XKR-S across the bumps and mounds of Rodborough Common in Gloucestershire to attend Giffords Circus. Giffords is a traditional, family-run touring circus with clowns, horses and a goose.

All afternoon I had been scorching around the Cotswolds with the Jag in ‘sport’ mode and making a lot of noise. So I was worried it would be impossible to drive a supercar like this in to a circus car park and hope to avoid turning heads.

But that slow meander across the common proved something else about the supercharged XKR-S – it can keep a low profile if it wants to. At low revs those four tailpipes aren’t outrageously loud, the gearchange is slippery smooth you don’t feel like a clown.

And with a car so screamingly blue as this, that is a very good thing. Believe me.

August 9, 2013 by carcoutureblog

Friday – Light The Blue Touch-paper And Retire…

Jeremy The car park at Cheltenham Railway Station has probably been the location for many joyous reunions but none more welcome than the arrival of the XKR-S this afternoon.

I had spent last night at the Manchester City season launch – a musical and comedy extravaganza hosted by Jake Humphries which I don’t think any other team has ever tried to stage before. Catching the train up north, I arrived back in Cheltenham to find the Jaguar purring in the car park with the delivery driver.

Jessica and I were told the car was a rather restrained Italian racing red – in fact, it’s a remarkable shade of blue that almost matches Man City‘s sky blue strip. You wouldn’t want to have a bad hair day in a sports car this colour I can tell you.

So, first impressions of the XKR-S suggest it is going to be a week of high performance drama. Surprisingly, it’s remarkably comfortable too, much more civilised than a Porsche RS and quite usable as an everyday GT too. More tomorrow….

August 8, 2013 by carcoutureblog

Thursday – A Big Discovery

Jessica This car is a big step up from the Discovery of old. It feels solid, sorted and safe. The box shape does not work for me, utilitarian yes, aesthetic no. Even though the bonnet is chunky and reflects the same look as a Range Rover, it definitely lacks a sense of style at the rear.

It’s easy to fall down when designing a dashboard. However, the retro wood finish ties neatly in with current online graphic trends (examples can be seen on Issuu.com) and will appeal to 70’s furniture enthusiasts. Combine this with lozenges of brushed chrome and you have a potential design classic interior.

Internally, the Discovery is very comfortable. The stitching is not overdone and it’s a pleasure to drive on either long or short journeys. Responsive, powerful with the all-important, armchair-style comfortable seats. It feels a little like sitting in a large comfortable office ( which rarely exist now, perhaps we do more work on the move these days, so it is appropriate!)

I know it has already been mentioned in terms of the current Jaguar range but the automatic transmission dial is tactile, smoothly glides up when the car starts and feels thoroughly modern. It works just as well in the Land Rover.

The Discovery is still ideal for pony clubbers and sport lovers alike, even campers – just make sure you do not have long nails as there is no chance of using the touch screen sat nav if you are fond of a well turned out hand!

August 7, 2013 by carcoutureblog

Wednesday – Taking The Strain

Jeremy Just arrived in Southampton for a night at the Pig In The Wall. It’s a hotel that deserves a wacky name because is it so stunningly different. Tomorrow I’m leaving the Discovery at the quayside to catch the ferry to Cowes for a sailing masterclass, with double Olympic gold medalist, Shirley Robertson, for the FT Magazine. Forecast is sunny but I know I’m going to get soaked, one way or the other…

Being down by the coast reminded me that the Land Rover is a brilliant towing machine – something Jessica and I have not had time to put to the test. While she would have pulled a horse box, I definitely would have hitched up to a boat!

The Discovery won its class in the 2012 Towcar of the Year Awards for the third year in a row, beating the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Volvo XC60 and Ford Ranger, to name but a few.

I used a Discovery 3 to pull a small yacht across Ireland in 2008. There was hardly any impact on performance and the Land Rover proved steady at motorway speeds. The Discovery 4 has an eight-speed automatic gearbox instead of a six which I imagine would make it an even better workhorse.

August 6, 2013 by carcoutureblog

Tuesday – Fairy Lights

Jeremy One of the reasons I like our silver HSE Discovery is that Land Rover has resisted the temptation to turn this particular vehicle into a bling thing.

You know the sort of 4x4s I’m talking about – the ones that never get muddy tyres and have been loaded with chrome wheels, blacked out privacy glass and side steps (if you can’t step up into a 4×4 what are you doing driving it?).

So today I was slightly taken aback to find that I was driving around conservative north Yorkshire sporting fairy lights on the front of the Discovery. That’s right – the Disco has sidelights that look like something you would drape over a council house at Christmas.

No privacy glass, no chrome wheels but headlights that are quite shocking to behold in the Dales or elsewhere. Fortunately, it’s possible to turn them off and still be seen in the daytime…

August 5, 2013 by carcoutureblog

Monday – Camera Capers

Jeremy – It’s Monday and it’s Yorkshire. A wet 190 miles up the M1 to Knaresborough, a pretty town with a wonderful railway viaduct that towers ominously above our guest house. The Discovery is parked underneath the bridge. Any more rain and I will be looking for the button on the dashboard that operates a propeller.

