Just over a year after we first reviewed the Discovery 3 at its posh Sydney launch, local distributor, Regent Motors, has finally made the model that kick-started the Land Rover renaissance available here. Whether or not Sloane Street swankiness will translate to Orchard Road is the question on everyone's lips, but here in CarBuyer's offices, we're still mopping up the drool.

The Discovery is the first Land Rover to benefit from a development programme that hasn't involved the messy distractions of ownership change. Land Rover, the brand has had significantly more homes in its 55 year existence than is really healthy, but under current owner, Ford, a sense of permanence, plus all the financial and technical support provided by the American manufacturer, have finally allowed the marque to flower.

Three all-new or at least heavily revised models now appear in the Land Rover line-up, the Discovery 3, Range Rover Sport and the top-of-the-line Range Rover. More on the latter two models in a later issue but right now, it's the Discovery 3 that takes centre stage.

Land Rover's engineers have given the Disco's chassis the label, Integrated Body Frame or IBF. IBF was designed to combine the strength of a ladder-frame chassis, crucial for off-roading, with the refinement of a monocoque, which aids in endowing car-like handling characteristics. Off-roaders typically consist of a box, the cabin, which is perched atop a robust arrangement of big steel chassis rails, the ladder frame. The problem used to be that you couldn't optimise suspension settings and therefore handling characteristics for what are essentially two separate structures, with the IBF you don't need to.

Air suspension is standard, and you can manually adjust the ride height and the settings for the centre and rear differentials, but Land Rover's trick electronic off-road nanny can easily take care of things, more about which later.

In terms of styling, the Disco is an unequivocal winner. Clean lines and simply rendered surfaces aid design longevity and the Disco 3 looks like it'd still appear contemporary by the time Discos 9 or 10 roll round. There are no rounded corners, and the whole car looks like it was drawn with only a straight edge, but this scheme does work very well. There's little else on the road that has quite so much visual presence, and for many this alone should clinch the deal.

DRIVING IT

Land Rover has engineered the Disco 3 to provide what it calls a "Command" seating position, and not just for the driver. It's the automotive equivalent of wearing lifts in your shoes, and the terrific visibility helps you overcome any nervousness that you might feel when driving such an enormous car. Couple this with the trendy looks and the effect on all aboard is to engender a sense of absolute imperiousness, the same sort of feeling you'd get if you were tooling about in a Rolls-Royce or Bentley, but overlaid with a delightfully edgy sense of cool.

You wouldn't expect something this size, weighing in on the wrong side of 2.5 tonnes, to handle with any kind of verve, and true enough, you do feel like there's plenty of inertia to be mindful of. That said, the Disco does palpably shrink around you, as with all intrinsically well-set up large cars. The steering is accurate and meaty, and inputs are translated into directional changes that are surprisingly positive. Body roll is well-enough contained under normal conditions but as you're sitting so high up, even gentle lean is amplified. You soon get used to this, however, and it does help to rein in your enthusiasm. If you're undeterred, the standard-fit stability control system will kick in an administer a gentle slap on the wrist.

The engine is a 295bhp 4.4-litre V8 unit, borrowed and heavily adapted from the current Jaguar range. It's smooth and quiet, making restrained growly noises under full throttle. The engine's been tuned for torque, though, and there's a hefty 427Nm of grunt available.

If you do decide to go off-road, something that will be made much easier as Regent Motors has announced plans to build a permanent off-road facility here, you'll be glad to know that the Disco is equipped with Terrain Response, a system that adjusts the suspension and all the car's sophisticated traction and stability control hardware to suit virtually any surface.

INSIDE IT

The cabin is as chunkily handsome as the exterior. The dashboard follows the same geometries that describe the Disco's styling and all the surfaces, buttons and knobs have a satisfyingly rugged feel to them. Like those on weather-proof and shock-proof portable radios. Our test car came packed to the gills with equipment, including a DVD-entertainment system for rear passengers.

Those with big families will be pleased to note that the Disco does exactly as what it says on the tin. It's a seven-seater vehicle that actually comfortably seats seven adult-sized passengers, and with all the chairs in position, there's still room for useable boot space. If you fold the rear and middle rows away, you form a relatively flat load area that looks big enough for you to park a small-ish hatchback in.

Loading stuff is a cinch, too. The Disco's tailgate is a split folding one, the window lifts up and away, while the lower section drops towards you, and the asymmetric design of the two tailgate sections means you can get closer to the boot area for easier access.

DOLLARS AND SENSE

As befitting its premium status, the Disco isn't cheap, listing at $275,888 with COE. But for the money, you can't buy more road presence, or something that actually, physically takes up more road for that matter. You also get plenty by way of standard equipment, including all the expensive mechanicals you need if the desire for some serious off-roading suddenly takes you.

VERDICT

If Regent Motors' intentions were to totally erase the image that anyone who has gone through National Service has of Land Rover, then one of the products to do it with is the Discovery. It's still a proper Landie first and foremost, and that means unparalleled off-road ability (a fact that you can use to wind up friends with mud-averse SUVs), but the Disco now possesses a substantial layer of class and sophistication that used to be solely the business of the Range Rover. If that isn't tempting, then we're not sure what is.

NEED TO KNOW

Land Rover Discovery 3 (A)
Engine Type 4,394cc, 32v V8
Max Power 295bhp at 5,500rpm
Max Torque 427Nm at 4,000rpm
Gearbox 6-speed automatic
Top speed 195km/h
0-100km/h 8.6 seconds
Price $275,888 with COE
Warranty 3 years / 100,000km
Contact Regent Motors
Telephone 376-0077

SIMILAR CARS WE HAVE DRIVEN

Volvo XC90 T6 (A) $229,000 with COE
The XC90 also boasts a seven-seat capacity, as well as the full phalanx of Volvo's vaunted safety technology. The twin-turbo in-line six has oodles of torque and endows the big Volvo with superb cruising ability. Not a patch on the Disco off-road, though.

Porsche Cayenne (A) $265,888 without COE
The entry-level Cayenne has terrific on-road handling, it is a Porsche after all, and one of the sweetest sounding V6 engines available. It only seats five, though, and to equip the Cayenne for off-road duty means a substantial investment in the options list, too.