Think of Africa. No, dream of Africa, of giraffe and wildebeest wandering through tall grasslands, of lazy lions sulking in the sunlight. Now dream of an ideal vehicle for this idyllic land. Dream of a Land Rover, bounding over rocks and rills, fording creeks and rivers, thundering through the savanna.
A Land Rover is both legend and the real thing. It is the authentic 4x4 that can venture deep into the backcountry. Its suspension articulation, permanent four-wheel-drive system, and off-road technology must be experienced in extreme conditions to be truly appreciated. It also comes with retailers committed to customer satisfaction.
First introduced here in 1994, the Discovery brought the Land Rover experience to far broader range of American consumers. With its distinctive Land Rover styling and heritage, the Discovery is often thought to be expensive, yet it starts at just $33,350. Because of it, Land Rover's total sales climbed from 4906 in 1994 to 23,826 by 1997.
For 1999, the Discovery was significantly redesigned and re-engineered and was named the Discovery Series II. With no price increase, it boosted overall Land Rover sales another 30 percent. The new chassis and suspension made it easier to drive on the highway without sacrificing any of that legendary off-road capability.
Now, for 2002, Land Rover has invested $190 million in its Solihull, U.K. factory (and imported major know-how from parent company Ford) to dramatically improve quality control on all of its products, the Discovery included.