This base-level Discovery 4 came well equipped with air conditioning, a good music system, an automatic gearbox, seven seats and all the usual Land Rover off-road capability.

First, the good.
It has served as an excellent family vehicle, frequently carrying 6-7 people with no complaints from the passengers in the third row.
The boot is enormous - more than enough for day-to-day use, folding the second row of seats down adds even more space for hauling items around.

The Discovery did 100,000 trouble-free miles in the first four years followed by 11,000 in the fifth (2014).
It has been totally reliable (apart from one seemingly minor issue.
See 'The Bad' below.
The only problem experienced was as a result of hitting a cavernous pothole on a trip to Wales - Land Rover soon diagnosed and fixed the damage caused.

The height of the vehicle gives the driver an excellent view of the road and the passengers get to see more of the surrounding countryside.
Handling is 'almost car-like' and the performance is surprisingly good for a vehicle of this size. It is a pleasure to drive whether on a motorway or a country lane.

The bad.
The vehicle is expensive to buy and to run - as are most vehicles in this class. I knew that when I made the decision to buy a Discovery.
The VED is £485 and even higher on the new models for 2015. I managed an average MPG of around 32.
Service costs are as you would expect from a Land Rover dealer, the 5-year major service was over £1,000!
I managed around 40,000 miles per set of tyres and they cost £150 (dealer)- £200 (eTyres) fitted.
Other owners have referred to a fault that puts the vehicle in 'safe mode' - i.e.it slows almost to a crawl - or stops!
This is the fault referred to above.
I ignored a problem with the fuel gauge during the first three years warranty period. It showed 'empty' even when the tank was full on three or four occasions . In the middle of the fifth year, it happened again - this time the car went into 'safe mode' and didn't come out! The car was recovered and taken to the dealership. The mechanic explained that the computer sensed that the vehicle was running out of fuel and activated the 'safe mode'. The tank was half-full, however, the fuel gauge was showing empty.
The dealership offered a concession on the repair.
The lesson I learned here is to ensure that all faults, no matter how seemingly minor, are fixed during the warranty period.

Overall, I have been pleased with the Discovery 4, so much so that I am in the process of trading it in for another new one.