Spec Comparo: Land Rover Discovery vs Mercedes-Benz GLS vs Audi Q7

Land Rover is about to bring in the all-new Discovery, the fifth generation of the legendary cross-country SUV. While the Range Rovers have always gotten the attention, the understated Discovery was the choice for those who knew what it was capable of. The new generation car is a tad softer and now gets stylish even as the carmaker brings it on par with the luxury barges like the Audi Q7 and the Mercedes-Benz GLS. So we pitch them against each other, spec-by-spec to find out which one takes the cake on paper.

Dimensions

The Land Rover Discovery at 4988mm in length is the shortest of the three in terms of overall length. But the earlier Discovery was known for its third-row space and we hope that the new Disco maintains that. The Mercedes GLS is currently the benchmark for third-row space in the Indian car market and the Audi Q7 falls a tad short of that. Apart from that, the three SUVs are closely matched when it comes to width and height. 

In terms of looks, the new Land Rover styling will certainly give a fresh lease of life to the luxury SUV segment that has only seen the German trademarks till date.

Interior

The Land Rover Discovery will come loaded with all the bells and whistles befitting a flagship Land Rover. Panoramic sunroof, four-zone climate control, a large touch-screen display with steering mounted audio controls along with push-button start etc will be offered with the new Discovery. Leather interior, surround sound audio system, power seats in the front and power mirrors will certainly be standard along with folding rear rows to open up more cargo space whenever needed.

The Mercedes and the Audi are also loaded up to the gills in terms of features and equipment and the lists will match closely with what you will get in the new Discovery. In terms of safety as well, all three cars are loaded with a cocoon of airbags in the event that the electronic stability programs aren’t able to help you keep the car under the leash.

Powertrains

The Land Rover Discovery will be offered with six cylinder petrol and well as diesel engine options. The petrol variant develops 335bhp/450Nm while the diesel pumps out 255bhp/600Nm of power. Both the engines come mated to eight-speed automatics and permanent four-wheel-drive. While the Mercedes GLS gets similar six-cylinder petrol and diesel engine options, the Audi Q7 comes only with the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 mill.

The Land Rover comes with pneumatic suspension that allows it ride-height adjustment and auto levelling around corners, thus offering it a plusher ride and better handling as well. It also will get driving modes like Sport, Comfort and Dynamic along with Land Rover’s proprietary off-road driving modes.

The Audi and Mercedes also get all the above equipment, including air suspension, driving modes etc but then the Land Rover, in spite of all the softening up, is still much better off the road than any of the Germans.