2025 Land Rover Discovery D350 Review: The Ultimate Family SUV for Mzansi Road Trips

Is the 2025 Land Rover Discovery D350 the perfect family SUV? Our epic road trip review from Johannesburg to Knysna reveals all. See specs, pricing, and our final verdict.

To truly put a car through its paces, you can’t just drive it around Sandton for a week. No, you need to live with it, push it, and take it on an adventure. That’s exactly what we did with the 2025 Land Rover Discovery D350. We packed our bags and embarked on the ultimate road trip, all the way from Johannesburg down to Cape Town, and then cruising along the coast to the beautiful town of Knysna. After covering well over 3,000 kilometers, I’m here to tell you everything you need to know.

The Long Haul: Power and Poise on the N1

The first leg of our journey was the big one: the long, straight stretch from Joburg to Cape Town. This is where a car can either become your best friend or your worst enemy, and let me tell you, the Discovery is the best friend you could ask for. That 3.0-litre inline-6 diesel engine is an absolute beast. With 700 Nm of torque on tap, overtaking the long lines of trucks on the N1 was completely effortless. A gentle squeeze of the throttle and we were gone. This car is not lazy at all.

But the real star of the show on a trip like this is the comfort. The standard air suspension just soaks up the road, making the nearly 1,400-kilometre drive feel incredibly smooth. The seats are unbelievably comfortable, and with those soft headrests for everyone, we arrived in Cape Town feeling fresh and ready to explore.

Coastal Cruising: Your Luxurious Home on Wheels

After a few days in the Mother City, we pointed the Discovery towards the Garden Route. This is where the car’s brilliant handling came to life. For a big seven-seater, it handles the winding coastal roads beautifully, with surprisingly little body roll. The high driving position gives you a proper bird’s-eye view, which was perfect for soaking in those incredible ocean vistas. With the Meridian sound system providing the perfect road trip playlist, it was pure driving bliss.

This is also where the interior proved it’s more than just a pretty space. It’s your home on wheels. We had snacks in the cubby compartments, valuables tucked away in the clever hidden storage bin, and the built-in fridge in the center console? My friends, that is a complete game-changer! Pulling out an ice-cold drink while cruising past Wilderness is a level of road trip luxury, I think every family deserves.

Watch our 2025 Land Rover Discovery D350 Review on YouTube below

Tech That Makes the Journey a Breeze

Throughout our entire 3,000-kilometre adventure, the tech in the Discovery worked flawlessly. The large Pivi Pro infotainment screen made navigation a dream, and the bright heads-up display meant my eyes stayed on the beautiful road ahead. It’s all so intuitive and just works, which is exactly what you want when you’re covering this much ground.

The Final Verdict: The Perfect Discovery for a South African Adventure?

So, after living with this car across three provinces and over thousands of kilometers, what’s the final verdict? The 2025 Land Rover Discovery D350 isn’t just a great family SUV: it’s the perfect family adventure machine. It has the space, the comfort, the tech, and the power to take you and your loved ones anywhere in this beautiful country in absolute style.

We averaged about 9.2 liters per 100 km on our trip, which for a massive SUV loaded with gear and our luggage, is honestly what you’d expect. With prices starting around the R2 million mark, it’s a premium car with a premium price tag. But after this incredible journey, I can tell you it’s worth every cent for the memories you’ll create. It’s a beautiful car and, without a doubt, the ultimate road trip companion.

As a competitive all-rounder, the Land Rover Discovery starts at a significantly lower price than its core German competitors. Even when you move up to a higher-specification model like the Dynamic HSE (approx. R2,137,000) to match the features of the base BMW X7, it remains competitively priced. Its key advantage is that Land Rover’s comprehensive off-road technology and air suspension are standard, whereas rivals often require additional packages for similar capability.

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