It wouldn’t surprise me if there is one – the HSE has just about everything else. Included in this is the ‘4×4 info page’ on the sat nav screen. No idea what purpose it really serves, apart from impressing friends who don’t own a Discovery every once in a while.

And have I mentioned the cameras? The Land Rover is a moving CCTV station, with six of them dotted around the car in strategic places. Again, just what they do is baffling. One screen allows all the camera images to be displayed on screen at once. It’s like a scene from a drug induced nightmare. You can see this screen while the car is on the move, yet you cannot operate the TV (for good reason – but why then the six camera images!?).

Jessica is still struggling with the rather harsh blower on the air con. Is there a secret setting we don’t know about?

August 4, 2013 by carcoutureblog

Sunday – Nitpicking

Jeremy It’s not easy picking holes in an off-roader as good as the Discovery. Some UK car magazines now say the Hyundai Santa Fe (tested on Car Couture earlier this year) is the better machine – it’s certainly more affordable. But when it comes to grunt, secondhand value and all round ability, the Land Rover has the edge.

So what’s not to like about the Discovery? Well, styling is probably the most obvious. I actually think the shape is uncluttered and sharp but parked next to a Hyundai or a BMW X5, it has already started to look a little dated.

Then there is the fuel consumption. The V6 engine produces 255bhp and really gives the Discovery plenty of shove but it also soaks up the diesel. Officially, the Discovery returns 32mpg in the combined cycle but you will have to tread very lightly on the accelerator to get above 30mpg in the real world.

Other faults? Well, both Jessica and I constantly bash the paddle gearshifters on the steering column with our knuckles, which instantly puts the Discovery into manual mode when it is not required. The air con fan is rather harsh for a luxury vehicle and flattening the centre row of seats can be awkward.

Then I start to struggle! This is a great machine – you pay a lot for the pleasure of owning one but the Discovery is still the one to beat for my money.

August 3, 2013 by carcoutureblog

Saturday – Cold Comfort

Jeremy The ‘lost in space’ mobile phone drama continued today as O2 tried everything in their power to make giving me a replacement as difficult as possible. Thank you, O2.

I won’t bore you with the details but it has been trying! I had to have a final search through the Discovery and only found the optional toolbox in the centre armrest this time. Worth every penny in the hot spell I’d say.

While the Land Rover has a heated front screen for fast demisting, I have one complaint with the ventilation system. It is almost impossible to turn the fan down to a comfortable level. The temperature is fine – it’s just that even on the lowest setting, it blows very hard.

Despite a week of fiddling, I can’t say that either Jessica or I have got to the bottom of it. And why when we have the temperature turned up high does it still blow icy cold air of out the vents?

Everything else on the Discovery is straightforward and intuitive. The air con is not.

August 2, 2013 by carcoutureblog

Friday – Lost In Space

Jeremy I now know every nook and cranny of a Land Rover Discovery 4. Why? Because today I managed to lose my iPhone at Borth in Wales today and spent a large chunk of the afternoon conducting a forensic search of the vehicle.

The Discovery was packed solid with camping equipment, clothing and the dog, of course. Over the course of an hour, I found every cubbyhole and hiding place, frantically looking for an expensive chunk of metal measuring 5ins by 3ins.

It was all to no avail and for the last seven hours I have felt strangely out of touch. The Discovery has a DAB radio, so despite the remoteness of it all, at least I was able to keep up with the Ashes cricket. Although Australia are playing so well, I wish I hadn’t.

I also took the opportunity to try out the Discovery’s television. I never quite understood why anybody would want a TV screen on the front dashboard because you can only watch it when the vehicle is stationary. For once, it was fun watching the news, as I sat phoneless, looking out to sea and pondering the whereabouts of my iPhone , out there somewhere lost in space…

August 1, 2013 by carcoutureblog

Thursday – Seeing Is Believing

Jeremy Remember when car headlights had two settings? Dipped, full beam and, erm, that was it. Driving back to the pub campsite near Borth, in Wales tonight, the Discovery proved there are more these days.
First, our HSE has what is commonly known as ‘bendy’ headlights, ones that turn with the steering wheel to point in the proposed direction of travel. Excellent, especially on twisty Welsh lanes with wandering sheep to negotiate.
Then there are those extra side lights that illuminate the area to the front side of the Discovery. Great for turning at low speed through narrow driveway entrances.
Finally, my favourite, auto-dip/full beam, which means the driver doesn’t even have to take his hands off the steering wheel as another car approaches. Sensors detect the oncoming vehicle and dip the headlights for you, popping them back on full beam afterwards.
My first car was a Morris Minor with a dip adjustment button on the floor. The headlights were so bad you could barely see a sheep lorry, let alone a sheep. Some things have changed for the better.

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